 As Felice neared the coast , gale warnings were in effect from Morgan City , Louisiana , to Galveston , while a hurricane watch extended from Morgan City to Port O 'Connor , Texas . Small craft advisories were also posted , cautioning light vessels to remain in port . All coastal advisories were discontinued by the early hours of September 16 . Residents in the path of the storm generally evacuated in a timely manner . Over 3 @,@ 000 fled the storm in Cameron Parish , Louisiana ; around half of the residents in the low @-@ lying southern part of the parish had already left before the mandatory evacuation was ordered . Farther west , one of two evacuation routes out of Sabine Pass , Texas had been rendered unusable a few days before the storm when a bridge was damaged in a maritime accident . As the remaining highway was considered susceptible to coastal flooding , officials quickly worked to evacuate 1 @,@ 300 people in Sabine Pass before the storm 's approach . The American Red Cross converted nine public schools into temporary storm shelters in and around Beaumont . Shelters were also set up in Houston and Baton Rouge , Louisiana , though they generally went unused . The post offices in Sabine Pass , Gilchrist , and Port Bolivar transferred money orders , first @-@ class parcels and postage stamps to the Beaumont office as a safety precaution . 
