KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |Rain pounds Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Shreveport

Rain pounds Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Shreveport

Posted by Ellen Krafve - bio | email

LUFKIN/NACOGDOCHES/SHEVEPORT (KLTV) - Folks in Lufkin, Nacogdoches and Shreveport are hoping for no more rain after storms absolutely pounded those three cities Thursday.

In Lufkin, law enforcement worked all night closing streets in the city and the surrounding area. Ditches overflowed onto streets, and many rivers and creeks, already saturated, could not handle the extra rain. The owner of a Dollar General just north of Lufkin said the creek behind the store seeped into the back of the building.

"I was blown away because of all the things that you think of that might happen to a store I would never think of the store flooding," said Scott Floyd, the Dollar General store manager. "I mean, the parking lot is even angled to prevent that and it still happened."

Floyd said the next step is to assess the damaged merchandise. They spent the morning trying to vacuum and mop up all the extra water.

Nacogdoches County had its share of flooding as well. One of the main culprits was the Attoyac River and runoffs. It caused lots of flooding between Garrison and Etoile in Nacogdoches County. As many as 40 roadways, including Highway 21, were blocked by high water or downed limbs. One water rescue was made when a car was swept away at a low water crossing. Most roads are open again, but emergency crews are keeping a close watch on the Attoyac. It's expected to crest at noon Saturday.

And, in Shreveport Friday morning, rescue teams from the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office were using boats to get people out of their homes and to safe ground. A reporter with KSLA says the water reached up to their chest.

"I didn't think it would get no worse than possibly last year, maybe up to the back step," said Danny Marable, a rescued resident. "I lost my motor home, two trucks and countless dollars of equipment in my shop."

Authorities there say it will be days before the streets return to normal.

©2009 KLTV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.