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WATCH LIVE: Flash flood emergency declared in Beaumont as Imelda saturates Southeast Texas
BEAUMONT, Texas — Tropical Depression Imelda continued to drench Southeast Texas throughout Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning as the weather service declared a “flash flood emergency” in a several cities.
Just after 12:30 a.m. the emergency was declared by the National Weather Service for Beaumont, Port Arthur, Vidor, Rose City and Fannett.
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The weather service noted that “torrential flooding rainfall” would be occurring over the next few hours.
By Thursday at midnight a rain gauge at Pine Island Bayou had reported more than a foot of rain in the previous 24 hours.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported around 7 p.m. Wednesday that Highway 365 near Labelle Rd, the Spurlock Road underpass at Highway 69 as well as Old Grayburg Road at 326 were all holding water.
At about the same time the weather service issued a flash flood warning for north Jefferson County and south Hardin County.
RELATED: LIVE BLOG: High water rescues underway across Jefferson County, hospital in Winnie evacuated
RELATED: SCHOOLS | Flood emergency forces schools to cancel Thursday
That warning kept getting extended throughout the night and currently extends until after 4 a.m. Thursday.
In Winnie the Chambers County Emergency Operations Center confirmed that at least six patients and staff were evacuated from Riceland Hospital via high-water rescue vehicles.
Early Wednesday evening low lying streets and underpasses began to flood around Beaumont and the storm spawned at least one tornado warning in Jefferson County.
Streets in Beaumont from 11th Street to Phelan and Dowlen as well as along Crow Road had flood waters over the curbs by 8 to 8:30 p.m.
Eventually many streets in Beaumont became impassable.
Deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and volunteer firefighters worked to rescue residents around China, Nome and the Hamshire-Fannett from high-water.
Beaumont Police told 12News early Thursday morning that drivers should stay off the streets noting that there were abandoned vehicles all over the city.
MLK Jr Parkway was impassable in several spots and several cars were abandoned along the roadway there police said.
Most of Southeast Texas remains under a flash flood watch through Thursday evening.