Hurricane Rita Overview-Sept. 27
Experiencing hurricanes is like other profound life moments, such as a wedding day, divorce, having children or losing a loved one. You're never really the same after crossing through that door, and you suddenly find yourself among a new crowd of those who know.
Like the Grand Canyon, a hurricane can't begin to be understood unless you're there. There are people who say they've been through one, pointing to a storm that made landfal 100 miles away, but it doesn't count as much unless you're within a few miles of that apocalyptic eyewall, a driving hydroblaster of fury that I've found difficult to accurately describe. This was a Category 3 storm that punched us right in the gut. I can't even imagine a Category 4 or 5 event.
As managing editor for news, business and photography for the Beaumont Enterprise, a 60,000-circulation daily newspaper in Southeast Texas, I have spent the last week in the center of the kind of story that a journalist, if lucky, gets to cover once in a career.
However, we did have our hands full in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
Hurricanes in general come in three phases: the approach, the storm and the aftermath. Each stage comes with its own set of dramatic actions, emotions and rapid-fire surprises. Many of us here have endured an emotional washing machine of dealing with family safety, helping to coordinate news coverage, coping with the damage to our own homes and just trying to take care of ourselves healthwise. People do funny things when they're stressed and run down.
But there is something awe-inspiring, spectacular and highly entertaining about hurricanes. We were in a fortress of a building that allowed us a safe, front-row seat to a jaw-dropping display of meteorological might.
During the 17- to 20-hour work days we've been pulling over the past week, I've jotted some notes on what I've seen and experienced. I will try to capture all that as best I can in this blog.
As of this writing, my wife and two young sons are safe with her parents in Virginia after riding out the storm in DeRidder, La., about 100 miles northeast of here. It was an unfortunate decision to send them there, because they were hit hard as well. But when the decision was made to go there, Hurricane Rita was predicted to go elsewhere, and by the time the storm trackers put it here, the roads were snarled with slow-moving traffic and gas shortages. The family is fine, and they were well cared for by the generous people in DeRidder.
Our home has serious damage, and the skeleton news staff is working in a hot, steamy building under taxing conditions. The presses are not running, but we are putting out news in rapid fashion at www.beaumontenterprise.com
Some of these stories were called in by cell phone, but we have working computers now and are able to send information and photos from here.
The staff here has performed brilliantly and courageously.
I'll do my best to capture the spirit, emotions and sometimes humor of this amazing event.
Like the Grand Canyon, a hurricane can't begin to be understood unless you're there. There are people who say they've been through one, pointing to a storm that made landfal 100 miles away, but it doesn't count as much unless you're within a few miles of that apocalyptic eyewall, a driving hydroblaster of fury that I've found difficult to accurately describe. This was a Category 3 storm that punched us right in the gut. I can't even imagine a Category 4 or 5 event.
As managing editor for news, business and photography for the Beaumont Enterprise, a 60,000-circulation daily newspaper in Southeast Texas, I have spent the last week in the center of the kind of story that a journalist, if lucky, gets to cover once in a career.
However, we did have our hands full in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.
Hurricanes in general come in three phases: the approach, the storm and the aftermath. Each stage comes with its own set of dramatic actions, emotions and rapid-fire surprises. Many of us here have endured an emotional washing machine of dealing with family safety, helping to coordinate news coverage, coping with the damage to our own homes and just trying to take care of ourselves healthwise. People do funny things when they're stressed and run down.
But there is something awe-inspiring, spectacular and highly entertaining about hurricanes. We were in a fortress of a building that allowed us a safe, front-row seat to a jaw-dropping display of meteorological might.
During the 17- to 20-hour work days we've been pulling over the past week, I've jotted some notes on what I've seen and experienced. I will try to capture all that as best I can in this blog.
As of this writing, my wife and two young sons are safe with her parents in Virginia after riding out the storm in DeRidder, La., about 100 miles northeast of here. It was an unfortunate decision to send them there, because they were hit hard as well. But when the decision was made to go there, Hurricane Rita was predicted to go elsewhere, and by the time the storm trackers put it here, the roads were snarled with slow-moving traffic and gas shortages. The family is fine, and they were well cared for by the generous people in DeRidder.
Our home has serious damage, and the skeleton news staff is working in a hot, steamy building under taxing conditions. The presses are not running, but we are putting out news in rapid fashion at www.beaumontenterprise.com
Some of these stories were called in by cell phone, but we have working computers now and are able to send information and photos from here.
The staff here has performed brilliantly and courageously.
I'll do my best to capture the spirit, emotions and sometimes humor of this amazing event.
posted by Brian Pearson at 5:31 PM
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