least three dead.
More heavy rain with potential for additional flooding was forecast.
The raging waters destroyed hundreds of homes and sent cars floating down streets, rolling and bobbing like giant toys.
In
the Texas city of San Marcos, residents were ordered to evacuate their
homes as flood waters rose menacingly around them, following torrential
rain that turned streets into meandering rivers.
Cars and trucks were submerged and people used inflatable lounge chairs to float down the street, in surreal scenes.
As
many as 400 homes in the surrounding area were destroyed, authorities
said, and San Marcos opened temporary shelters to host residents who
could not return home.
In
Texas at least 12 people are reported missing, said Kharley Smith,
emergency response coordinator for Hays County, which includes San
Marcos.
She said people were
forming their own search parties along the Blanco River, and warned them
against this, saying it was dangerous.
"We
have local resources, regional and state assets that are actively doing
search and rescues. It's not safe for the general public to go down and
do those rescue or search operations themselves," Smith told a news
conference.
The city council said the river had broken record levels set in the 1920s.
Fire Marshal Ken Bell told CNN that at least one person was confirmed dead and crews were searching for three missing people.
At least two people also died in Oklahoma, which is located to the north of Texas.
A
firefighter in the town of Claremore died when he was swept into a
storm drain while trying to help a resident in floodwaters, CNN said,
and a woman in Tulsa died after her car hydroplaned.
The
National Weather Service warned that strong to severe thunderstorms
were expected across a large stretch of the central and southern plains
toward the Mississippi River Valley.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment