MIAMI.- Emergency crews rescued people from flooded homes and cars in Texas, Mississippians received warnings that a levee could break and schools and public offices in Louisiana They closed on Wednesday, while storms They brought strong winds and the threat of tornados.
Storms were expected in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and northwest Florida and there was a possibility of tornadoes and strong winds that could exceed 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), the National Weather Service warned.
There is a chance of tornadoes, rain and heavy rain across the South and Gulf Coast on Wednesday, said weather center meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook.
Storm warnings
In Texas, several people were rescued from homes and vehicles Wednesday morning due to flooding in Jasper County, near Louisiana, authorities said.
“The city of Kirbyville remains under water and remains a cause for great concern at this time,” Jasper County police said on social media.
All roads leading to Kirbyville, a town of about 2,000 people, were closed because of the flooding, police said.
In Mississippi, the sheriff sent an urgent warning to residents in parts of Yazoo County, just northwest of Jackson.
“If you or someone you know lives in the Eastbrook subdivision on Highway 16 in Yazoo County, you must evacuate IMMEDIATELY!!,” the Yazoo County Police Department wrote on social media. “The dam is about to break on the lake and homes will be flooded. Please get out of there IMMEDIATELY!!!”
It is not known at this time how many people are affected by the evacuation order.
In Louisiana, state agencies closed Wednesday as the storm was expected to hit the state during rush hour, the governor’s office announced. Authorities also asked the population to limit all movement if possible, and warned that strong winds could affect large trucks.
Louisiana State University, one of the largest in the United States, announced that its campus will close on Wednesday due to “the prevailing severe weather conditions.” Residential buildings will remain open.
As of Wednesday morning, there were already 100,000 people without power in Louisiana, according to poweroutage.us, which monitors power outages nationwide. Another 30,000 customers were without power in Mississippi.
An intense weather system that developed in the southern Rocky Mountains and moisture that moved across the Gulf of Mexico combined, spawning a series of storms across southern Texas and northwest Florida that moved eastward, through Louisiana and Mississippi, Robinson Cook said.
There was hail in Central Texas on Tuesday and 1 foot (30 centimeters) of snow fell in the last 24 hours, with even greater accumulations northwest of Lake Charles in Louisiana, the meteorologist added.
Source: AP
