As Orange County waits for the Sabine River to crest by Wednesday evening, eastbound lanes of Interstate-10 remain closed at the Texas-Louisiana state line as rising floodwaters covered the interstate. Louisiana officials halted westbound traffic earlier on Tuesday, and those lanes remain closed. Motorists heading eastbound to Louisiana should use I-20 as an alternate route. For those traveling on I-10 from:

• El Paso take I-20 East of Van Horn
• San Antonio take I-35 North to I-20 East to Shreveport
• Houston take U.S. 59 North to I-20 East to Shreveport
• Beaumont take U.S. 96 North to U.S. 69 North to U.S. 59 North to I-20 East to Shreveport.

At stages near 6.0 feet, major flooding can be expected, according to the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles offices.

The NWS has reported the Sabine River near Orange at 2:15 a.m. Wednesday had reached 7.2 feet and expected to crest at 7.7 feet before beginning to recede.

Flood stage is near 6 feet. Major flooding is expected from the Sabine outflow. Backwater flooding along Adams Bayou can also be expected, and water will continue to approach the travel lanes of I-10, the NWS warned.

Numerous voluntary and mandatory evacuations were ordered Tuesday in anticipation of the major flooding.

The Lamar Montagne Center in Beaumont on the campus of Lamar University is now an American Red Cross shelter for flood victims out Southeast Texas, including those from Newton County, where the river has already crested and left the area inundated with catastrophic flooding.

The shelter can accommodate up to 450 people and could remain open up to 10 days.

People can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1 866 526-8300) or by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.