1 Killed, 6 Hurt as Frances Hits Gulf Coast

HOUSTON —  Tropical Storm Frances dumped nearly a foot of rain along the Gulf Coast on Friday, creating a virtual moat around downtown Houston and swamping the streets of New Orleans.

One person was killed and six were injured in Louisiana as the storm spun in from the Gulf of Mexico. No serious injuries were reported in Texas.

Flood waters washed over three major Houston freeways--Interstate 45 from the north, Interstate 10 from the west and Texas 288 from the south--cutting off the main routes into the nation’s fourth-largest city and stranding rush-hour motorists.

Several drivers abandoned their cars, while others ignored police barricades, driving into flooded areas.

Downtown Houston looked like an island, ringed with swollen bayous. As the rain tapered off around midday, fire crews made their way by boats to people living along the bayous, tapping on windows and urging residents to head for higher ground.

“We’ve been praying to God it’ll be here when we get back,” said Carolyn Hamala, who moved some belongings out of her White Oak Bayou-area apartment. “I just hope he answers our prayers.”

The flooding was the worst since 1994, when rain inundated areas north and east of the city.

“I haven’t seen anything like this in my life,” said Orlando Paez, who lives near downtown. “We’re getting more rain today than some places get in a year.”

Schools were closed for the day.

In New Orleans, which got a foot of rain in 24 hours, sandbags were stacked at the entrance to the Radisson Hotel, where employees wearing rain suits used pumps and vacuums in a largely losing battle against the water.

The lobby’s red carpets were soaked and rolled up; elevators and escalators were turned off; water had soaked through ceilings. Cars made waves as they passed.

“I’ve been here 40 years, and this is as high as it’s ever been,” said Dan Usner, operator of a New Orleans gas station.

In Houston, Jason Eckblad was high and dry in his second-floor apartment, but he needed a boat to go out. Only the roof of his Jeep Cherokee could be seen in the parking lot.

“Our apartment’s going to be OK, because we’re on the second floor. But those are our cars,” he said. “Maybe they’ll dry out.”

The storm’s high tides and heavy rains also forced the evacuation of Texas A&M-Corpus; Christi, which sits on its own small island. About half of the school’s 6,000 students live on campus.

A 22-year-old man died Thursday night in Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish when he was thrown onto the roof of a neighbor’s shed by a tornado that tore apart his trailer home. Six others were injured, three critically.

Frances is the second tropical system to hit Texas this season. Flooding from remnants of Tropical Storm Charley killed 19 people in southern Texas and northern Mexico last month. A hurricane hasn’t hit Texas since 1989.