Beaumont Enterprise: Mayor Ames: If water use continues people can expect sewer backups in their home

CREDIT

Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames had stern words for businesses that were open and residents who stayed behind and continue to use city water to flush and handle everyday business.

She said shortly after noon that because of a breach in the system that she could not guarantee that people could continue to flush their toilets and run their water for another hour without facing sewer backups in their homes.

She said any business that is open should be assisting emergency operations and not conducting routine business.

Before any business can open legally it must be inspected, city health director Ingrid Holmes said. Otherwise, it will be closed and fined.

Port Arthur Mayor Deloris Prince and Orange County Judge Carl Thibodeaux said that there is no guarantee that city water and sewer facilities can support emergency operations, much less the entire region.

Thibodeaux said Orange County was devastated, with Bridge City, Orange and West Orange bearing the brunt of the Hurricane Ike's force.

He said emergency crews continue to perform search and rescue operations.

Bridge City Mayor Kirk Roccaforte said that about 9,000 people evacuated, but about 500 who remained were rescued Saturday.

Federal and state organizations continue to help with search and recovery efforts there.

No deaths have been reported by local officials. However, they planned to do a house-by-house search where there was flooding to see if residents required rescue.

Anybody in Beaumont who wants to evacuate can call the Beaumont Fire Department at 880-3905 and they will be evacuated.

The region remains under a mandatory evacuation order.

Homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff, who has toured the region and was speaking at a news conference in Beaumont Sunday afternoon, could not give a time frame for when federal assistance will be in the area to help people who did not evacuate.

However, there are plans to establish three regionwide drop-off locations yet to be announced.

Gas supplies could remain tight because before stations will be refueled they must be inspected. This complicates not only filling up cars but maintaining a gas supply to run generators.

Emergency officials stress that if people cannot sustain themselves they need to leave.

There is also discussion of evacuating area hospitals because of the water and sewer system problem.

Those with internet access can log onto the Port Arthur Police Department Web site to get in contact with family members still in the area.