Students at Texas A&M University at Galveston are getting an unexpected and probably unwelcome holiday after university officials ordered the campus evacuated Tuesday in advance of the expected arrival of Hurricane Rita this weekend.

The evacuation was announced at noon Tuesday.

Students were required to evacuate by 5 p.m. Tuesday. Faculty and staff were instructed to secure the campus and to stand by for further announcements about the possible closure of the campus.

Officials are considering options in the event the campus is heavily damaged, including moving classes to the main A&M campus in College Station.

Students were required to complete and turn in evacuation forms before leaving campus Tuesday.

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A mandatory evacuation order goes into effect Wednesday in Galveston County, where officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of the disaster experienced by New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck.

Buses will begin transporting the poor, the disabled and residents with special needs off the island Wednesday morning.

Other residents will begin leaving at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Schools in the Galveston area have canceled classes for the rest of the week.

Texas is pre-positioning water, ice and other essentials San Antonio and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Preparations are under way to activate Special Needs Shelters in Waco, Temple and Tyler.

Plans are proceeding to open public shelters in San Antonio, Austin, Bryan-College Station, Lufkin, Nacogdoches and other areas, if needed.

Thousands of Katrina refugees in Texas are being moved, via bus and air, away from coastal areas. Those evacuees are being moved to Arkansas, Tennessee and Nebraska.

Rita could be a Category Four storm by the time it reaches the Texas coast sometime this weekend, forecasters said.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the powerful hurricane that swamped Galveston and left an estimated 8,000 residents dead.

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MAJOR TEXAS HURRICANES:

July 20, 2005: Emily, storm packing 125 mph winds hit near San Fernando, Mexico, a coastal town about 85 miles south of Brownsville. Minimal damage reported in South Padre and Port Isabel. No deaths or serious injuries. Scattered power outages.

July 15, 2003: Claudette, Matagorda Bay-Victoria; two inland deaths, $180 million in damage across central Texas coast from winds peaking near 100 mph.

Aug. 22, 1999: Bret, Kenedy County; four highway deaths in Laredo, scattered damage as storm with 140 mph winds moved into sparsely populated region.

Sept. 16-18, 1988: Gilbert, 125 miles south of Brownsville; one dead in San Antonio; tornado and wind damage of $5 million in Brownsville, Del Rio and San Antonio.

Aug. 18, 1983: Alicia, Galveston-Houston; 21 dead, more than $2 billion damage; 22 tornadoes, winds 130 mph. Last major hurricane to strike Texas.

Aug. 9, 1980: Allen, lower coast; two dead, $55 million damage; winds 185 mph.

Sept. 3-12, 1971: Fern, middle coast; two dead, $30.2 million damage.

Aug. 3, 1970: Celia, Corpus Christi; 11 dead, $50 million damage; wind gusts to 160 mph.

Sept. 18-23, 1967: Beulah, Brownsville; 13 dead, $150 million damage.

Sept. 11-13, 1961: Carla, Port O'Connor-Galveston-Houston; 34 dead, $300 million damage; wind gusts estimated at 175 mph, storm tide 18.5 feet at Port Lavaca.

June 27, 1957: Audrey, Sabine Pass; 10 dead, $8 million damage.

Oct. 3-4, 1949: Freeport-Houston; two dead, $6.5 million damage; wind gusts estimated at 135 mph; storm tide 11.5 feet at Freeport.

Aug. 25-29, 1945: Port O'Connor; three dead, $20.1 million damage; wind gusts estimated at 135 mph; storm tide 15 feet at Port Lavaca.

July 27, 1943: Galveston Bay-Houston; 19 dead, $16.6 million damage.

Aug. 29-31, 1942: Matagorda Bay; eight dead; $26.5 million damage; winds 115 mph, storm tide 14.7 feet at Matagorda.

Sept. 23, 1941: Texas City; four dead, $6.5 million damage.

July 25, 1934: Seadrift; 19 dead, $4.5 million damage.

Sept. 4-5, 1933: Brownsville; 40 dead, $16.9 million damage.

Aug. 13-14, 1932; Velasco (Freeport); 40 dead, $7.5 million damage.

Sept. 14, 1919: South of Corpus Christi; 284 dead, $20.3 million damage; winds 110 mph, storm tide 16 feet.

Aug. 18-19, 1916: Corpus Christi; 20 dead, $1.6 million damage.

Aug. 16-19, 1915: Galveston; 375 dead, damage over $56 million. Most losses ($50 million) to crops; storm tide 16.1 feet.

July 21-22, 1909: Velasco (Freeport); 41 dead, damage at least $2 million.

Sept. 8-10, 1900: Galveston; 6,000-12,000 dead; damage $30 million to $40 million (around $800 million in today's dollars); Storm surge 15-20 feet, winds estimated at 120 mph; Deadliest
natural disaster in U.S. history.