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Southeast Texans have fared well, so far, with the blizzard conditions that began overnight Monday into Tuesday afternoon.

There were no reports of any major issues on the roadways as of noon Tuesday.

 

Port Arthur Emergency Management Coordinator Jeremy Houston said it seems everyone is doing what they had been advised to do, which is stay off the roads. For that, he is thankful, he said.

There have been no reports of water pressure issues in the city.

 

Nederland City Manager Chris Duque said they hadn’t seen much traffic on the roads and was not aware of any power outages as of noon Tuesday.

City officials will provide updates on garbage service today/Tuesday.

“Our greatest concern is still the water system,” Duque said. “With some of the coldest temperatures coming tonight and with people dripping their water it will tax the water system very hard,” Duque said. “Residents need to conserve water as much as possible and when the temperatures rise above freezing to stop dripping their faucets.”

Stopping the dripping of faucets will allow the water system to recover.

Should the city lose water there would be the need for a boil water notice; something officials learned from previous winter storms such as in2021.

Motorists are advised to stay off the roads as much as possible.

Port Neches Fire Chief Eloy Vega said so far (Tuesday at noon) it has been uneventful.

He urged drivers to exercise caution on the snowy roadways if they must get out.

“Overnight the temperatures are going to drop so we’re not out of the woods just yet,” Vega said. “We want to remind people to be very careful, especially on the overpasses which are very slippery.”

Vega and other local officials in Southeast Texas have been in conference calls with the Texas Department of Emergency Management and meteorologists with the National Weather Service multiple times a day.

Vega said they had the calls at 6 and 10 a.m., and others are set for 4 and 10 p.m.

Vega also asked residents to make sure they have working smoke detectors in their home and to use caution with space heaters.

Groves Fire Chief Lance Billeaud said they hadn’t seen any issues in the city and also advised residents to stay off the roads as much as possible.

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick also reported minimal traffic.

Branick said it appears people are heeding advice and staying off the roads and the ones he has seen are driving very slow.

As of Tuesday morning there were about 216 reported electricity outages. One was due to a transformer failure and the other occurred when a car struck an electrical pole and knocked power out, he said.

“We have about 22 industrial plants that shut down operation for a couple of days but the major refineries and facilities that supply Entergy with gas are all operational,” he said.

The Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont will remain closed Wednesday.