The storm, which strengthened to a hurricane early this morning, finally made a hard west turn and went ashore near Port O’Connor as forecasters said it would, but also sped up and arrived hours earlier than expected.
The result was that tides came up higher and faster than county officials had expected, said spokesman John Simsen.
County emergency officials said they thought the worst of Claudette was over this morning, but that the area would have wind gusts of up to 39 mph. A high tide this afternoon might slow water from receding but should not cause more flooding, they said.
While most government officials were reporting street flooding and some wind damage, there were no reports of injuries or death in Galveston County or the city of Galveston as of Tuesday morning.
County officials said their main task was to get high-water vehicles to the West End of Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula where unknown numbers of people were trapped by high water.
Simsen said two military trucks and National Guard troops were dispatched to the West End about 10 a.m., and four trucks would be sent to the peninsula as soon as possible today. The trucks would carry food and water in and people out, he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported receiving numerous calls from people trapped on the Bolivar Peninsula and wanting to be evacuated. Coast guard officials said those calls were referred to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.
The Coast Guard also reported rescuing the crew of a sinking shrimp boat near Sabine Pass.
At 11 a.m., FM 3005, which runs to Galveston’s West End, remained flooded and impassable between 11 Mile Road and 13 Mile Road. Stewart Road was flooded near Galveston Country Club and at Cove View.
Public Works Director Brandon Wade said that a significant amount of debris remained on FM 3005 between 7 Mile Road and 9 Mile Road. The debris included a garage door that washed away from a home. Wade also warned residents that lots of snakes have been spotted along roadways.
Officials were still conducting a damage assessment. There were reports on the West End of significant erosion, damage to beach homes and vehicles under water.
The Galveston City Council planned to meet at 4 p.m. to discuss declaring a state of emergency. City spokeswoman Janet Cohen said the action would be the first step in seeking federal assistance.
County officials said Highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula was closed and that geotubes on the peninsula and the West End were deflated.
“The big question is, ‘What’s left of the beach?’” Simsen said.
NORTH COUNTY
At 12:30 p.m., the National Weather Service Forecast Office in League City reported the Clear Creek had risen above its banks and sent water over FM 270.
The office initially reported the flooding affected League City.
However, Hydrologist David Schwertz said the only reports received were from Nassau Bay and Webster.
"Tides are up in the lake and they push the creek and send it out of banks in low-lying areas but no major flooding is expected," he said.
Shortly after noon, Schwertz said, the water level in the creek at the entrance to the Clear Lake was 5.6 feet. The top of the bank is usually 5 feet.
On Interstate Highway 45, just above the lake, water reached 6.1 feet, a foot above normal level. Nassau Bay’s city manager, John Kennedy, said Upper Bay Road, which borders the lake, had been closed because of minor flooding.
"We’re not allowing anyone to use that road right now," he said.
Two Nassau Bay homes also had about one inch of rain, Kennedy said.
Chris Peifer, League City’s director of public works, said no water was reported on FM 270.
"We’ve checked with dispatch and our crews and we’ve got no reports of that occurring," Peifer said, adding the city had so far had about six downed trees and a few downed power lines.
Kemah police closed the area from Sixth Street to the Kemah Boardwalk. “We’re not letting anybody in,” said Sgt. Hodges. “We’re watching for the high tide.”
High tide will hit the area at 2:19 p.m. Hodges said the intersection of Sixth and Harris Streets was flooded as was the area under the Kemah-Seabrook bridge. Power outages were reported on Kipp and Lewis streets, Delesandri Lane, Anders Lane and several other areas, Hodges said.
Neighboring Clear Lake Shores was forced to close Clear Lake Road and Westshore Road, making West Sixth Street the only way off the tiny island.
Police Chief Paul Shelley said early Tuesday that there was about 18 inches of water in the City Hall parking lot. Police officers there used four-wheel drive vehicles to patrol the city, leaving regular patrol cars parked until the water recedes.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” Shelley said. “We’re just hoping it blows on through. It’s just part of living down here.”
Friendswood police spokesperson Karen Peterson said the city had no flooding or power outages.
“It’s just a rainy day right now,” Peterson said Tuesday morning.
At 10 a.m., League City did not have any problems to report. Police Lt. Charles Slade said no roads were closed and neither flooding nor power outages had been reported.
MID-COUNTY
The middle portion of Galveston County showed few ill effects Tuesday morning.
“We’ve had a few trees down, and the roads right off of Dickinson Bayou have some flooding, but we have not had any major emergencies,” said Ivan Langford, Dickinson’s city administrator.
The story was the same in Texas City.
“We’ve had some minor flooding, and we had about four inches of rain since 3 a.m., but we got most of that by 5 a.m.,” said Bruce Clawson, Texas City emergency management director. “Other than that, we’ve had a few isolated reports of trees down, but no road closures.”
La Marque Fire Chief and emergency management coordinator Robert Buckner said winds had blown down some signs and caused a gas station canopy to collapse there, but had not caused any injuries or major problems.
“I guess we’ve been luckier than some of our neighbors,” Buckner said. “We’re just trying to keep it business as usual, as much as that’s possible.”
The police chiefs of Santa Fe and Hitchcock, Barry Cook and Glenn Manis, respectively, were traveling the streets of their cities Tuesday morning, looking signs of flooding and other problems.
Scattered reports of downed power lines were the most serious reports of storm-related problems in those parts of the county.
Clawson said he was hopeful the weather would only improve, but was preparing to be wrong.
“We really think the worst has passed, but we certainly continue to monitor the streets and the forecast,” he said.
