Rita's victims are wealthier than Katrina's

HURRICANE Rita smashed into a region that is wealthier, more mobile and much less densely populated than the one devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Most of Rita's victims are by no means wealthy. But they are less likely to live in poverty, more likely to own a car, and less likely to be a member of a minority group than were Katrina's victims.

Experts said the wealth and mobility of people in Rita's path - combined with a new sense of urgency following Katrina - led to a more thorough evacuation.

"They have cars," said Carnot Nelson, a psychology professor at the University of South Florida. "They have a way to leave. It's as simple as that."

Money and transportation were in short supply for many affected by Katrina.

In densely populated New Orleans, more than 27% of the households had no access to a vehicle, according to 2000 census data. The family median income, at $32,300, was nearly $20,000 below the national average.

Fred Medway, a psychology professor at the University of South Carolina, said Katrina's destruction provided an incentive for people to flee Rita.

"They have seen what a hurricane can do," Mr Medway said. "That's a very powerful motivator."

Rita made landfall along the Texas-Louisiana line, and worked its way north, bringing flood waters inland.

On the Texas side is Jefferson County, home to Port Arthur and Beaumont, two oil refining towns. To the north are Orange, Jasper and Newton counties.

On the Louisiana side is Calcasieu Parish, home to Lake Charles, and Beauregard Parish to the north.