MONTGOMERY COUNTY- Severe weather moved into Southeast Texas Wednesday night, causing a variety of problems, including dangerous winds, flooded streets, downed power lines, and had many emergency responders out in the storm.
Needham Fire and Rescue responded to a home with on Stable Ridge Dr. where a tree was through a house that had also been damaged by Hurricane Ike. An elderly bedridden woman and her daughter were residents. A fire apparatus en route to the call was pushed across the road by the strong winds, as were several vehicles on the road along with it.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 7:38 p.m. for Montgomery County and surrounding areas after Doppler Radar indicated a storm capable of producing a tornado near Montgomery and moving east at 40 miles per hour.
Many other agencies braved the storm, including law enforcement, some of whom endangered themselves by using their vehicles to block roadways preventing motorists from driving into high water.
Roads were not the only pathways obstructed because of the storm. A large inflated moonwalk blew onto some railroad tracks, but was removed before a train tried to pass through.
The Montgomery County Emergency Communication District’s new CodeRed system sent out warnings to registered users at 7:40 p.m. via telephone.
The NWS issued a large size hail alert at 9:03 p.m.
The wind and rain wreaked havoc all over the county, with water standing on the main lanes of US 59 and I-45 and in many underpasses and streets with poor drainage. Trees and tree limbs tore down power lines as the fell, leaving debris in the roadway and power outages in many areas.
