PORT ARTHUR, Texas, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Rita -- a hurricane at the time -- came ashore Saturday near Port Arthur, giving its worst to the Gulf Coast on the Texas-Louisiana border.
Much of Port Arthur was underwater, and wind-driven water also inundated parts of Lake Charles, La.
Few people remained in Port Arthur, with officials estimating 90 to 95 percent of the population evacuated before Rita hit.
Johnny and Barbara Harrison decided to stay.
"It shook me up bad," Johnny Harrison told the Austin American-Statesman. "It wasn't fun. You could hear the wind and feel the vibration. I would advise people not to get caught up in something like that."
In Shreveport, La., one resident called National Public Radio, reporting that 47 oak trees had been toppled in the city's historic district.
As gale force winds continued to whip the city, area residents lined up for more than two hours Saturday morning to get sand bags. Homeowners were allowed 25 sandbags and businesses 50, the Shreveport Times reported.
Lake Charles, La., was hit hard by high wind, NPR said. Two floating casinos became unmoored and scores of trees were downed.
