Texas interstate clogged with traffic amid Hurricane Delta evacuations

BEAUMONT, Texas - Roads in Texas were jammed with traffic as evacuation orders were issued in Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Delta on Thursday, October 8, local media reported.

Delta is back into the Gulf of Mexico after making landfall over Mexico on Wednesday, which allowed it to weaken while it was over land.  But now that it's back over the warm waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Delta is once again gaining strength as it nears the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Evacuation orders were issued for several Louisiana parishes, including all residents in Beauregard and Calcasieu parishes, reports said. Calcasieu Parish is home to Lake Charles, a city still recovering from the damage left by Hurricane Laura in late August.

David Galloway said he filmed this video of traffic along Interstate 10 near Beaumont, Texas, as he drove back to Lake Charles. “Everyone is leaving. The weather isn’t giving this community a break. First, Hurricane Laura and now Delta,” Galloway said.

The National Hurricane Center forecast storm Delta to bring “hurricane conditions and life-threatening storm surge” to parts of the northern Gulf Coast on Friday.

Storyful contributed to this article