Flash Flood Emergency issued in East Texas, New Orleans as life-threatening flooding swamps South
A Flash Flood Emergency was issued through Wednesday morning for parts of Jasper, Newton and Tyler counties in Texas. Water rescues underway in Kirbyville, where the East Texas town is "underwater," according to officials.
s – Flash Flood Emergency situations are ongoing across East Texas and southeast Louisiana on Wednesday after thunderstorms dropped up to a foot of rain in some areas, with several more inches expected to fall throughout the day.
A severe weather outbreak is unfolding across the South with the ongoing threat of tornadoes, flash flooding, hail and damaging winds for the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast.
Flood alerts across the South.
(FOX Weather)
The National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, issued a Flash Flood Emergency for parts of Jasper, Newton and Tyler counties in southeastern Texas through 11:30 a.m. CDT, including Kirbyville and Newton.
The NWS New Orleans office issued another flash flood emergency for the city of New Orleans through 2 p.m. CDT. Emergency managers reported numerous flooded and impassible roads around the city, and flash flooding is beginning.
A rain gauge in LaPlace, within the New Orleans metro, recorded 7 inches of rain since Wednesday morning with 7.76 inches falling over 24 hours.
A Flash Flood Emergency is the most severe flood alert that the NWS can issue and means there is life-threatening flooding and catastrophic damage already happening or expected to occur soon.
DRAMATIC VIDEO SHOWS FLOODWATERS ENTERING FIRE TRUCK AFTER WATER RESCUE IN TEXAS AMID WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS
"If a Flash Flood Emergency is called for your town, that’s the worst of the worst when it comes to flash flooding," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "It’s a very rare warning that is only given when there is a significant risk to loss of property and loss of life."
Water rescues underway in Jasper County, Texas
In Jasper County, all major roads into Kirbyville were closed on Wednesday morning due to flooding. Jasper County Judge Mark Allen declared a local declaration of disaster due to the widespread dangerous weather conditions countywide.
Multiple fire departments deployed from around the region are conducting water rescues. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said rescue teams have extricated several people from flooded homes and vehicles.
"The City of Kirbyville remains underwater and is still the major concern at this time," the sheriff's office said.
Kirbyville Mayor George Frank told FOX Weather he estimated about a foot of rain had fallen in the community near the Texas-Louisiana state line.
"I thought I'd seen everything when I saw Harvey," Frank said of the 2017 hurricane that made landfall in Texas.
Roganville fire truck submerged in floodwater as heavy rain pounds Texas
On Wednesday morning, volunteer firefighters from the Roganville, Texas, Fire Department responded to a high-water rescue. They had to wait for a front loader to pull them out of the floodwaters.
Frank said the volunteer swift-water rescue team has been helping stranded people, as both ends of Highway 96 are underwater.
"We were expecting some heavy rains, but nothing this major," Frank said.
Over the past 12 hours, radar estimated rain totals of 15.4 inches near Newton and 13.3 inches in Spurger. In 24 hours, Belton measured 7.60 inches.
(FOX Weather)
"Middle of the night water rushing into your home – that’s the reality for thousands of people across East Texas," Merwin said. "Of course, the direct impact is smaller than that number, but the entire town is being looked at. It’s a heartbreaking scenario."
South goes from drought to rain surplus
The FOX Forecast Center said repeated rounds of storms capable of torrential rain will continue to roll through the Southeast through Thursday.
The storms moving through Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday are tapping into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and dropping rain at over 2 inches per hour.
Year to date rainfall across the South.
(FOX Weather)
This comes as the South is already between 5 and 8 inches of rain above average for the year.
The deluge of rain is a turnaround from four months ago when Louisiana was facing exceptional drought conditions causing widespread economic impacts to the region. As of this week, only parts of Mississippi and Louisiana are facing abnormally dry conditions, the least severe level on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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