LUMBERTON, Texas — The Park Road Bridge in Hardin County will remain closed due to major damage following Saturday's heavy rainfall and flooding.
Boggy Creek crested last night, and floodwaters have been receding quickly since Sunday morning.
As the surface of the Park Road Bridge becomes visible, major damage is being uncovered, according to Judge Wayne McDaniel. The bridge will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Once the bridge is accessible, Commissioner Amanda Young will mobilize personnel and the county’s engineer to inspect the bridge. They will determine the emergency repairs needed, as well as the permanent repairs necessary to bring the bridge back into operation.
A disaster was declared in Hardin County Saturday morning after overnight storms dumped nearly a foot of rain on a few areas of the county and triggered the closure of part of Interstate 10 in west Jefferson County for several hours.
Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel issued the disaster declaration just before 11 a.m., citing flash flooding after county officials said 12 to 16 inches of rain fell over 12 hours in the county.
The flooding caused a "public safety hazard" with damage to infrastructure, has caused roads to be impassable and caused power outages according to the declaration.
McDaniel asked county residents to report any damage to the state via an online form.
MORE | Report any flooding damage
Multiple roadways in the county received several inches or more of water over them with some, but not all, flooded roads barricaded.
McDaniel urged residents to respect the barricades and not drive around them. He also asked that they avoid driving down any flooded roads.
Flooding in Hardin County
In Jefferson County, westbound Interstate 10 near Hamshire was shut down at about 9 a.m. on Saturday and was reopened by about 11:30 a.m. Even after the westbound lanes were reopened there was still some water over parts of the roadway and traffic was moving slowly, officials said,
Some homes were reported to have taken on water in Hardin County where firefighter with Emergency Services District Two began making water rescues and evacuating some residents at about 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
In Lumberton, three or four homes on Bryan Ln. had water in them as well as at least one home on John Loop, according to Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullins.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.