The
Calm Before The Storm
Hurricane
Rita moved ashore at Sabine Pass, Texas
after midnight on the morning of September
24, 2005.
These
photos were taken on Thursday, September
22. Galveston was preparing for a Category
4 or 5 Hurricane.
At
noon that day a City Hall News Conference
was disrupted by Fletcher Harris, who was
upset that the city did not take advantage
of a railroad car provided for evacuees; he
was escorted from the meeting by uniformed
officers. Listen
Podcast
Photos
At
a news conference later in the day, City
Manager Steve LeBlanc was giddy at
predictions that Rita would move her
anticipated devastation to Jefferson
County. Listen
Download
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Mayors
and County Judges Order Mandatory
Evacuation
Friday,
September 23, 2005 -- Guidry
News Service moved its operations to
the Galveston County Emergency
Operations Center in League City,
which was designed to withstand a
Category 5 Hurricane.
Jim
Guidry was interviewed on CKNW in
Vancouver, British Colombia. Listen |
Leaving
Galveston
Island for a hurricane threat was a first
for Guidry News Service. We published
a special message to our visitors. Message
Jim
Guidry reported from the Gulf Freeway on the
ride to League City, Listen
Download
Guidry
was interviewed on CKNW in Vancouver,
British Colombia while he was en route to
League City. Listen
The
Galveston County Building on Highway 645 in
League City, which houses the Galveston
County Emergency Operations Center, also
houses the National Weather Service and the
Galveston County Emergency Communications
District. Galveston County Judge Jim
Yarbrough, who developed a county-wide
cooperative emergency management team, was
in the building for its first
hurricane. Listen
Galveston
Mayor Pro Tem Joe Jaworski, Fleet Manager
David Smith and Assistant City Manager Lloyd
Renderer weathered the storm at the
Galveston County Office of Emergency
Management. Listen
Jaworski's
services proved valuable to the county-wide
coordination when fires erupted in Galveston
and firefighters were called out to battle
an inferno driven by hurricane force
winds. Listen
Download
Galveston
Mayor Pro Tem Jaworski updated reporters on
the fires. Listen Kemah
City Administrator Bill Kerber was also at
the EOC. Listen
Hurricane
Rita made landfall at the Sabine River.
Meteorologist in Charge of the
Houston-Galveston Weather Service Office
Bill Read reported that Galveston County was
spared hurricane force winds. Listen
Saturday,
September 25, 2005 -- Galveston
County Sheriff Gean Leonard reported that
his deputies had a relatively quiet night,
but were preparing to go out to assess
damage. Listen
As
the winds diminished to gale force, Jim
Guidry returned to Galveston Island.
Here is his report en route from the
Galveston County Emergency Operations Center
and the Guidry News Service Office on Church
Street. Listen
| After
the Hurricane
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Guidry
News Service surveyed the damage at
Yaga's and at the Anderson Studio.
Jim
Guidry interviewed Galveston
businessman Beau Rawlins on 23rd
Street while the pair looked at
Saengerfest Park.
Listen
Galveston
photographer Robert Mihovil provided
photos.
Click
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Saengerfest
Park before Rita
Guidry
was interviewed by Dana Dixon of KLTV
in Tyler, Texas; then he interviewed
her. Listen
Dixon
was curious about Yaga's Restaurant
and Saengerfest
Park. These photos were
published on the Fourth of July.
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| Sunday
Morning, September 26, 2005
Eliot
Jennings in the Galveston County
Emergency Operations Center reports
that residents of Galveston are being
allowed to return to the island.
Listen
Galveston
Public Information Officer Mary Jo
Naschke reports that residents can
come home, but warned that many city
services would not be available.
Listen |
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Visit
to Bolivar
Naschke
reported that the Bolivar Ferry is
running and the San Luis Pass Bridge
was open. Listen
Jim
and Lynda Guidry reported from the
Bolivar Peninsula that there was some
damage to buildings and beach houses
but not as bad as some had expected.
Listen |
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Back
on the Island Sunday Afternoon
Galveston
Island evacuees who left on city and Galveston
Independent School District buses were
welcomed home by Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann
Thomas and GISD Superintendent Lynn Hale.
Listen
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September
26, 2005 11:30 a.m
Galveston
Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas, City Manager
Steve LeBlanc, Galveston Independent
School District Superintendent Lynn
Hale and CenterPoint Service Manager
David Murphy briefed the news media on
the aftermath of Rita.
Listen
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| Throughout
the threat of Hurricane Rita, when
Mayor Thomas assumed management of the
city under emergency authority
approved by the city council, she was
advised by her special assistant Elise
Stevens. |
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| September
26, 2005 --
A power crisis was averted on
Galveston Island thanks to UTMB
reducing its load. CenterPoint
Service Manager David Murphy reported.
Listen
Texas
State Senator Kyle Janek, in
Galveston, talked to Guidry News
Service about the situation in
Jefferson County. Listen
Jamaica Beach Mayor Vic Pierson
reported that his West Galveston
Island City fared well through Rita.
Listen
KUDOs
for Guidry News Service
from Vandy Anderson, in a conversation
that begins with Joe Higgins. Listen
September
27, 2005 -- Galveston
Park Board of Trustees Executive
Director Lou Muller reported that
Galveston's beach parks came out o.k. Listen
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September
28, 2005
Jim and Lynda Guidry made a quick trip
to Port Arthur and
Beaumont.
The
photos were taken in Downtown Beaumont
and in the Port Acres area of Port
Arthur. |
| September
29, 2005
Galveston
Historical Foundation suffered minor
damage during Rita; however one window
of the Historic Customs House was
blown out during the fire at Anderson
Gallery in the old Eagle's Hall less
than one block away. Guidry News
Service was allowed to cover a GHF
staff meeting. Listen
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| Lloyd Thomas, who manages the
Great Storm Theatre, evacuated to Fort
Polk, Louisiana, which he described as
Ground Zero. Listen |
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September
30, 2005
Galveston
Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas pointed the
finger of blame at Texas Governor Rick
Perry for long lines of traffic during
the evacuation of Galveston Island
during the threat of Hurricane
Rita.
Listen
Podcast
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