At the very least two folks have died in Central Texas after torrential rain triggered harmful flash flooding throughout the area, Gov. Greg Abbott mentioned Thursday.
A person died close to Consolation, Texas, and a lady died in Uvalde, Abbott mentioned at a information convention. The governor urged folks to keep away from floodwaters, which he mentioned will proceed to rise, and to hunt excessive floor in the event that they encountered a harmful scenario.
Greater than 230 water rescues have already been accomplished, Abbott mentioned. Folks have been rescued from houses, submerged autos and autos that had been swept off roadways, in accordance with the Texas Recreation Wardens.
Texas Recreation Wardens had been seen in a video wading by way of waist-deep water to rescue a household, together with a younger baby, as water rapidly rose round their residence.
“Now we have helicopters flying over, we’ve drones flying over, we’re each sq. inch of your complete space for anyone who could also be stranded anyplace, and there can be assist coming very quickly to whoever could also be displaced wherever they’re,” Abbott mentioned.
Abbott mentioned Texas has deployed roughly 2,350 emergency responders, together with Texas Activity Pressure groups, sport wardens, troopers and out-of-state sources. Emergency belongings embody greater than 85 boats, 21 plane and greater than 200 high-water autos.
In Uvalde, police informed folks dwelling near the Leona River to maneuver to increased floor as a result of it overflowed and there was a menace of a 20-foot wall of water speeding into the town. Uvalde has obtained virtually 22 inches of rain as of Thursday, the Nationwide Climate Service mentioned.
Flooding inundates communities in Texas
Some elements of Texas have obtained over 2 ft of rain since Monday, a few of it coming down as quick as 3 inches an hour, washing over roads and overlaying vehicles.
“It was dangerous,” Ryan Whaley of Boerne, outdoors of San Antonio, mentioned whereas standing subsequent to floodwaters speeding down a road. “All this was underneath water, and that’s when the sport wardens got here in, they put their boats in, and so they had been taking place the river, and all that stuff. It simply rose actually, actually quick.”
Darren Abate/AP Photograph
Rescue staff pulled Robert Shelton and his household from their attic, the best level they may attain, as their residence in Kerrville, Texas, full of water.
“The water acquired as much as a foot of the attic,” Shelton informed “CBS Night Information.” “I used to be scared the home was going to interrupt aside.”
In Ingram, Texas, flood alarms had been put in after final yr’s lethal flash floods began blaring because the river reached civilians. River Sentry co-founder Joe Swann informed “CBS Night Information” the alarms have been in growth since final summer time.
“A pair folks got here up and met me on the entrance porch, and so they began thanking me,” Swann mentioned. “They’re just like the flood towers; they woke us up. They acquired us out of there.”
In July 2025, catastrophic flooding swept by way of Texas Hill Nation, killing 137 folks and leaving widespread destruction. The catastrophe stays the state’s second-deadliest flood on report, behind the 1921 Thrall flood, which claimed 215 lives.
Angie Nevarez informed “CBS Night Information” that firefighters pounded on her door in the course of the evening to wake her and evacuate her.
“It doesn’t look like there’s been as many deaths as there have been final yr,” Nevarez mentioned. “I feel we had been extra ready in a manner.”
Folks informed CBS Information the Medina River is often ankle-deep, however the river has risen amid the rainfall with creeks and comes feeding into it.
Joel Angel Juarez / AP
In a single space, excessive water carried a bunch of deer down a flooded creek.
“I don’t need to mince phrases about how severe this case is,” Chris Shadrock, director of communications and civic engagement for Boerne, mentioned in a video posted to social media. “We’re seeing flood situations that we’ve not seen since 2015.”
The area may find yourself with half a yr’s price of rain in simply days.
The identical storm system spun up a twister close to San Antonio, inflicting energy transformers to spark close to a busy freeway.
Highly effective winds reached as much as 100 mph, damaging companies and ripping the roof off an condo constructing.
