News From Around the States
Kelly Bergin
Issue date: 10/5/05 Section: News
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Hurricane Rita caused more destruction in the Gulf Coast last week as the storm hit Texas and Louisiana. The storm, even in its weakened state, is said to be responsible for up to ten deaths. The storm dumped 25 inches of rain on the already beleaguered coastline and caused widespread flooding in southern and central Louisiana, and eastern parts of Texas. When Rita came ashore on Sunday, many of the sparsely populated communities along the coast were wiped out.
Official reports indicate that southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas were hit the worst, and Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) called for the nation's attention to the flooded and severely damaged areas. The Texas-Louisiana border experienced winds up to 120 MPH and some areas were submerged in 15 feet of water.
Houston was predicted to be hit the worst by the storm, but it was spared when the storm turned north. Officials say that countless number of lives was saved by the evacuation of 3 million people, though 24 people died when their bus caught fire. The evacuation caused hours of traffic built up on the highway, allowing vehicles to move only 26 miles over the course of 14 hours.
The city of New Orleans is still attempting to recover from Hurricane Katrina, experienced some minimal re-flooding from Rita. However, residents were slowly coming back to home and the city has begun to show signs of life. As of last Friday, one third of the city has been permitted to re-enter the city.
President Bush visited the area for the seventh time on Monday, as he continued to survey the never-ending stream of damage. He again pledged help to an area that has experienced much destruction over the last month.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS TO EXPLAIN KATRINA RESPONSE
Congressional hearings started on September 27 in an attempt to explain the government's failure in their response to Hurricane Katrina. Michael Brown, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, responded to tough questions thrown at him by the committee.
Brown removed himself from the position after much criticism and after being sent back to Washington, D.C. by the head of Homeland Security. The hearings are set to examine the federal, state, and local response to the storm. Brown defended his former agency when questioned, when asked if FEMA did enough to soothe the chaos and destruction that took place in New Orleans.