Harvey Misery Hits Southeast Texas: Hundreds Cram Port Arthur Bowling Alley As Beaumont Still Has No Water

The cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur are struggling with hundreds seeking refuge in a Port Arthur Bowling Alley and Beaumont residents unsure when they will get water back. The loss of water, in the first moments of Thursday, forced the evacuation of Southern Baptist Hospital.

Black Hawk helicopters filled the sky and ground ambulances kept appearing as the most serious patients were ferried to safety.

A spokeswoman for the hospital, Mary Poole, told CNN that hospital staff had gone to bed Wednesday night expecting Thursday to be just another day.

"Then around 1 a.m., we got the call," she said.

Hospital staff rushed in and immediately started figuring out which of the 193 patients in the hospital could be discharged.

Once that was done, the hospital, working with emergency officials, arranged for Army and National Guard helicopters to take the sickest patients to other hospitals.

Poole said that they started with babies from the neonatal intensive care unit and patients in need of dialysis, a lifesaving treatment for those whose kidneys have failed.

"This something we practice for," Poole said. "This is not our first hurricane."

The evacuation came as southeast Texas is still bearing the brunt of Tropical Storm Harvey's destructive forces. Both Beaumont and Port Arthur continue to get hammered.

The evacuation of the hospital is just one of the ongoing rescues. Both cities are looking for help. And while Port Arthur is letting people know that their water is safe to drink, Beaumont had to tell their citizens that the city has lost its water supply.

Over in Port Arthur, the Medical Center of Southeast Texas was having more luck, able to stay open. They also received assistance from the Texas Rangers and Texas Department of Public Safety.

These are just two cities in a state battling the effects of what is being called the greatest flooding incident ever in the United States. Damage is being estimated to be worse than Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy, though knowing the extent of the damage is still weeks away.

As of late Thursday evening, people were still using Twitter to send out urgent requests for help.

The still-rising waters of the Neches River resulting from days of torrential rain have knocked out the water supply to beleaguered Beamount, the city said in a statement early Thursday morning. The city's main pump station was knocked offline.

The pump station, along the Neches, draws water from the river and is the main source of water for Beaumont.

Also See: Harvey Could Be One Of The Most Expensive Storms In US History

The city's secondary water source — the Loeb wells in Hardin County — has also been lost temporarily.

"At this time there is no water supply for the City water system," the city said just after midnight. "We will have to wait until the water levels from this historical flood recede before we can determine the extent of damage and make any needed repairs.

"There is no way to determine how long this will take at this time."

Beaumont gave no indication of when it thinks water service might be restored.

"Beaumont right now is basically an island," one police official said at a city press conference.

The city, along with other parts of southeast Texas, became the target of Tropical Storm Harvey's wrath as it made a second landfall on Wednesday.

One of the more heartbreaking images of the storm emerged from Beaumont when rescuers found a 3-year-old-girl clutching the body of her mother as they floated on floodwaters.

The mother had died.

The girl survived.

Meanwhile, in Port Arthur, the police department says that shelters "are in DESPERATE need of FOOD, toiletries, bedding, and cleaning supplies. We need commercial quantity Kitchen stations set up. If you're able to help please contact one of the designated Red Cross Shelters. Any local restaurants with these capabilities?"

On Wednesday night, the city imposed a 10 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew until further notice.

The flooding in Port Arthur became so treacherous that hundreds were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in Max's Bowl. The alley's general manager had gotten a call Tuesday night - someone had broken in.

When he got there the next morning, he found nearly 800 refugees who had arrived seeking shelter. There were families and individuals, there were pets - cats and dogs and, even a pet monkey who was captured in a picture by a photographer for the Associated Press.

The refugees started accepting donations and doing their best to make sure that people had what they need.

Mayor Derrick Freeman posted to Facebook that while the city needs help, some has already arrived. And he sent a reassuring message to city residents.

"The Coast Guard has helicopters and boats currently deployed around the city," he wrote. "The National Guard is mobilizing in the WalMart parking lot now. And we have city dump trucks, fire rescue boats and several other assets around the city making rescues. Continue to call 911 if you are unsafe. We're coming y'all.

"We are also allowing anyone with a boat that wants to help to do so. We need it."

Photo via Beaumont Fire and Rescue