Louisiana Bears The Brunt Of Hurricane Rita

As Hurricane Rita nears landfall further east than previously predicted, residents in Texas are breathing a sigh of relief as folks in southern Louisiana hunker down.

Somewhere between Lake Charles and Lafayette, Rita will cross the Louisiana coastline before sunrise on Saturday, flooding broad, low lying areas and causing significant destruction in oil field towns like Morgan City and Houma. Additionally, New Orleans is likely to experience flooding in areas previously untouched by the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina.

Propelled by hurricane force winds, a dangerous storm surge is building through the Barataria Estuary to the back doors of neighborhoods on the Westbank of the Mississippi River. Loss of coastal wetlands have added to the area's vulnerability, accellerating the speed and impact of storm surges into bayous and canals that eventually empty into the Gulf of Mexico.

Areas at great risk include Westwego, Marrero, Harvey, Gretna, Belle Chasse, Algiers, Port Sulphur, Luling and Des Allemands. Additionally, I expect the storm surge to flood US 90 between Des Allemands and Thibadoux, further isolating the region.

Hopefully, the storm will quickly degrade and move out of the area but forecasters say it will stall and remain for days, deluging the area with additional flooding due to heavy tropical rain squalls.