Damage extensive in Texas flooding

BEAUMONT, Texas — The widespread damage in the Houston area from one of the wettest tropical cyclones in U.S. history came into broader view Saturday, as floodwaters receded to reveal the extent of the cleanup that lies ahead for many communities and homeowners.

Hundreds of homes and other buildings in the region, extending eastward from Houston and across the Louisiana border, were damaged by Imelda, as the one-time tropical storm slowly churned across the region, dumping more than 40 inches of rain in some spots and being blamed for at least five deaths.

Officials in Harris County, which is home to Houston, were trying to determine if millions of dollars in uninsured losses were enough to trigger a federal disaster declaration, Francisco Sanchez, a spokesman for the county’s Office of Emergency Management, said Saturday.

Authorities raised the storm’s death toll to five, saying it is believed to have killed a 52-year-old Florida man who was found dead Thursday in his pickup along Interstate 10 near Beaumont, which is near Texas’ border with Louisiana. Jefferson County spokeswoman Allison Getz said that although floodwater seeped into Mark Dukaj’s truck, investigators don’t think he drowned, though they do believe his death is storm-related.

Several schools in the Beaumont area were damaged by floodwater and two are closed indefinitely as officials evaluate the extent of the damage, the Beaumont Enterprise reported.