Remembering Rita in Photos

When Hurricane Rita churned toward Southeast Texas in September 2005, millions of people fled the region in one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history. When those residents were finally able to return to their homes and businesses, they had to take on the arduous task of rebuilding. Here’s a look at what Southeast Texans faced before and after Hurricane Rita.

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Edmond Johnson surveyed the empty water shelves at a Port Arthur Walmart on Sept. 20, 2005. With so many evacuees stocking up before heading out, essential supplies were difficult to come by. | Beaumont Enterprise
Beaumont resident Fred Gosling awaited his turn to fill up his car on Sept. 23, 2005, at a Nacogdoches gas station as a tanker refills the station's storage tanks. Those fleeing the hurricane faced gas shortages around East Texas as they headed north. | Beaumont Enterprise
Traffic inched north on U.S. Highway 96 north of Jasper on Sept. 23, 2005, as Southeast Texans fled Hurricane Rita. State officials say they are now better prepared to set up a “contraflow plan,” which would open up all lanes on highways to evacuees, regardless of the lanes’ normal direction. | Beaumont Enterprise
As storm clouds from the fringes of Hurricane Rita filled the sky in Nacogdoches, Judy Almagure walked back to her home on Sept. 23, 2005, after checking her mail. Almagure, who had lived in Beaumont until earlier in 2005, sheltered more than 25 family and friends who fled Beaumont and Orange. | Beaumont Enterprise
For residents who rode out Hurricane Rita at home, the anxiety of dealing with the harsh storm was quickly followed by the difficulty of picking up the pieces and finding needed supplies. | Beaumont Enterprise
A scene from Beaumont on Sept. 24, 2005, the day that Rita made landfall. “It literally looked like a bomb had hit our community,” former Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith recalled recently. | Beaumont Enterprise
“It was like a third world,” one resident said of the scene in Beaumont after Hurricane Rita hit the region on Sept. 24, 2005. Public water and sewer systems were down, electricity was sapped and roads were blocked by debris. | Beaumont Enterprise
Motorists pushed their car out of high water under Interstate 10 in Beaumont on Sept. 24, 2005, after Hurricane Rita passed through the area overnight. Many roads and underpasses were underwater following the storm. | Beaumont Enterprise
Javier Blas of Beaumont examined the front end of his SUV a couple of weeks after Hurricane Rita blew through the area. Many Southeast Texans dealt with their first evacuation in 2005 and said they weren’t prepared. Officials worry that residents will be lulled into a false comfort as more years pass without a hurricane here. | Beaumont Enterprise
Kaitlin Cathriner, an employee at HEB in Liberty, handed out ice and water to residents in the store's parking lot on Sept. 26, 2005. The line of cars waiting for the supplies stretched more than two miles. | Beaumont Enterprise
President George W. Bush made a stop at the Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Nederland on Sept. 27, 2005, meeting with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other federal, state and local officials at the airport. Bush then boarded his helicopter to tour the area devastated by Hurricane Rita. | Beaumont Enterprise
Members of Task Force Bowie provided food, water and ice to Beaumont residents at Parkdale Mall on Sept. 29, 2005. The task force was assembled with members from San Antonio, Grand Prairie and Terrell. | Beaumont Enterprise
Farmers Insurance litigation specialist Brent Caffee (left) and special claims representative Greg Ferris prepared food bags for residents at a Farmers Catastrophe Claims Center at Parkdale Mall in Beaumont on Sept. 29, 2005. The team also presented policyholders with checklists before calling file insurance claims. The team began operations in Beaumont on Sept. 26, two days after the storm made landfall. | Beaumont Enterprise
Frankie Weeks walked her dogs, Lucy and Jenny, through downtown Kirbyville on Sept. 29, 2005, past a building that was damaged during Hurricane Rita. | Beaumont Enterprise
Electrical tape on the side of a tree trimmer's pickup in Beaumont kept track of days worked trimming trees downed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Several thousand tree trimmers and electrical linemen came to Southeast Texas to repair damage done by Hurricane Rita. | Beaumont Enterprise
Beaumont residents Jim and Linda Courville prayed during Sunday morning services at the Christian Fellowship Worship Center in Beaumont, two weeks after Hurricane Rita hit the area. Church members had met in a tent next to the church building, which was heavily damaged by the storm. | Beaumont Enterprise
Jacoby Hawkins (left) talked on the phone while homeowner Henry Mitchell (center) gave instructions to his grandson Wilbert Hawkins (top) in Beaumont on Oct. 2, 2005. Meanwhile, Alton Mack (right) cleaned jewelry. Because of the suffering for both evacuees and those who stayed home, many residents are torn about what they would do when the next storm comes. | Beaumont Enterprise
A sign listing blessings was placed in a Silsbee yard as Greg Owens (left) of McAllen and Jared Best of Silsbee removed hurricane debris on Oct. 3, 2005. With no power or running water, many workers passed out from heat exhaustion in the immediate days of the recovery. | Beaumont Enterprise
Kevin Kelly of Clearwater, Fla., displayed "I Survived Hurricane Rita" shirts for sale in Lumberton, Texas, on Oct. 3, 2005. After Rita made landfall on Sept. 24, there was lots of confusion among residents about whether and when they could return to their homes. | Beaumont Enterprise
A Port Arthur home displayed a message for friends and family on Oct. 3, 2005. People who rode out the storm in their homes dealt with the terror of fierce winds followed immediately by difficulty in getting the necessities to subsist in the aftermath. | Beaumont Enterprise
Bryana Cusick found some comfortable footwear in a supply of donated clothes at the Buna Volunteer Fire Department on Oct. 6, 2005. The station became a collection and distribution point for donations. | Beaumont Enterprise
Nadine Washington waited with her personal possessions for a bus ride home at Ford Park in Beaumont on Oct. 12, 2005. Some Beaumont residents were evacuated to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio during Hurricane Rita and later returned by bus. | Beaumont Enterprise
Willa D. Coe cleaned out her refrigerators in front of her Kountze home after the storm. Hurricane Rita left most of the area without electricity for some time. Many residents were unprepared for their evacuation, not knowing what to take with them or how to prepare their houses for the storm. | Beaumont Enterprise

Stories

Taking on Traffic

Officials say steps have been taken to avoid another catastrophic evacuation, but others say the threat remains.

First-Time Evacuees

Many evacuees weren’t prepared ahead of Rita, and officials worry that history could repeat itself.

Keeping the Tanks Full

Hundreds of evacuees ran out of gas in 2005. A state partnership aims to prevent a repeat.

Aiding Fragile Populations

Officials work to avoid the pitfalls that occurred 10 years ago when evacuating elderly and disabled residents.

Better Technology

Emergency officials will be armed with several new tools for the next evacuation.

Stay Home or Leave?

Southeast Texas residents cite several reasons to follow or ignore evacuation orders.

The Difficult Return

Local officials are revamping how they let business owners, emergency responders and residents come home.