Extreme Rain Continues to Plague Flooded Texas
Pastor Dale Morgan
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Jun 28, 11:06 PM EDT
*Extreme Rain Continues to Plague Flooded Texas*
By APRIL CASTRO
Associated Press Writer
MARBLE FALLS, Texas (AP) -- More rain fell Thursday in flood-weary parts
of Texas, where evacuations were under way and residents were bracing
for even more of the constant downpours that have killed 11 people in
recent days.
Officials reported calls for dozens of rescues in San Antonio, and
hundreds of people were being ordered to leave their homes near the
bloated Brazos River in North Texas.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, acting as governor while Gov. Rick Perry is out
of the country, surveyed damage Thursday in the lakeside community of
Marble Falls, which was drenched by as much as 18 inches of rain early
Wednesday. No one was killed, but there were 32 water rescues and
widespread damage.
"I haven't seen so much destruction since I was on the ground right
after Hurricane Rita," Dewhurst said. "What these folks need is just a
break in the rain and a chance to dry out."
In North Texas, rains continued falling west of Fort Worth, and
evacuations of about 300 homes were ordered in Parker County as the
Brazos River began creeping into some backyards.
Firefighters and National Guard troops went door to door notifying
residents of the mandatory evacuation, but some refused to leave, said
Lt. Jason Williams of the Parker County firefighters' search and rescue
team.
Among those holding out was Donna Thorpe, who said she and her family
had been watching the water rise for more than 24 hours and marking it
with a measuring stick.
"Every two hours we'd get up and go down and measure," Thorpe said.
"Every two hours you get up and go down. You really don't sleep. You're
so nervous about it, how quick it can come up."
Overnight rainfall in Central Texas was far short of the 10 inches that
were forecast, but more was expected Thursday, and flash flood warnings
were in effect. Storm systems near Austin and San Antonio were expected
to dump as much as 10 inches Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
In Oklahoma, where all 77 counties are under a state of emergency, 46
homes in Pottawatomie County have sustained major damage, officials
said. Three water rescues were necessary Thursday in Kingfisher County
in central Oklahoma.
Marble Falls, about 40 miles northwest of Austin, took the brunt of the
deluge Tuesday and Wednesday, with numerous people stuck on rooftops, in
trees and on houses. The city was spared rain overnight, but a light
drizzle fell on and off throughout the day Thursday.
The focus shifted to cleanup even as drizzle continued to fall. Piles of
rubble and debris littered street corners, and streets were covered in a
layer of mud and tree limbs throughout town.
"We're through the crisis point, and now we're at the point it's time to
roll up our sleeves and get dirty," Mayor Raymond Whitman said.
As many as 150 homes and businesses were damaged, city spokeswoman
Christine Laine said.
In Georgetown, north of Austin, three homes containing 10 people were
evacuated Thursday morning because of flooding on a branch of the San
Gabriel River, said Keith Hutchinson, city spokesman. No injuries were
reported.
Authorities also closed several impassable roads in surrounding
Williamson County. Some cars stalled in the high water, but the
occupants were able to escape without the help of rescue workers, county
spokeswoman Connie Watson said.
In San Antonio, 47 streets were closed and there were 39 calls for
high-water rescues, although it's unclear how many people were rescued,
said Sandy Gutierrez, a spokeswoman for the city Emergency Operations
Center.
The heaviest rainfall in the region Thursday was in San Antonio's Bexar
County and Comal County, where 3 to 5 inches had fallen since 7 a.m.,
said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Lenz.
Whitman said some looting had been reported in flood-damaged areas of
Marble Falls on Wednesday. Extra police officers were on duty overnight,
and no more looting had been reported by Thursday morning, a city
spokeswoman said.
Most residents of the town of 7,200 remained without running water after
flash floods damaged the city's water plant. Bottled water brought in by
state emergency workers was available. State environmental officials
were assessing damage to the plant, Dewhurst said.
The Texas National Guard dispatched troops and vehicles to Central
Texas, as well as other areas hit by storms from the Oklahoma border to
the Rio Grande Valley. About 150 troops and 50 vehicles were mobilized.
It's the wettest year on record in Austin, with more than 30 inches of
rain since January, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco and Wichita Falls have
received near-record amounts. The rainfall has more than compensated for
a drought that gripped much of Texas in 2005-06, Lenz said.
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Associated Press writers Rich Matthews in Granbury, Elizabeth White in
New Braunfels and Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth contributed to this report.