By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Signs of preparations for Tropical Storm Cindy can be spotted throughout the cities.

Sand bags are at the doors of Lamar State College – Orange and Stark Cultural Venues closed the doors on Wednesday to help prepare for the storm expected to bring strong winds and rains in the early hours of Thursday.

City of Pinehurst employees were cleaning out drainage ditches to help prevent possible street flooding in problem areas.

“We are trying to prevent blockage due to weeds or debris,” Pinehurst City Administrator Robbie Hood said on Wednesday. “We are trying to help out our neighbors and hopefully prevent the road from flooding.”

At the time, workers were working on the drainage site on Dal Sasso and MacArthur Drive. The site was recently cleared of the building once known as Video Paradise and is opposite the newly reopened Wienerschnitzel.

Stark Cultural Venues announced Wednesday morning, due to the latest updates on Tropical Storm Cindy and potential early landfall causing flood conditions, the Stark Cultural Venues and offices will close early to the public. Updated weather predictions and flash flood warnings have prompted an early closure of all venues at noon Wednesday, June 21. Venues will remain closed throughout the day Thursday, June 22, 2017.

The Interstate 10 closures between State Hwy. 73 and Farm to Market Road 365 scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday night have been cancelled due to Tropical Storm Cindy. The closures will be rescheduled for a later date according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

Bridge City School District announced they were closing the campuses at noon Wednesday in a statement.

BC ISD will be closed today at noon, Wednesday, June 21, due to impending inclement weather. Student summer classes will also be canceled for Thursday, June 22. A decision on Thursday’s schedule for Employees will be made late Wednesday/early Thursday. The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to us.

Texas Department of Public Safety is temporarily closing the driver license office in Orange County today at 12:00 p.m. The office is located at 711 Highway 87 in Orange.

According to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Tropical Storm Cindy has weakened slightly, down to sustained winds of 50 mph. Landfall projections still show a Texas-Louisiana state line location, sometime after midnight tonight, as a weak tropical storm.

We are still expecting 3 to 5 inches of rain, with the possibility of 10 inches if a slow moving rain band moves across your area. For people along and south of the Interstate 10 corridor, this rain could easily cause flooding of streets due to the poor drainage conditions with the tides running so high.

Entergy Texas, Inc. is also keeping a close eye on a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico.

Entergy has core teams stationed in the forecasted area to respond to power outages resulting from severe weather. Crews and contractors are prepared to work long hours to restore service to customers as safely and as quickly as possible.

“This area is no stranger to tropical weather, and we will be doing everything in our power to get it back on safely and quickly,” said Vernon Pierce, vice president of customer service for Entergy Texas. “The company has a well-rehearsed plan of action, and our employees are being mobilized to assist in storm restoration. We ask that our customers get prepared as well.”

With little time before the storm makes landfall, Entergy urges customers to prepare for the possibility of extended power outages. Customers should prepare emergency kits, including flashlights, a battery-powered radio with fresh batteries, spare batteries, canned food and a can opener, a supply of fresh water for several days and a first-aid kit. Entergy has a Storm Ready Guide that customers can download for other great tips.

Always remember to stay away from downed power lines and notify Entergy immediately.

Outage information can be found on Entergytexas.com and on the Entergy Stormcenter website during and after the storm. Here are other ways you can get information:

• Download the Entergy app for your smartphone at entergy.com/app.
• Sign up for text alerts. From your cellphone, text R-E-G to 368374, or visit entergytext.com.
• Follow us on Twitter.com/EntergyTXor Facebook.com/EntergyTX.
• Call us at 800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243).
• Follow updates in your local news media, like radio, television and newspapers.