Hurricane Rita is threatening to hit Texas in the next 48 hours and a state of emergency has been declared. The Category 5 storm moving at 15 kph is currently measuring wind speeds of 278 kph with gusts of up to 343 kph. Storm surges of 5 metres are expected to hit the US coast and emergency services are on stand-by. Although the storm may be downgraded to a Category 4, several thousand citizens have already been evacuated from its path. Many oil rigs are in its projected path and the effect on petrol prices is likely to be significant. President George W Bush, not wishing to repeat mistakes surrounding recent events in New Orleans, has declared a state of emergency and pledged full support to those who may be affected. [BBC]
[11:10 GMT 22/09/2005]
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