By Daniel Trotta
July 16 (Reuters) – Torrential rains killed two people in Texas as floodwaters swept them away in their vehicles while the state braced for “record-shattering” rainfall over the next 24 hours, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday afternoon.
Emergency responders have conducted 230 rescues, including one of a man and his dog who were plucked from his truck using a helicopter and a rescue swimmer, Abbott said.
Texas has deployed 2,350 emergency responders and 1,400 pieces of equipment, including Black Hawk helicopters and swiftwater rescue boats, as officials seek to avoid the human toll of one year ago when floodwaters swept through the same Texas Hill Country region, killing at least 135 people including 27 campers and counselors, mostly 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, flanked by emergency response officials, told reporters after receiving a briefing.
The National Weather Service reported 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain had fallen across parts of the Hill Country over the previous two days. The region includes Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls on the Guadalupe River, the site of last year’s disaster.
Abbott identified the latest victims as a man swept away in his recreational vehicle and a woman whose vehicle was overtaken by floodwaters.
He urged people to stay off the roads until the storms subside, expected late on Friday. Some 125 roadway sections across the state have been affected, and 87 of those were closed including a bridge that was struck by a barge, he said.
Uvalde and Johnson City were among the areas of greatest concern.
The Nueces River near Uvalde was forecast to exceed its 1996 record crest, while the Frio and Pedernales rivers were expected to reach among their highest levels on record.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Chris Reese)
