.jpg "HCPH-Riverside-0708-1870×125-Spa (1)")
Tropical Storm Edouard power outages left more than 56,800 Texas utility customers without electricity early Wednesday. The storm also flooded roads, damaged trees and forced school districts to cancel classes across Southeast Texas.
Edouard made landfall near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday. The community sits close to the Texas-Louisiana border. Maximum sustained winds reached 60 mph at landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Edouard Power Outages Spread Across East Texas
Most outages affected communities around Beaumont, Port Arthur and neighboring counties. Entergy Texas reported about 70,000 customers without power Tuesday evening.
The company deployed more than 1,500 workers to inspect damage and restore service. However, high winds and flooding limited access to some areas, according to an Entergy Texas storm update.
Outages stretched from Beaumont north toward Woodville on Wednesday. Meanwhile, CenterPoint Energy reported restoring service to about 10,000 Houston-area customers. Roughly 200 CenterPoint customers remained without power Wednesday morning.
Later reports placed the statewide outage count near 75,000 customers across at least eight counties. Restoration totals may continue changing as crews repair equipment and reconnect neighborhoods.
Heavy Rain Floods Roads and Downs Trees
Edouard weakened into a tropical depression Tuesday night. Still, its slow movement brought dangerous rainfall to Southeast and East Texas.
Communities northwest of Beaumont received between 10 and 21 inches of rain within several hours. Floodwaters covered roads, stranded motorists and entered low-lying areas. Beaumont police also reported downed trees, blocked streets and malfunctioning traffic signals.
A Port Arthur weather station recorded a 90 mph wind gust Tuesday. The storm’s center later moved north through East Texas, carrying additional rain toward the Piney Woods.
The National Weather Service reported between 5 and 20 inches of rain in parts of Hardin, Jasper and Tyler counties by late Wednesday morning. Flash flooding was already occurring, and another 1 to 3 inches remained possible in warned areas.
Forecasters urged residents to avoid flooded roads and seek higher ground when warnings are issued. The Weather Prediction Center maintained a high risk of excessive rainfall for parts of Southeast Texas because of potentially catastrophic flash flooding.
School Districts Cancel Wednesday Classes
Power failures, flooding and dangerous travel conditions prompted numerous districts to close Wednesday.
Closures included Beaumont, Hardin-Jefferson, Kountze, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Lumberton, Nederland, Orangefield and Port Arthur independent school districts. Port Neches-Groves, Silsbee, Vidor and West Orange-Cove also canceled classes.
Farther west, Conroe ISD and Willis ISD closed schools and district offices. Conroe ISD also canceled after-school activities after consulting weather and emergency officials. The district cited potential flooding, outages and unsafe conditions across its 348-square-mile service area.
Beaumont ISD said power outages affected several campuses. The district planned to reopen Thursday if conditions allowed. It also organized meal distribution for students and families during Wednesday’s closure.
Flooding Threat Continues After Edouard
Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy issued a local disaster declaration Wednesday following overnight storm damage. The declaration allows county officials to coordinate response and recovery resources.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management encouraged residents to monitor local alerts and check DriveTexas before traveling. Texans can also report storm damage through the state’s iSTAT damage survey.
Residents should remain cautious around downed power lines, standing water and damaged trees. Local school districts and utility companies will continue posting restoration and reopening updates as conditions improve.