Three dead as severe storms pound southeast Texas
Pastor Dale Morgan
Three dead as severe storms pound southeast Texas*
Updated 10/16/2006 3:14 PM ET
A car sits abandoned in floodwaters in Houston, Monday, Oct. 16, 2006,
following overnight rains. As much as 10 inches of rain has fallen in
the Houston-Galveston area, according to the National Weather Service.
The Associated Press
Torrential rains and a tornado swept through Southeast Texas, killing
three people trapped in the rising floodwater, destroying homes and
shutting down numerous schools Monday.
Two women were found dead in a sport-utility vehicle in floodwaters at
least 8 feet deep in Houston. Another body was discovered in submerged
vehicle in Fort Bend County, on the southwest side of Houston.
As much as 10 inches of rain fell in the Houston-Galveston area overnight.
More rain is expected across Texas on Monday, although floodwaters were
receding in parts of the Houston area by late morning.
Parts of Interstates 10 and 45 were shut down around Houston, and the
University of Houston and several other schools were closed. Twenty
bayous overflowed their banks, but county officials said no evacuations
were ordered. Some delays were reported at both of Houston's major airports.
A tornado struck east of Houston near the Jefferson County town of
China, not far from the Louisiana line, said emergency management
spokeswoman Darlene Koch. The National Weather Service confirmed the
tornado, and Koch said five mobile homes and two houses were destroyed.
No injuries were reported.
In the Texas Coastal Bend, as many as 20 homes were damaged as a
suspected tornado roared through the small Lavaca Bay community of
Magnolia Beach before daybreak Monday, Calhoun County Sheriff B.B.
Browning said. The only injury reported in the small community 75 miles
northeast of Corpus Christi was a cut thumb a man suffered from flying
glass, he said.
Parts of North and West Texas got as much as 4 inches of rain overnight,
prompting flash flood warnings. National Weather Service meteorologist
Stacie Hanes said the rain in North Texas was expected to dissipate by
evening.
In Louisiana, three people were hurt early Monday when strong winds blew
through the fishing community of Leeville, 90 miles south of New
Orleans, authorities said.
An elderly couple was rescued from an overturned trailer. The woman
suffered a broken arm, while her husband was treated for bruises and
lacerations, said Larry Weidel, a spokesman for the Lafourche Parish
sheriff. Another person was treated for a knee injury, he said. The
storm sank at least two boats, as well.