Melanie Baker, a Hurricane Katrina refugee, rides out Rita with daughters Michelle, 3, left, and Johnise, 4, in a darkened hallway of the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

Rita evacuees in the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas, use flashlights after the hurricane causes a citywide power outage on Saturday.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Rita flooded homes along the Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles, La. High winds downed trees and power lines and caused a storm surge of about 20 feet in Lake Charles, which is located near the Texas-Louisiana border.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

Police officers navigate through fallen trees and street signs along Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles, La., where Hurricane Rita caused a storm surge of about 20 feet.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

Katrina Kirkland, 17, hugs a teddy bear as she rides out Hurricane Rita at the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

Motorists drive along the Shell Beach Drive in Lake Charles, La., where Hurricane Rita downed trees and power lines and caused a storm surge of about 20 feet.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

A storm surge caused by Hurricane Rita left these boathouses partly submerged on the shores of Lake Charles, La.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)

A motorist braves floodwaters along the Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles, La.  (Luis Sinco / LAT)