Two people are dead in Texas after being swept away in their vehicles by floodwaters, and state officials are warning that the worst may still be ahead. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday afternoon that the state is preparing for what he called “record-shattering” rainfall expected over the following 24 hours.
Emergency crews have already carried out 230 rescues across the affected areas, including a dramatic operation in which a man and his dog were lifted from a submerged truck using a helicopter and a rescue swimmer, according to Abbott.
The state has mobilized 2,350 emergency responders along with 1,400 pieces of equipment — among them Black Hawk helicopters and swiftwater rescue boats. Officials are determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s tragedy, when flooding in the same Texas Hill Country region killed at least 135 people, including 27 campers and counselors — most of them children — at a summer camp.
“We’re facing record-shattering rainfall that leads to very dangerous flooding. We want to do everything we possibly can to protect our lives,” Abbott told reporters following a briefing, standing alongside emergency response officials.
The National Weather Service reported that 10 to 20 inches of rain — roughly 25 to 50 centimeters — had already fallen across parts of the Hill Country over the previous two days. That region includes Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls located along the Guadalupe River, which was the site of last year’s deadly disaster.
Abbott identified the two victims as a man who was swept away while in his recreational vehicle and a woman whose vehicle was overtaken by rising floodwaters.
The governor urged residents to stay off the roads until the storms pass, which is expected sometime late Friday. Across the state, 125 roadway sections have been impacted, with 87 of them closed — including a bridge that was struck by a barge.
Uvalde and Johnson City were highlighted as areas of particular concern. The Nueces River near Uvalde was forecast to surpass its record crest set in 1996, while the Frio and Pedernales rivers were expected to reach some of their highest levels ever recorded.
