 "Photo:")
Galveston County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of all coastal communities in anticipation of Hurricane Rita.
Gov. Rick Perry declared Texas a disaster area Tuesday, and asked the federal government to reimburse 100 percent of the costs incurred by Rita. Also, Houston officials began moving remaining Katrina evacuees to other states.
Rita, now a Category 3 storm, is expected to strike the Texas coast late Friday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane may reach Category 4 by the time it strikes, with winds between 130 and 155 mph.
Galveston County will begin enforcing Texas' first-ever mandatory evacuation Wednesday night.
Tuesday, Houston officials began busing those who remained in Houston's Reliant Arena and George R. Brown Convention Center to Ellington Airfield, where they were transported by commercial air to Fort Chaffee, Ark. Volunteer crews were also scheduled to fly to the new location.
About 4,000 evacuees currently in Texas will be moved to Arkansas; 3,000 to Tennessee and 250 to Nebraska, according to the governor's office.
As of 2 a.m. Tuesday, 1,123 evacuees remained in the Houston shelters. The Reliant Astrodome and Reliant Center were completely evacuated over the weekend. At its highest capacity, the Reliant Complex and the George R. Brown Convention Center totaled 27,100 evacuees. Officials said many moved in with friends or family members or found alternative housing.
All evacuees were expected to relocate by Tuesday evening, long before the possibility of encountering another hurricane.
Officials at the Joint Information Center in the Reliant Complex said Tuesday the arena is no longer safe, because it can only tolerate up to Category 3 winds.
Perry recalled the Texas National Guard from aid efforts in Louisiana on Monday in anticipation of Rita.
At an economic summit Thursday, Perry said he would waive state and local hotel taxes for Texans displaced by Rita.
"With the potential of another major hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico and threatening the Texas coast, the time is now to begin mobilizing our resources and implementing our plan to ensure an orderly response before Texas is hit," Perry said in a statement. "For the past three weeks, our emergency personnel have been assisting our neighbors devastated by Hurricane Katrina and over the last year our state has heightened preparations for dealing with a catastrophic storm. While we continue to hope that day never comes, Texas must be ready if it does."
Water and ice will be stored in San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth to be dispersed once the storm has passed.
State and local law enforcement crews will be stationed along evacuation routes to give assistance as soon as it is safe, according to the governor's office. Shelters and aid teams are also preparing to help.
- Additional reporting by Ginger Brown and the Associated Press
Be the first to comment on this article!