Port Mayor Arthur Thurman Bartie says he is calling for a mandatory evacuation from the city, starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday as tropical storms Marco and Laura approach the area.
Bartie informed Port Arthur Newsmedia of his decision in a text with one sentence just before Monday 11:30 p.m. He said he could not go into details because he was in a meeting at one point.
“I have to do this for Port Arthur,” Bartie said.
The decision was announced minutes after the Port District Independent School District said classes would be closed Tuesday through Friday. The Netherlands ISD will close its campuses for the rest of the week at 1am on Monday.
Bartie posted his text at 11:27 a.m., 17 minutes after the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management posted on Twitter a recommendation from County Judge Jeff Branick to any resident “who has the ability and why to evacuate voluntarily” to do so. to consider.
The request is not required according to the post.
“We say more or less, if you are retired and you have the finances where you can go, then take a road trip,” Branick said.
Branick was waiting for more information from the National Water Service to arrive this afternoon and had plans to hold a conference call with mayors in the county to discuss emergency plans and decide if a mandatory clearance was necessary. Branick said Bartie has the right to call a mandatory evacuation in his own town.
“I will do nothing to interfere with that,” Branick said. “There are some cases where the provincial judge overwhelms the mayor, but I will not transfer him.”
Bartie had previously asked residents in Sabine Pass to leave on a voluntary basis because they live in low-lying areas.
Mid-County mayors are waiting to meet with Branick before giving instructions to her constituencies.
Groves Mayor Brad Bailey said his citizens are instructed to leave voluntarily “if they have the ability and means to do so.”
“We understand the nursing homes, they can’t pull the trigger unless we issue a mandatory,” Bailey said. ‘We weigh all those options. Our decision will be made later in the day. There are many factors in this. ”
Dutch mayor Don Albanese said he would know more about his city’s plans following the call with Branick. The City Council of the Netherlands will meet on Monday morning at 4.30 pm, but it would either be shortened or rejected for the conference call.
Port Neches Mayor Glenn Johnson said shortly after 1 p.m. it was “too early” to decide whether an evacuation would be mandatory.
“We’ll know more about it this morning, because of the storm that hits the Gulf tonight,” Johnson said. “We will know the direction much better tomorrow, and at that moment we will make a decision on what we will do. Right now, people can do whatever they want, to call an emergency evacuation. ”
About IC Murrell
IC Murrell was promoted to editor of It Nijs, effective October 14, 2019. He has previously served as editor of sports since August 2015 and has won eight awards in the first place or shared from state newspaper associations and corporations. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Monticello.
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