Storms 411

Rita Missed Houston, but Thieves Left Mark

Some evacuees' relief turns to anger as they find homes burglarized

Dionne Lacy and her fiance, Reginald Randle, were surprised to see a large dent in their garage door Monday when they returned from an exhausting, five-day evacuation trip to Bernice, La.

What they initially thought was wind damage to their Texas City home turned out to be the work of thieves who ransacked their residence and others in the South Point subdivision, making off with thousands of dollars' worth of property.

"It was devastating. I don't feel safe, and now we're talking about purchasing a gun to protect ourselves, and I never wanted a gun in my home," she said.

Such thefts were not isolated to South Point.

As people returned home, weary from the exodus but relieved that Hurricane Rita had spared residences, some were shocked to find homes ransacked during sporadic crime waves across the Houston area. [Read more - Houston Chronicle]

Victims Living 'Like Cavemen' After Rita

Residents still waiting for electricity, gasoline, water

PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) -- Nearly four days after Hurricane Rita hit, many of the storm's sweltering victims along the Texas Gulf Coast were still waiting for electricity, gasoline, water and other relief Tuesday, prompting one top emergency official to complain that people are "living like cavemen."

In the hard-hit refinery towns of Port Arthur and Beaumont, crews struggled to cross debris-clogged streets to deliver generators and water to people stranded by Rita. They predicted it could be a month before power is restored, and said water and sewer systems could not function until more generators arrived.

Red tape was also blamed for the delays. (See video on grim situation on Gulf Coast -- 6:12)

Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz, whose own home was destroyed by fire after the hurricane, said "we've had 101 promises" for aid, "but it's all bureaucracy." He and other officials gathered at a hotel-turned-command center, where a dirty American flag found among hurricane debris was hung on the wall. [Read more - CNN]

Hurricane Rita Pictures from Monday, Sept. 26, 2005

Local resident Louis Parent pedals his bicycle on flooded Boulevard Hamel, a main artery in the lower north end of Quebec City. The street was closed as remnants from hurricane Rita fell on the region. Jacques Boissinot ASSOCIATED PRESS

Emergency workers gather in what was downtown Cameron, La. Ric Feld ASSOCIATED PRESS

Military vehicles loaded with soldiers and workers make their way past what was a Shell gas station in Cameron, La. Ric Feld ASSOCIATED PRESS

Search and rescue personnel walk through mud in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in Cameron, La.  David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

Search and rescue personnel walk through floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in Cameron, La.  David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

An overturned truck leans on a tree in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in Cameron, La.  David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

A search and rescue worker walks through the mud in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in Cameron, La.  David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alligators swim in receding Hurricane Rita floodwaters around Highway 82 in Cameron Parish just outside the boundries of the Rockerfeller Wildlife Refuge near North Island, La. Smiley N. Pool THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Receding floodwaters from Hurricane Rita leave a house in the middle of Highway 82 in Grand Chenier, La. Smiley N. Pool THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

A house rests against a tree in floodwaters from Hurricane Rita, a few hundred yards from its foundation, in Grand Chenier, La. Smiley N. Pool THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Motorists wait for debris to be cleared off Highway 82 in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita near Forked Island, La. David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cattle make their way down Highway 82 through floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita south of Forked Island, La. David J. Phillip ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hurricane Rita Pictures

In Lake Charles, La., dozens of boats broke their moorings and clustered up against a rail line running along the highway. Stephen Crowley/The New York

The storm caused flooding in Beaumont, Tex., and throughout the Gulf region. Marko Georgiev for The New York Times

Wranglers tried to guide a herd of cattle to higher ground Saturday as floodwaters rose after a levee broke in Chauvin in Southern Louisiana. Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

An above-ground tomb floated down a street Saturday in Delcambre, La., after the hurricane pushed water from Vermilion Bay into the city. Lori Waselchuk for The New York Times

Hurricane Rita Pictures, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005

Sweet Lake area, La. David L. Ryan THE BOSTON GLOBE

United States Coast Guard flight mechanic Alan Maloney looks over storm damage in Oak Grove, La.
David L. Ryan THE BOSTON GLOBE

A neighborhood is surrounded by flood waters left by Hurricane Rita in Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday. Ron Heflin ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trees are snapped to the ground by winds of Hurricane Rita on Saturday. Brett Coomer ASSOCIATED PRESS

A building in Port Arthur is damaged by Hurrican Rita. Lannis Waters THE PALM BEACH POST

Pictures of Flooding Caused by Hurricane Rita

Mandeville during Hurricane Rita Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005. Lakeshore Drive in Mandeville with about five feet of Lake Pontchartrain on top of it. PHOTO BY CHUCK COOK

Louisiana Highway 14 runs through Delcambre, La., floods from tidal surge from Hurricnae Rita, Saturday, September 24, 2005. STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Delcambre, La. residents troll the streets in hopes of finding town folk that want to leave after floods from tidal surge from Hurricane Rita covered the area with up to 10 feet of water, Saturday, September 24, 2005. PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

A pony is stranded in water on Jefferson Island Road near Delcambre, La., from tidal surge from Hurricane Rita, Saturday, September 24, 2005. PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Trying to save anything they can from their flooded home on Avery Island Road in New Iberia, are from front ot back is Jace Marceaux, Juan Migues, center and Toby Provost Saturday, September 24, 2005. PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD

Sailboats wash up against a railroad bridge near downtown Lake Charles during the high winds of Hurricane Rita Sept. 24, 2005 PHOTO BY TED JACKSON

Thw Waters Return to New Orleans due to Rita

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Deputies use a truck to help evacuees escape rising floodwaters Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005, in Jean Lafitte, La. This community is experiencing the effects from Hurricane Rita and many homes have been flooded. AP Photo/Ric Francis

Klyle Guidry paddles up a street in Laffite, La., to check on his house after surges from Hurricane Rita flooded the area, Sept. 24, 2005. Hurricane Rita swept ashore with a powerful surge of seawater that swamped coastal communities. AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Flooding in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, is seen Sept. 24, 2005. The failure on the Industrial Canal, where a storm surge pushed by Hurricane Rita's winds topped a levee and caused water to cascade into the area. AP Photo/Brad Loper

In Lafitte, Rita Does What Katrina Couldn't

After ignoring a mandatory call to evacuate, hundreds of Lafitte residents were plucked from their homes by boat and helicopter Saturday after Hurricane Rita's winds pushed the waters of Bayou Barataria into the low-lying community.

"We misjudged it,'' said Paul Bailey, who fled his home with cousin George Bailey in a 16-foot flatboat.

"It's rising tremendously,'' George Bailey added.

Lafitte and the Harvey Canal, the so-called Achilles' heel of the West Bank, kept Jefferson Parish officials on edge throughout the day as crews rushed to the industrial corridor to plug three levee breaches. Nonetheless, an evacuation of neighborhoods surrounding the canal had not been ordered as of late Saturday afternoon.

The parish closed Peters Road while workers tried to contain the breaches with sandbags, and later Saturday the Army Corps of Engineers opened the canal's locks to allow water to flow into the Mississippi River.

Parish officials will continue to monitor the canals as long as Rita's gusts continue. Walter Maestri, the parish's director of emergency preparedness, said the winds likely will remain a threat through late today. [Read more - NOLA]