Hurricane Rita

With the threat of Hurricane Rita making a direct hit on the city of Houston, station 19 was busy preparing for her arrival.  The day before the storm, A shift prepared the station by securing loose items, ordering fuel, checking supplies and preparing equipment.  Friday started by B shift finalizing plans for the impending storm, stocking vehicles with emergency food, water and dry clothes in case crews got stuck out somewhere when operations were ceased due to winds in excess of 55 mph.  Though winds never stayed at that level, the day and night were busy with mainly EMS responses to people seeking shelter.  Most hospitals were closed with the exception of outlying hospitals such as Tomball, Katy and even Bryan/College Station.  Engine and Ladder trucks were staffed with 5 firefighters.  EMS equipment included Ambulance 19, Ambulance 519, Squad 19 and an AMR private ambulance.  Thankfully the storm did minimal damage to Houston, though C shift was kept busy the next day 'picking up the pieces'. 

View from the drill tower as Rita approaches	Checking out the storm's arrival from the top of the drill tower	Mid day crews respond to a local nursing home that requested evacuation	Evacuating residents via Metro bus	Residents happy and ready to evacuate flood prone area
Locals prepare thier houses	Extra ambulances were stationed at nearly all HFD stations	Fuel ran out quickly but was resupplied late in the day	Nacho the station 19 looting preventer

Video:

Station 19 cuts trees in Woodville, TX

Station 19 covers Port Arthur Fire Stations