Season’s First Hurricane Triggers Tornadoes; Two Die, Homes Lost

Hurricane Bonnie struck the Gulf Coast with 85 m.p.h. winds Thursday, killing two people and bringing heavy rain that generated tornadoes, destroyed homes and knocked out power to thousands.

But the first hurricane of the season weakened not long after it came ashore near the Texas-Louisiana border. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm later in the day and hurricane warnings that had been posted for a 270-mile strip of coast stretching into Louisiana were discontinued.

While not a major hurricane, the storm, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, still managed to terrify residents.

“I sure enough thought we weren’t going to live through it,” said Nancy Morrell, who huddled in her Port Arthur home with her 83-year-old sister because they couldn’t walk to a shelter. “It held us in fear. We were two scared old ladies.”

About 12,000 people in the two states boarded up their homes and fled inland Wednesday, and another 8,000 oil rig workers had been ferried ashore.

One man was killed when his pickup truck was caught in a squall and went out of control on a roadway in Vidor, northwest of Port Arthur, and a partially paralyzed woman died after being trapped inside her burning Port Arthur home by flames fanned by gusts from the hurricane, officials said.

At least a dozen people were injured.

The city of Port Arthur was without power until about noon Thursday, said police Sgt. Robert Williamson. Although the city showed evidence of the storm, with broken store windows, scattered tree limbs and debris-strewn streets, no major structural damage was reported, he said.

“We just weathered it all,” said Nancy Morrell. “We’ve been through so many.”

In nearby Beaumont, where several trees were toppled but damage was light, city officials asked the state for emergency financial assistance.

In southwestern Louisiana, the hurricane destroyed about 25 houses, trailers and fishing camp cabins. An early estimate put damage at about $400,000.