Skip to main content
U.S. Edition
Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
U.S.
 » 2006 Forecast  | Saffir-Simpson scale  |  Your stories

Rita's impact, city by city

Flooding and power outages plague Texas and Louisiana

RELATED

SPECIAL REPORT

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

Louisiana
Texas
Houston (Texas)

(CNN) -- No deaths from Hurricane Rita have been reported in Louisiana or Texas, but early damage assessments are emerging as emergency officials enter affected areas.

A tornado spawned by the remnants of the storm killed one person in Belzoni, Mississippi, and injured several others.

TEXAS

  • Baytown -- The water treatment plant is out of service but about 4.5 million gallons are in reserve. Power lines and poles are down, and the city is littered with storm debris. Exxon Mobil said damage to its refinery here, the largest in the United States, did not appear severe.
  • Beaumont -- A 17-year-old was hit by a falling tree and injured. Eleven others were being treated at a makeshift medical center. A restaurant is damaged and debris is on the streets, but there is no major flooding. The Country Village Apartments suffered structural and water damage, but everyone got out safely.(See the damage in Beaumont - 4:06)
  • Galveston -- The city and surrounding county are under a dawn-to-dusk curfew and a state of emergency. Two historic houses and a commercial building burned. One building was destroyed. Four people were hurt in the fire -- a woman was in serious condition and three firefighters were treated for minor injuries. (Watch the Galveston fires -- 1:15)
  • Houston -- City officials divided the city into quadrants and asked evacuees to return in waves, beginning with the northwest. An estimated 350,000 customers do not have power. The police chief says 2.8 million people left the city ahead of the storm. Mayor Bill White said there were no major traffic problems, and commercial flights were resuming at the city's two airports.
  • Lumberton -- There is some flooding and damage to homes. Trees and power lines are down.
  • Orange -- Homes and a strip mall were heavily damaged. Looters appear to have targeted some businesses, including a strip mall. (Look at what looters are doing to the town -- 1:38)
  • Pasadena -- A fire at a Family Dollar store spread to an AutoZone store.
  • Port Arthur -- Some neighborhoods were dry, others flooded, but there was no power. Flooded streets had water 3 to 4 feet deep. A church's roof blew off, trees and buildings are down. The city's 14-foot seawall was not breached, so flooding is rainwater. Valero Energy reported "significant damage" to its facility and said it would take two weeks to a month to restart. Police have set up a makeshift jail in a room next to the bar of a Holiday Inn.
  • LOUISIANA

  • Abbeville -- Residents are being urged to stay away. No rescues were reported Sunday, but the fire department estimates as many as 800 people in the far-flung regions closer to the Gulf of Mexico may need rescue. About 250 people were plucked Saturday from 9 to 10 feet of floodwaters.
  • New Orleans -- Army Corps of Engineers has fresh New Orleans flooding "almost under control," Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said. Mayor Ray Nagin says flooding was contained to Lower 9th Ward. Most of the city is dry except for some rainwater, and in no area was the water as deep as during Katrina, he said. City still is looking at starting reentry process, but will monitor the levees over the next few days. (See the latest on the levees -- 2:04)
  • Lake Charles -- Lake waters and standing water in downtown area receding, as officials begin assessing damage. Emergency crews are canvassing neighborhoods, clearing debris. Power and water are out and emergency crews were working to repair water treatment facilities. There is significant damage to airport, including hangars, cell tower. Conoco Philips is assessing damage to its 239,000 barrel-a-day refinery, and loose barges struck and damaged the Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River. Trees are down. There is major wind damage and flooding at Harrah's casino and low-lying areas. (Look at the storm's aftermath in Lake Charles -- 2:29)
  • Acadia Parish -- Power lines and trees are toppled. Trees are on houses and there is wind and water damage. Hurricane Katrina didn't cause the parish any problems.
  • Calcasieu Parish -- The entire parish is closed to returning residents because of damage to roads and infrastructure. Falling trees have damaged homes. Roads are blocked. Cell phones aren't working. A building was on fire in rural Vinton, which had a 95 percent evacuation rate. A firefighter was injured when he was kicked in the head by a horse. Power is out everywhere. The recreation center's roof was torn off, and fallen trees damaged homes. Floodwaters were also rising in Westlake. (Look at how Westlake suffered the same fate as larger cities -- 2:04)
  • Cameron Parish -- The main highway is under water. Trees and power lines are down everywhere. Search and rescue teams have been deployed.
  • Evangeline Parish -- Heavy winds, but there is no damage assessment yet.
  • Jefferson Davis Parish -- There is flooding, extensive damage and no power or water in Jennings. Many downtown businesses are damaged. There is some looting. Crews were unable to get to some residents trapped in homes.
  • Lafayette Parish -- Roads were blocked by fallen trees and debris. There are some power outages in city of Lafayette and parish. There is no significant property damage, water problems or flooding.
  • Terrebonne Parish -- Rescue operations resumed at daylight Sunday. Crews in boats and helicopters searched until dark Saturday for those who did not evacuate and are trapped, officials said. A mandatory evacuation order remains in effect for southern portions of the parish.
  • Vermilion Parish -- There is widespread flooding in the low-lying areas. Vermilion River is very high. Downed trees and power outages. Search and rescue under way for as many as 1,000 people who did not follow mandatory evacuation orders. Abbeville's mayor said a few hundred people had already been rescued. Eight feet of water was reported south of Erath. City of Delcambre is under water after getting 2 to 4 inches of rain an hour when the storm stalled. (Watch a report on the hundreds of people rescued -- 3:18)
  • POWER OUTAGES

  • Louisiana officials said Rita left 412,000 Louisiana customers without power, adding to the nearly 300,000 customers who still have no power after Katrina.
  • Texas Emergency Operations Director Jack Colley said Sunday morning that about 1.1 million customers were without power in the state and that the Texas Air National Guard was coordinating the response.
  • Story Tools
    Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
    Top Stories
    Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
    CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
    Top Stories
    Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
    CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
    CNN U.S.
    CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNNAvantGo Ad Info About Us Preferences
    Search
    © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
    A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
    Terms under which this service is provided to you.
    Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map.
    Offsite Icon External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
    Pipeline Icon Pay service with live and archived video. Learn more
    Radio News Icon Download audio news  |  RSS Feed Add RSS headlines