| Hurricane Rita skirted by the Florida Keys on | | | | troops are out and said that there is no structural |
| Tuesday with high winds, torrential tropical | | | | damage to that road. Just a lot of debris. |
| downpours, and powerful storm surge as it | | | | City Manager Julio Avael says the city will be |
| pushed into the warm waters of the Gulf of | | | | reopen to residents beginning at 6 am on |
| Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean onto the Florida | | | | Wednesday. However, tourists should wait until |
| Keys. Even though the eye of the storm pass to | | | | Friday to give time for Hotel employees to get |
| the south of the Key West, it did make a ever | | | | the businesses ready for them to return. |
| so slight jog to the north according to Chief | | | | What's next for hurricane Rita? |
| Meteorologist Brian Norcross of CBS 4 News, | | | | Joe Bastardi of predicts Hurricane Rita to become |
| bringing the core of the hurricane closer to Key | | | | a category 5 hurricane and make landfall |
| West. Using their advanced storm tracking | | | | somewhere on the Texas coast, possibly near |
| technically, Norcross demonstrated where the eye | | | | Galveston. He also predicts that Hurricane Rita will |
| of the storm was 12 hours ago to where it was | | | | be stronger than Hurricane Carla that hit Texas |
| at present. Hurricane Force gusts were clocked at | | | | back in 1961. As you know, Hurricane Katrina beat |
| 80 mph at that time. | | | | out Camille as the worst storm to hit Louisiana |
| A mandatory evacuation order was in place for | | | | and Mississippi. |
| the Florida Keys and only about 50% of the | | | | According to Bastardi, the central pressure of |
| residents took advantage and got out. The "die | | | | hurricane Rita is right around 967 mb, which is |
| hard conchs" decided to stay and not evacuate | | | | very close to category 3 status. He expects that |
| the Keys. These are the people who are long | | | | central pressure to drop to around 920 mb by |
| time residents of the Florida Keys and have lived | | | | the time it makes landfall. He says that conditions |
| through many hurricanes. Some said that this is | | | | are ripe and favorable for this type of |
| only a category one storm and they are not | | | | strengthening as high pressure will move toward |
| evacuating. If this were a category 3 storm, then | | | | the east and the Gulf of Mexico is still quite warm. |
| the would probable get out. | | | | Bastardi also urges all Texans along the coast to |
| As you know, there is only one road in, and one | | | | get out and get out now, because the big one is |
| road out. That road is U.S. 1. Florida National Guard | | | | coming. |