Deadly Texas floods force rescues as rivers surge
Central Texas authorities rescued more than 40 people as torrential rain sent rivers over their banks and floodwaters across roads.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
Central Texas was hit by deadly flash flooding after days of torrential rain, with CBS News reporting at least two deaths and authorities pulling dozens of people from homes, cars and flooded roads.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that at least one person had died in flooding across the state. The severe weather has sent rivers over their banks, covered vehicles and forced urgent warnings in communities already soaked by more than a foot of rain since Monday.
Texas Game Wardens said more than 40 people have been rescued from homes, submerged vehicles and vehicles swept off roadways. In video posted by the agency, wardens could be seen moving through waist-deep water to reach a family, including a young child, as water rose around a home.
In Uvalde, police told residents near the Leona River to get to higher ground after the river overflowed. Officials warned of the threat of a 20-foot wall of water moving into the city.
Rivers rise fast across the Hill Country
The rain has fallen at rates as high as 3 inches an hour in some areas, according to CBS News, washing over roads and swallowing cars. People in the region told the network that the Medina River, usually ankle-deep, had risen sharply as creeks and springs fed into it.
Ryan Whaley of Boerne, speaking to CBS News beside floodwaters rushing down a street, said the water came up fast and that game wardens launched boats into the area as streets went under.
Boerne officials also sounded the alarm as flood conditions intensified. Chris Shadrock, the city’s director of communications and civic engagement, said in a social media video that officials were seeing flood conditions the city had not experienced since 2015.
A photo from the Associated Press showed members of the Boerne Fire Department rescuing a woman from floodwaters on July 15. In another area, high water carried a group of deer down a flooded creek, according to CBS News.
The region could receive half a year’s worth of rain in just a few days, CBS News reported, keeping the threat high across already saturated communities.
Storm system also brings tornado and high winds
The same storm system produced a tornado near San Antonio, according to CBS News. Power transformers sparked near a busy highway as the storm moved through.
Winds reached up to 100 mph, damaging businesses and tearing the roof from an apartment building, the report said.
Authorities continued rescue operations as floodwaters moved through Central Texas, with residents in threatened areas urged by local officials to move away from rising rivers and seek higher ground.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.