A deluge of more than 10 inches of rain Monday along parts of the Gulf Coast forced the evacuation of a Louisiana nursing home and stranded motorists on roads flooded up to waist-deep in southeast Texas, where National Guard troops were on standby for more storms.
Rain from a second storm had begun to fall in Houston late Monday afternoon, hours after Mayor Bill White toured his city by helicopter and described seeing “block after block after block flooded.”
As much as 10½ inches of rain was reported in the Houston area by the height of the morning rush hour, said Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for Harris County Emergency Management. Almost 6 inches of rain fell in just 75 minutes near Hobby Airport, the National Weather Service reported.
No deaths were reported, but roads across the Houston area, including Interstate 10 and other major arteries, were flooded and vehicles were stalled. Hobby Airport was closed for more than 2 hours because employees couldn’t get through the flooded roads to work. Several schools were closed.
120 patients evacuated
In Sulphur, La., emergency crews evacuated 120 patients from Holly Hill Nursing Home, flooded with up to 1½ feet of water after debris clogged a city storm drain near the nursing home’s back door. Residents won’t be able to return for at least a week, owner Elizabeth Fellows said.