While thousands have sought and are seeking refuge from this week’s flood, thousands more are staying put, for one reason or another. 

The torrential rains of Tropical Storm Harvey simply overwhelmed Port Arthur’s infrastructure with feet of water.

“It’s everywhere,” City Manager Brian McDougal said late Thursday night. “The water is everywhere. It’s on the west side, and it’s in Griffing Park; it’s in El Vista; it’s in Montrose Park. It’s everywhere. It’s in mid county, it’s everywhere.”

The deluge, which began on Aug. 26, left about a year’s worth of rain in the area over approximate a four-day period.

From the flood bloomed speculation. Rumors swirled that the city’s vaunted wastewater pumping system had either malfunctioned or run out of fuel but McDougal said that was not the case. 

“The pumps are on, they’re pushing as hard as they can. I think they’re pushing ahead,” he said. 

And while the evacuation was, for some, disorganized and chaotic, McDougal said that during the worst of the storm, the city tried to triage those in need and offer aid first to those who most desperately needed it. 

“We first began to make sure the individuals who had healthcare issues were triaged at the Port Arthur airport and they were flown out (Thursday),” he said.

Many evacuees on Thursday and Friday were airlifted or bused to shelters in larger cities less affected by the storm.

He said the city is offering shelter to anyone and everyone until the water recedes. Though even then, he said, the heartbreak will not be over. The decision to leave and start over or to stay and start over will not be easy for anyone. 

“They’re all still in the process of anger and grief and there all deciding to do it in their own pace,” he said. 

Much like those residents who are only now taking stock, the city, too, is only now getting a handle on the extent of the damage. 

“Our water and sewer headquarters is underwater and so is all of our equipment and all of our vehicles,” McDougal said. “Our lawnmowers and Weedeaters are under several feet of water. I would say 6 feet of water or more.”

Because of this, the city is going to use emergency outside services just to perform routine functions like trash pickup and maintenance. The city met on Monday to authorize emergency services and now that the streets are mostly dry, regular services should commence. 

McDougal praised the volunteers who showed up and served during the worst of the crisis.

McDougal said the city and its residents will likely depend on those charities going forward, and he encouraged anyone outside of Port Arthur who wanted to help the city to donate to some of the nonprofits that helped. 

“You know, here we are in the middle of disaster and the main resource that showed up to help us is the American Red Cross,” he said. “You can also give to the United Way. You can give to the Food Bank of Southeast Texas. … There is just such a whole host of folks who are out there. The only thing I would suggest to folks is, we love our community and we love Port Arthur and I would make sure people designate whatever they donate to fund Port Arthur relief efforts.”