Hurricane Rita

Post Landfall 4 | Summary
Posting Date: October 25, 2005, 11:00:00 AM

Hurricane Rita, at one point the fourth most intense hurricane to form ever in the Atlantic Basin, came ashore on Saturday, September 24, 2005, on the extreme southwest corner of Louisiana between Sabine Pass and Johnson’s Bayou. After glancing the Florida Keys as a Category 1 hurricane, Rita followed a track through the Gulf of Mexico roughly similar to that of Katrina. Fed by the warm waters of the loop current, Rita quickly strengthened to Category 5. Rita appeared to be headed for landfall in the Galveston area, site of the deadly 1900 hurricane that destroyed most of that city. As Rita moved closer to the coast, however, it weakened and made a turn toward the north, eventually making landfall as a Category 3 storm in an area of relatively sparse population near the border between Texas and Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds were estimated at 120 mph at landfall. Just after landfall, AIR issued an industry loss estimate of between $4 and $5.5 billion, which reflected the uncertainty in storm characteristics at landfall. On September, September 27, AIR sent teams of civil and wind engineers to survey the damage left by Hurricane Rita. The key goals of that survey were to obtain: a) a detailed assessment of damage at the location level, and; b) information on the overall extent and gradation of damage along and across the track. Significant damage was observed in areas to the right of the storm track where winds speeds were highest, including West Orange, Texas. Areas to the left of the storm track showed relatively low levels of damage. Along the track (e.g., Hardeen and Orange Counties), the team observed considerable damage caused by downed trees. In Louisiana, storm surge damage in coastal counties was extensive. In the more populated areas away from the immediate coast, such as Lake Charles, significant wind damage to roof covering and decking, as well as wall cladding was observed. Damage decreased rapidly both along and across the track as teams moved inland. There was little or no wind damage observed in the Galveston and Houston (Harris County) region. In Shelby County, which is about 150 miles inland from the coast, very little wind damage was observed. This year, AIR is providing clients with one final scenario based on our post-event analysis, including wind observations collected after the storm and the results of our engineering survey of the damaged areas. For Hurricane Rita, AIR’s final scenario produces an estimated industry insured loss of $4.8 billion. Wind speed and loss maps are available for viewing on the Scenarios page of this web site. The event set is available for download from the Event Sets page. This will be the final posting on Hurricane Rita.

Post Landfall 4 | Downloads
Posting Date: October 25, 2005, 11:00:00 AM