DOT prepares for Rita

DOT prepares for Rita    The federal government is mobilizing a small logistics army in advance of Hurricane Rita, determined not to make the same mistakes as during Hurricane Katrina three weeks ago when federal assistance did not start arriving in Louisiana and Mississippi until days after the disaster.
   The Department of Transportation is coordinating the deployment of transportation assets in all modes to help evacuate residents, preposition equipment and supplies, and help with relief efforts.
   The department is securing commercial aircraft to evacuate people from Houston, Corpus Christi and Beaumont, Texas; put six MD-80 aircraft on standby in Baton Rouge, La., to support another airlift out of that area, if needed; prepositioning mobile communications and navigational equipment in Austin, Texas, and Baton Rouge to deploy after the storm passes to restore basic air traffic control services; and maintained a small staff at Houston aviation facilities to reactivate key equipment as soon as possible.
   On the trucking front, the DOT has suspended hours of service rules for truck drivers in the target zone so that emergency repair and supply crews can work longer hours; delivered one tanker of diesel fuel, six trucks of tarps, five trucks of plastic sheeting, two trailers with cots, one trailer with tents and one with sleeping bags to Federal Emergency Management Agency staging areas in Texas; and put 10 trucks on standby at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, to move additional supplies as needed.
   The Federal Railroad Administration is hard at work along with railroads to identify and evacuate hazardous materials cars in Texas and Louisiana; established an expedited process for issuing waivers to allow rail operators to clear damaged equipment after the storm passes.
   In addition, DOT personnel are working with state and local officials to assess transportation infrastructure in the regions likely to be affected by the hurricane. These teams are beginning to develop plans to quickly repair and rebuild roads, bridges, ports, pipelines and airports should they be damaged by the storm, the DOT said.
   Preparations to restore port operations are also underway. DOT is stationing experts in repairing port infrastructure to New Orleans to move into the affected area to support repair efforts; maintaining 12 Ready Reserve Vessels in New Orleans; Port Sulphur, La.; Houston;    Orange, Texas; and Beaumont so they will be available to provide power, equipment and housing for workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
   The Port of New Orleans shut down noon Thursday in preparation for the hurricane, joining Texas Gulf ports that announced shutdowns Wednesday.
   Ports all along the Texas coast are considered to be in greater danger from the hurricane, which is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday. Many of the port cities in Texas, including the main port city, Houston, were being completely evacuated as the hurricane moves across the Gulf of Mexico.
   The Port of Houston said it will be shut down until Monday, when it is tentatively scheduled to reopen at 6 a.m.
   New Orleans, which has been gradually increasing port operations for the last two weeks, is not expected to take a direct hit from Rita. However, the Louisiana coast is expected to experience heavy rains and tropical storm force winds.
   The Port of New Orleans expects to reopen Sunday or Monday.