Southern Tier Section 5 - Sabine River Flooding Around Merryville LA - March2016

[roblee]

There is flooding at present along the Sabine River right along the Louisiana/Texas border.
Trying to leave Merryville headed West yesterday along US 190 - this route was closed. State Highway 12 West of DeQuincy was also closed.
I understand the situation is expected to get worse rather than better over the next couple of days.

Yesterday I did manage to cross into Texas, but by taking I-10 into Orange County. I understand bicycles are not permitted on Interstates in Louisiana but I did not have a problem on this occasion.

I would suggest avoiding the Merryville area in the coming days as flood rescues and evacuations are taking place at present. The flooding seems to have emanated from a dam upstream so even though the heavy rain has been and gone, there is a delayed impact on this occasion.

[jrobertson]

Hello - We just got a call from a generous person in DeRidder (Map 73, just east of Merryville) who has a room for cyclists to stay who are being impacted by the flooding to the west. Her name is Mandie and can be reached at 803-565-3037. She is just off of highway 190 in DeRidder at 204 Honey Suckle St. It is unclear how long highway 190 will be closed, but Mandie thought it could be for 2-3 months.

[askelton]

Hey All -- Mandy here. Thanks Jamie for you help!

The police are saying at minimum a couple of weeks but could take a couple of months. There's a strict curfew in Merryville. If you're on the streets at 6:01pm, you WILL go to jail.

A team of three stayed with me this weekend and, unfortunately, had to choose a UHaul to Houston and from there try to get back on the map. If there are any other routes known, please share. The DOT website for Louisiana can be seen here: http://hb.511la.org/.

Currently, traffic is being diverted from hwy 190 to hwy 27 (in DeRidder, leading to DeQuincy). However, from hwy 27, I'm unsure how they are directing motorist back up towards Merryville since hwy 12 appears closed as well per the DOT website and the OP.

[askelton]

i-10 at the LA/TX state line is now closed. Looks like the next best route would be over the Toledo Bend Dam (which just seems scary to me with all the water rushing through it) or further north towards Shreveport.

[askelton]

Hwy 190 has re-opened. The police originally said weeks if not a couple of months, so I imagine this is subject to change.

I10 is still closed. Not a safe route for cyclists anyhow -- but this means MUCH heavier traffic in DeRidder/Merryville, LA and Newton TX on HWY 190.