Tropical Storm Beta Washes Away Pier in Galveston, Texas; Emergency Declared in Louisiana
Jan Wesner Childs
Water rushed through streets and surrounded homes in low-lying parts of coastal Texas and Louisiana Monday as Tropical Storm Beta moved in.
"We are feeling the effects now," Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said in a briefing Monday morning. "We have already seen localized flooding and storm surge going over the road."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations for 29 counties Monday. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency, saying those impacted last month by Hurricane Laura should remain especially vigilant.
"Tropical storm warnings are in effect for much of Louisiana’s coastline and the slow movement of Tropical Storm Beta puts southwest Louisiana at risk for flash flooding and river flooding today through Wednesday or Thursday," Edwards said in a news release. "This could be especially problematic in areas that are already recovering from Hurricane Laura and residents should take this threat seriously."
(MORE: Latest Forecast for Beta)
Flooding was being reported in some low-lying areas of Louisiana, including St. Bernard Parish.
Streets, cars and buildings were flooded in parts of coastal Texas, including Rockport, Corpus Christi, Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula.
Video posted to social media showed the end of the 61st Street Fishing Pier in Galveston, Texas, breaking away in high waves and choppy surf.
The operators of a webcam at the site posted on social media that workers had earlier cut through parts of the pier to allow the end to purposely break off, in the hopes of saving the rest of the structure.
The piece washed up on a nearby beach.
Surge from the storm covered roadways and surrounded homes.
Water ran through the streets of downtown Galveston overnight.
Voluntary evacuations were in place in several locations along the coast, including Port Arthur, where just a few weeks ago, residents fled ahead of Hurricane Laura.
"Being in Port Arthur and so close to the Gulf – we’re the gateway to the hurricane," Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie said Sunday, according to the Beaumont Enterprise. "It causes us to have to plan immediately and act first."
Michael Koudelka and Carol Kelly walk through tidal floodwaters on East Hunter Drive in the unincorporated community of Freddiesville near Bayou Vista, Texas, on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.Monday was supposed to be the first day of in-person classes for some grades at Port Arthur schools since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but that's now delayed a week because of the storm. Students have been attending virtual school, but that was interrupted for nine days due to Laura, Superintendent Mark Porterie said in a message published by the Port Arthur News.
All other schools in Galveston County were also closed Monday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said resources, including high water vehicles and rescue teams, were standing by.
"We’re very concerned about the flooding that could take place, whether it be from Victoria to Houston or over to Beaumont," Abbott told KPRC-TV. "We have to have resources staged in advance to help people be able to respond to that flooding event."
(MORE: A Complete Recap of Hurricane Sally)
This screenshot from a Live Storms Media video shows flooding at Port Bolivar, Texas, on the western end of the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston as Tropical Storm Beta neared shore on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.Laura made landfall on Aug. 27 near the Texas-Louisiana border and then moved inland. Wind gusts up to 133 mph were recorded in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where windows were blown out of buildings, roofs ripped off, hospitals evacuated and homes and businesses destroyed throughout the city.
About 17,000 power outages were still being reported in Louisiana as of Monday evening, most of them in the Lake Charles area, according to poweroutage.us. Many people were also still without reliable access to water. The National Guard, Red Cross and other agencies are still deployed to the region to help with clean up and recovery.
More than 5,000 homes and businesses were without power along the Texas coast.
Beta was the second storm to develop after naming switched to the Greek alphabet because all the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season names were used up in what has already been a record-busy year for storms.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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