The original smiley face assessments of little damage from Rita are
being replaced by sober reports of the real and actual damage. This is
precisely what the media did with Katrina; perky initial reports soon
contradicted by what really happened.
Hurricane Rita’s imprint
— washed-out towns, wind damage and trapped residents — became
ever-more apparent Sunday as authorities took stock of the wreckage and
Houston braced for the return of nearly 3 million evacuees.
— washed-out towns, wind damage and trapped residents — became
ever-more apparent Sunday as authorities took stock of the wreckage and
Houston braced for the return of nearly 3 million evacuees.
Refinery damage
Gasoline prices are expected to climb again because Hurricane Rita seriously damaged two major refineries in Port Arthur, Texas, and may have damaged as many as four more in Texas and Louisiana.
The monster ExxonMobil refinery
in Beaumont, the biggest in the country, can’t even start the process
of getting back online because there’s no electricity. (This refinery
is not one of the two mentioned above.)