Top > World > 2005 > September > 2005-09-25

Hurricane Rita makes U.S. landfall

Hurricane Rita made landfall Saturday on the Gulf Coast of the United States, setting back efforts in New Orleans to clean up that city as new flooding overwhelmed levees. The city that had finally reached a point that resembled dry was wet again Saturday, the tumultuous winds of Hurricane Rita causing flooding in about 30 percent of New Orleans.

Rita also caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of Americans from their homes in Texas and Louisiana in a repeat of the mass of refugees fleeing the power of Hurricane Katrina. In last week`s run-up to the storm, U.S. officials took advantage of a second chance to test the nation`s emergency response system after its near-collapse in New Orleans. Preparations dwarfed those before Katrina.

As Rita approached, federal emergency managers positioned twice as many search-and-rescue teams in Texas as they did in Louisiana last month. Officials fueled more that 900 buses for evacuation and rescue, and placed on standby 12 heavy-lift military helicopters, six transport aircraft and dozens of civilian aircraft -- equipment in short supply immediately after Katrina.