Evacuation orders in Orange County lifted - recovery starts

ORANGE, Texas (AP) — Evacuation orders for parts of Orange County in Southeast Texas because of flooding have been lifted.

Officials said the evacuations orders were lifted Sunday afternoon in Orange County and the city of Orange.

County emergency management office spokeswoman Lori Ardoin says about 9,100 people lived in rain-flooded areas where the evacuations were voluntary starting March 12, then made mandatory two days later. It's uncertain how many people actually left.

No injuries or fatalities were reported in the county but about 200 people were rescued during flooding. She says authorities also rescued 22 dogs, one cat and two horses.

On Saturday, President Barack Obama declared Orange and neighboring Newton and Jasper counties as a major disaster area.