Record-high floodwaters continued to swamp parts of Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday as the region's slow-motion disaster drifted farther downstream.
The swollen Sabine River, which lies on the boundary between the two states, crested late Tuesday at an all-time record 33.24 feet in swamped Deweyville, Texas, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Humphrey.
"It’s just devastating; everything we know is gone," said Lois Shoemake, a longtime teacher at Deweyville Elementary School, which is now submerged by the floodwaters. “The school is my life."
Last week's torrential rain — topping two feet in some places — sparked the ongoing flooding and killed at least five people throughout the region.
Now, weary residents will watch as the water slowly recedes, a process that could take five days in and around Deweyville, Humphrey said. Further downstream, the Sabine River should crest later Wednesday or early Thursday in Orange, Texas.
With few rain chances in the forecast in the next few days, residents shouldn't see the flooding exacerbated, Humphrey said.
In north-central Louisiana, the Red River in Alexandria could hit its highest level in more than 70 years this weekend. The river is forecast to crest at 40.5 feet Sunday. That would be the highest since a 40.65 crest on May 9, 1942. It has not topped 40 feet since 1958.
"It's just crazy," said Ken Guidry, executive director of the Red River Waterway Commission. "We're getting hit with some heavy blows here."
"This is the third time within a year that we've had a significant high water event," said Blake Cooper, executive director of the Central Louisiana Regional Port. "It's devastating to the river."
A few spots along the Calcasieu River in central Louisiana are also seeing moderate-to-major flooding, Humphrey said.
The flooding has caused traffic nightmares as officials occasionally closed Interstate-10, one of the country's major transportation arteries, the Associated Press reported.
While the South deals with floods, a winter storm slammed the upper Midwest on Wednesday. Forecasters expect as much as a foot or snow to accumulate through Thursday in northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan.
Contributing: The Town Talk, Alexandria, La.; KBMT-TV, Beaumont-Port Authur, Texas
