Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that the death toll from this month’s catastrophic flooding has climbed to three, with rescuers having carried out more than 500 operations as floodwaters continue to cut off access to some communities.
According to Abbott, one of the victims was a driver who was swept away Monday after attempting to navigate through flooded roadways.
The governor traveled to the city of Cotulla — located roughly 90 miles southwest of San Antonio — to conduct an aerial survey of the flood damage. He noted that portions of the city remain completely inaccessible due to the floodwaters. The Nueces River surged to a major flood stage of 29 feet, though it has since crested and is gradually receding.
Abbott warned that communities further downstream should brace for continued rising water levels through early August, with the Lake Corpus Christi reservoir among the areas of particular concern.
“Anyone living, working, commuting or just walking around areas downstream of the Nueces … needs to be aware of possible dangers,” the governor cautioned.
The flooding followed several days of heavy rainfall that battered Central Texas last week. While Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on Thursday, Abbott indicated that state officials had not received any new reports of flood-damaged homes or businesses tied to that storm.
Abbott has already declared a disaster across 59 counties and formally requested federal disaster assistance for 33 of those counties.
