Flooding kills one, prompts rescues across central Texas

Torrential rain unleashed dangerous flash flooding across south-central Texas on Thursday, killing at least one person and forcing rescuers to pull dozens of people from homes, submerged vehicles and roadways as rivers rose with alarming speed.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference that one person died overnight during the flooding. “There has been one loss of life now, and that happened overnight,” Abbott said. “I am informed that the loss of life is not a camper.” He said more than 70 people had been rescued and added, “Our number one focus is saving lives.”

Texas Game Wardens said more than 40 people had been rescued from homes, submerged vehicles and vehicles swept off roads. Video showed wardens wading through waist-deep water to reach a family, including a young child, as water quickly rose around their home.

Flash flood emergencies were issued for parts of Kerr and Uvalde counties and areas around the Guadalupe and Pedernales rivers, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service’s San Antonio office warned residents in stark terms: “This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” The alert described “life threatening flash flooding of low water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.”

In Uvalde, police urged people living near the Leona River to move to higher ground after it overflowed, warning of the threat of a 20-foot wall of water rushing into the city. The Uvalde County Office of Emergency Management said on social media that “All major highways and many city streets are CLOSED due to flooding and water over the roadway.” The office told residents: “Please remain at home unless you are in immediate danger or your location is no longer safe.”

The rainfall has been intense and prolonged. More than a foot of rain has fallen since Monday in parts of the region, with some rain coming down as fast as 3 inches an hour. The Guardian reported that thunderstorms produced up to 20 inches of rain in the Uvalde area over 48 hours, while 3 to 12 inches fell across parts of Bandera, Kerr and Real counties. The Guadalupe River at Comfort rose more than 30 feet in a few hours overnight Thursday.

Residents described rapidly changing conditions. “It was bad,” Ryan Whaley of Boerne said while standing near floodwaters rushing down a street. “All this was under water, and that’s when the game wardens came in, they put their boats in, and they were going down the river, and all that stuff. It just rose really, really fast.”

People in the area told CBS News the Medina River is usually ankle-deep, but it has risen as rain-fed creeks and springs pour into it. In one area, high water carried a group of deer down a flooded creek.

“I don’t want to mince words about how serious this situation is,” Chris Shadrock, director of communications and civic engagement for Boerne, said in a video posted to social media. “We are seeing flood conditions that we have not seen since 2015.”

Drones and helicopters were flying over the region, Abbott said. Shelter-in-place orders were issued for residents in Kerrville and Uvalde, and a broader flood watch remained in effect until Thursday evening. Flash flood warnings also covered parts of Kinney, Maverick and Zavala counties and other areas near the Mexico border and in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio.

The same storm system also produced a tornado near San Antonio, where power transformers sparked near a busy highway. Winds reached up to 100 mph, damaging businesses and ripping the roof off an apartment building.