Disastrous flash flooding has struck South Texas after days of torrential rain, leaving at least two people dead and hundreds rescued across the same region that suffered devastating flooding last July.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday afternoon that more than 230 rescues have been made so far, and more than 85 boats, 20 aircraft and more than 200 heavy vehicles have been deployed to support the response.
Abbott announced Thursday that one of the dead was a man who was swept away in an RV. John Mark Steward, 65, was taken to his caravan home in Kerrville and died, his wife told the San Antonio Express-News. CNN has not been able to confirm Steward’s death with authorities.
A 74-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, also died while driving near Uvalde, police said. The Uvalde Police Department said Thursday that Department of Public Safety officers found his car swaying in floodwaters about 4 miles north of the city around 10:30 a.m. local time and later pronounced him dead.
Parts of South Texas received about a year’s worth of rain this week, but forecasts are improving in the hardest-hit areas. Localized showers are still possible, but the threat of further heavy rain has largely been eliminated.
Today’s flash flooding threat will instead be focused further west, from San Angelo and Junction to El Paso, neither of which has seen much rain this week. A flash flood warning was in effect for the area Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency (highest alert) early Thursday for the Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt areas. These areas were among the worst affected by devastating floods a year ago, which killed at least 130 people, including 25 girls and two counselors.
Officials warned of a “large and deadly flood wave” moving down the Guadalupe River, which crested at 37.94 feet at Center Point Thursday morning, just below last year’s flood level. Comfort’s river gauge showed water levels rising 25 feet in an hour.
More than 80 people were evacuated from riverside campsites before flooding reached dangerous levels, the governor said.
A group of 42 relatives gathered for the family’s 40th annual reunion fled a riverside hotel Thursday morning, CNN affiliate KENS reported.
“I only took what I needed and what was readily available,” Amy Togmartin, who was traveling from Brooklyn, told KENS. “But the priority was to evacuate. I’m glad we did, because right after that, maybe 20 minutes later, people were coming back. The water could have risen another 10 feet.”
In the Hill Country, video showed water flooding roads and engulfing bridges as first responders pulled stranded residents from the flow and families surveyed the wreckage. One family told CNN that rising waters forced them to take shelter in the attic of their Kerrville home for hours until a rescue boat arrived. In Boerne, a herd of deer was captured on video being carried away by floodwaters.
The sheriff’s office says all children’s summer camps in Kerr County have been cleared for the safety of campers. Kerrville Police Chief Jerrell Haley said first responders removed about 50 homes in the flood-prone area.
Officials say a warning system built in Kerr County since last year’s devastating floods went into effect earlier in the day, before water levels began to rise, allowing people to respond quickly to flooding threats.
“The same situation that occurred last year occurred again this morning, but this time our towers stepped in to wake people up and keep them out of the way,” said Ian Cunningham, founder and CEO of River Sentry, a Texas-based company that has installed 105 flood warning towers along the Guadalupe River since last year. “You could argue that these are important in intervening and saving lives.”
Kerrville Police Chief Jerrell Haley said Thursday that the floods bring back painful memories for the community, as many residents are still grieving losses from last July’s floods.
“We’re still reeling from what happened a year ago,” Haley said. “For it to happen again so suddenly is literally very devastating for many of us.”
Some residents said the warning bought them time. Jake Lamb, 22, of Kerr County, told CNN that the area “hasn’t fully recovered” since last year, but the latest warning was persistent.
“Lots of phone alerts, lots of flash flood alerts. It’s just constant. I’ve gotten a fair amount of calls and text messages,” he said. “Last year was a great learning experience.”
At the Kerrville RV park where many people died after being trapped inside their cars last July, owner Lorena Guillen said everyone was safe in the recent flooding. Around 2 a.m. local time, sirens were heard along the river. Last year, she said, the warning didn’t come until it was too late.
Mr Abbott said last year’s disaster had significantly changed the state’s response to flooding. “What happened last year was a warning to people on and near rivers that no one should feel safe when it rains or rises,” he said. “Now, when the water starts coming down the sky and coming up out of the rivers, we get very aggressive.”
