Live updates for June 8: Crews assessing damage to MS Coast as Cristobal moves north
4 p.m.
Mississippi Department of Transportation reports flooding on Mississippi 57 at Quave Road in Jackson County, north of I-10. Both lanes are affected.
2:45 p.m.
MEMA Executive Director Greg Michel said people in Mississippi often take tropical storms for granted. Cristobal was a mid-grade tropical storm, he said, and caused flooding and other issues on the Coast. “It is still expected to be an active season,” he said.
Michel said Ingalls Shipbuilding made it possible for the state’s hurricane guide to be translated into Vietnamese this year.
2:20 p.m.
Traffic is moving again in Hancock County after the crossing arms on the bridge on U.S. 90 at Mississippi 604 were stuck in the down position on the Louisiana side. Lanes were blocked in both directions.
11:30 a.m.
The usual signs of a tropical storm are seen across South Mississippi, such as a billboard blown out on I-110, sections of the fence blown down at Beauvoir in Biloxi and crews clearing sand off small sections of U.S. 90.
Winds gusts made it difficult to open the front door of the Biloxi Visitors Center, where from the porch people could see the far section of the T-shaped bridge was torn away Sunday by the waves, making it more of an l-shape.
Lone walkers and families braved the winds to collect driftwood scattered among the debris washed up on the beaches. Heavy downpours sent them running back to their cars.
Businesses were reopening, although the early crowd was slim at the stores and restaurants and The Reef on Restaurant Road in Biloxi posted a 4 p.m. opening because of the storm.
The busiest place was the Mississippi Drivers License center on Mississippi 57, where the parking lot was packed with vehicles the first day the centers are open since the coronavirus shutdown and a long line of people huddled under umbrellas.
9:30 a.m.
Harrison County has set up a portal for residents who have property damage from Cristobal, according to a news release.
The board of supervisors has also declared a local proclamation in response to the storm. This will grant the county access to federal and state resources should they become available.
9:15 a.m.
Pascagoula Police Department reporting “standing water, traffic lights out, down power lines, & debris in the road.” on their Twitter page. They’re asking residents to stay off of the roads if possible.
7 a.m.
Rain and gusty winds continued through Sunday night and into Monday morning as Cristobal was downgraded to a tropical depression and moved north.
A coastal flooding advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“Conditions will slowly improve along the Gulf Coast through Tuesday. Meanwhile, a heavy rain flood threat is still a concern,” the National Weather Service tweeted Monday morning.
Crews were out across South Mississippi assessing the damage at first light Monday.
Sporadic power outages were reported throughout the night, said Rupert Lacy, Harrison County Emergency Management Director.
Singing River Electric had about 400 customers without power at 7:15 a.m. Monday. Coast Electric had power restored to all but 7 customers, and Mississippi Power was reporting 45 outages in the state and 192 customers without power.
Crews from local public works and road departments were checking for downed trees while winds were still very gusty.
“The sand beach took the brunt of this,” Lacy said, and crews were doing an assessment of the damage and planning the cleanup. A portion of the Biloxi Lighthouse pier was destroyed by the waves on Sunday.
Storm surge that was expected to be 3-to-5 feet, got up to 5.5 feet or more in Bay St. Louis and Waveland.
“We still have some streets flooded but it seems to be receding,” Brian Adam, emergency management director for Hancock County, said at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Beach Boulevard is clear except for some water near Silver Slipper Casino, he said, but is passable.
Streets are still flooded in Bay St. Louis and Waveland, he said, along with Pearlington, but the major roads are open there. Heron Bay is still flooded, he said.
High tide will be around noon for South Mississippi and Lacy said it’s not going to be as high as Sunday.
The radar imagery is reporting less than what fell on the Coast, he said. Lacy said reports from Ham radio operators were from 3 inches to more than 6 inches.
“Overall we went through this in pretty good shape,” said Earl Etheridge, public safety director for Jackson County.
At one time Sunday 70 to 75 roads were under water, he said. That was down to a couple dozen by Monday morning, he said.
The U.S. 90 ramp to Mississippi 619 Jerry St. Pe Highway in Jackson County was one of the roads flooded Monday morning.
Bands of thunderstorms with 40 mph wind gusts are possible Monday, he said
Rivers in South Mississippi are flooded and Cedar Lake Bridge in Biloxi remained closed Monday as water continues to rise and cover the road and bridge.
Another 1-2 inches of rain is possible Monday and there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 8 p.m and 10 p.m. Conditions will be cloudy, with a low around 76 and a south wind of 10 to 15 mph. Tuesday will be partly sunny with diminishing winds and a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Continued rainfall could lead to more river flooding throughout the week.
Lacy said he talked to the Hurricane Center director Sunday, who mentioned how the winds and rain will continue as Cristobal goes north.
“It’s leaving a trail,” he said.
Highlights from Sunday
Live updates from Sunday: Cristobal made landfall around 5 p.m. near Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Storm surge and rainfall: Continued rainfall could make for life threatening flooding, elevated storm surge, river flooding throughout the week.
Scenes from the Coast: Flooding, damage from across the Coast, from Bay St. Louis to Biloxi.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Live updates for June 8: Crews assessing damage to MS Coast as Cristobal moves north."
