(The Center Square) – Saving lives remains the top priority of thousands of emergency personnel on the ground responding to flood disasters as central and south Texas continue to receive record rainfall, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press briefing Thursday night.
“Once again life-threatening catastrophic flooding remains our main risk tonight and overnight through the early morning hours,” he said.
“There will be an ongoing risk of some tornadoes,” he added. Fifty-nine counties are in a flood watch and nearly as many in states of disaster.
Large areas of Texas are expected to receive heavy rainfall Thursday night, increasing devastating flood risks. They include the Permian Basin, the Concho Valley, the Edwards Plateau and the Trans Pecos area, he said.
Abbott also highlighted rainfall and river crest records being broken.
A new record will be set overnight in Uvalde, he said. In 1996, the Nueces River near Uvalde reached 24.88 feet. It’s currently “two times the flow of Niagara Falls,” he said.
The Frio River’s crest near Uvalde will be worse than it was in 2007, he said. The Pedernales River near Johnson City will top 21.9 feet, higher than its last peak crest in 2019.
The Guadalupe River in Comfort will top higher than last year and the 1978 flood, he said.
Residents in Comfort have already evacuated.
Increased flooding is expected in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley, he added. Cities listed as most at risk over the next 24 hours are Uvalde and Johnson City, he said.
More than 2,350 state emergency responders are deployed in flooding areas, including Texas task force teams with support from game wardens, Texas DPS troopers and out-of-state resources, Abbott said. More than 1,400 different types of vehicles have been deployed as well as swift water rescue boats, ambulance strike teams, Black Hawk helicopters and high-profile vehicles. More than 85 boats and 21 aircraft and more than 200 high profile vehicles have been deployed.
More than 230 rescues have been made, he said.
Much of the recent rainfall has occurred in the counties of Kinney, Uvalde, Bandera, Kerr and Gillespie. The Guadalupe, Nueces, Frio, Medina, Pecos, Rio Grande and San Antonio river basins are overflowing.
So far, there have been two reported deaths because of the flooding. One is a man who was swept away in an RV near Comfort. Another was a woman swept away while driving on a road in Uvalde, he said.
“We’re facing record shattering rainfall that leads to very dangerous flooding,” Abbott said. “We want to do everything we possibly can to protect lives. We are deploying the assets and resources necessary to assist local communities. Our local officials are doing an incredible job of responding to this. Individuals are taking responsibility for their own lives and avoiding things like driving into rushing waters,” he said.
“For the next 24 hours or so, everybody in Texas can save their own life by refraining from driving into high waters. Together, all of us Texans can be diligent over the next 24 hours to make sure we avoid rising water or head into water on roadways. If we can do that, we’ll make it through this episode with nobody else losing their life.”
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said, “This is a very dynamic and dangerous situation. We are not out of this scenario yet. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service tell us an additional 10 to 15 inches of rain is possible over already wet areas and new areas north and west of the Kerrville area.
Kidd said there are communities that are completely cut off from access to food and water and they are distributing a half a million cases of MREs (meals ready to eat) and one million bottles of water, he said. They will be delivered by using a high-profile vehicle or military aircraft, he said.
Texans are encouraged to stay up to date on severe weather safety information at TexasReady.gov, DriveTexas.org and tdem.texas.gov/prepare.
