| Washington Post | - |
Days of flash flooding and historic rainfall across central Texas and Oklahoma swept away hundreds of homes, killed at least three people and left a dozen adults and children missing, emergency officials said Monday.
Catastrophic flooding hits Texas and Oklahoma
Michael Williams uses a kayak to retrieve valuables from his mother’s house on Sunday in Lexington Okla. (Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman via AP)
Days of flash flooding and historic rainfall across central Texas and Oklahoma swept away hundreds of homes, killed at least three people and left a dozen adults and children missing, emergency officials said Monday.
Rescuers in helicopters and pontoon boats rushed to save stranded residents across the southern Plains states this weekend, as fast-rising waters overflowed rivers and roads during flooding that the National Weather Service called “catastrophic.”
More than 1,000 people were evacuated and three were said to have been killed among drenching storms, including a 14-year-old Texas boy who drowned in a flooded storm drain.
A longtime Oklahoma firefighter was swept down a storm drain and killed Saturday while helping trapped families out of duplexes in Claremore, a small town outside of Tulsa.
Twelve people, including three children younger than 10, were said to be missing Monday after two families took shelter at a house that was destroyed in the small town of Wimberley, Tex., where officials said more than 350 homes have been washed away.
The town, on the coast of the Blanco River between Austin and San Antonio, was one of the hardest hit in the weekend floods. The river swelled above a record-high 40 feet within three hours Sunday, overrunning the nearby Interstate 35.
Torrential rainfall hurt search efforts, washing away police cars and flooding a fire station in San Marcos, Tex.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department said it had rescued more than 70 people amid flash floods and overwhelming storms.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday added 24 counties — including Hays and Houston — to the 13 already declared states of disaster since earlier this month, allowing them to tap extra resources to aid with the crisis.
Officials instituted a curfew Monday for the second night in a row, warning residents to stay away from damaged areas.
Tornadoes and heavy winds Sunday battered buildings in parts of Texas, including a Houston apartment complex where two people were hurt.
Dallas faced severe floods from the Trinity River, which joined the Red and Wichita rivers in rising far above its flood level.
The floods have increased the wettest May on record for cities in several southern Plains states, and forecasts call for more days of rain.
Oklahoma City, which received 4 inches of rain last year, has recorded more than 27 inches so far this year.
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