The Oil Drum

109 comments on Rita Ashore...Amazing Destruction...Will She Stall? Will She Come Back to the Gulf?

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

valor on September 23, 2005 - 10:22am

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting, and I have to say thanks to everyone involved in this site. It's been a great resource, far ahead of the mainstream media. I found the site when I was looking for info on Katrina days before she made landfall and have been glued here ever since.
Now on to the questions, I have two windows up, one showing the map from rigzone with the rigs in Rita's way and the other is the live pic of Rita's movement from the front page. So at this time, Rita's winds are pounding the heart of the rigs and platforms in the gulf. It also looks like there are strong bands pounding the LOOP and Port Fourchand. If anyone can answer this question, I'd much apreciate it, How much force can those rigs take? Right now, Rita is hitting them with 140mph winds, heavy rain, and moving slowly at about 10 miles per hour. I guess the bigger question would be, How many of those rigs can survive under those conditions?

On a side note, does anyone here use the tool, google earth? I just downloaded it yesterday and it's giving me a better look at areas that will be affected, you can zoom in to about 200ft of street level, see the streets and highways, even get info like schools,stadiums,shopping centers etc. I also noticed some refineries in detail. It's too bad they don't include any rigs out at sea.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Sigurd on September 23, 2005 - 10:30am

Concerning the amount of damage taken related to the wind speeds, take a look at the main rita topic on the main page, there are links to a simulation estimating these damages. Basicaly in the center path of rita, nothing survives.