Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall at 2:20 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, Sept. 1, near Johnson Bayou, La., with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm brought dangerous flooding to parts of East Texas and the Texas coast, with more than 20 inches of rain reported in the Kountze-Warren area, according to the National Weather Service.
Flash flood emergencies were issued for Tyler and Hardin counties, with another 1 to 5 inches of rain possible through Wednesday afternoon, according to Fox 26 Houston. Rainfall totals reached 15 to 22 inches in some areas as rain continued Wednesday, prompting officials to urge residents to limit travel because of street flooding in Kountze.
National Weather Service storm reports showed portions of Highway 69 North in Kountze were closed because of flooding. The Texas Department of Transportation reported flooding on FM 1013 at Spurlock Branch in Hillister. Rising water also was reported along creeks in Silsbee, Sour Lake, and Bevil Oaks.
The Texas Tribune reported the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, La., said at least one evacuation occurred after water entered a structure as heavy rain bands moved across Kountze, Honey Island, and Village Mills. The flash flood emergency for those communities remained in effect until at least 10:45 a.m. as the storm moved slowly north.
More than 70,000 homes and businesses were without power as of 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.com. Most outages were concentrated in Jefferson County, near where the storm made landfall.
Edouard brought damaging winds to the Texas coast Tuesday, with gusts reaching 70 mph near Port Arthur and 67 mph near Beaumont. Gusty winds continued into Wednesday morning, with sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts of up to 40 mph possible, Cameron Self, a meteorologist with the NWS Houston/Galveston office, told the Texas Tribune.
Edouard has since weakened to a tropical depression, but the threat of heavy rain remains through at least Thursday morning. The Weather Prediction Center has placed parts of Texas, including Livingston, under a Level 4 risk—the highest level—for excessive rainfall. A Level 3 risk extends from Beaumont to Palestine.
Texans on Mission on standby
Aimee Freston, director of communications for Texans on Mission, said the organization currently has teams on standby to serve as needed.
“At this moment, our teams are on alert to serve. We have assessors working in the area and evaluating the damage and the needs,” she said.
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