9 storm related deaths have been reported as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday.  Missing person’s reports initiated searches and accounted for 2 of the deaths.  4 were elderly and possible power outage related.  If you have a friend or family member that did not leave areas that were impacted by the rising waters and you have not heard from them, we urge you to contact your local law enforcement.

Local law enforcement agencies, along with Texas Task Force, National Guard, and active duty Military troops began grid assessments today.  The assessments will be ongoing to determine evacuation needs, conduct welfare checks, and evaluate infrastructure damage.

Assessments were conducted in the Pinehurst area on Sunday with troops going street by street.  Several roads were still holding water and a down power line was reported.  We anticipate responders to be in the Pine Forest area tomorrow and want to remind the citizens that they will be easily identified by clearly marked vehicles and uniforms.

As rescue efforts begin to wind down, reports show 4,970 people were evacuated from Orange County to Lake Charles. The large majority of those were from the 2 sites designated as staging areas.  This number does not reflect the number of people that were brought in within the first few hours of the storm or by the many that so selflessly volunteered across the county.

The Mobile Medical Unit has continued to serve Orange County citizens well, as the total patients seen has risen to 153.

Volunteer groups have been such a huge blessing to our community and have served over 9000 hot meals at the POD sites as of yesterday.

To date, over 500 animals have been rescued to include cats, dogs, horses, 9 longhorn cattle, 2 parrots, and 2 chinchillas.