“Right now is not the time to return to your homes” — an urgent warning Sunday from Ken Bell, the emergency management coordinator for the city of San Marcos, Texas, where near-torrential rain turned streets into swift-running rivers and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
“We have infrastructure damage throughout the entire county (of Hays)” he said. “There are power lines down, debris in the roadways, bridges undermined — this is not the time to start moving.”
Over 1,000 homes have been damaged and at least 300 destroyed, estimated Bell. But, he stressed those are just initial estimates and he expects the numbers to increase.
Rainfall broke records and river banks in northern Texas and Oklahoma overnight. Early Sunday in the town of Claremore, near Tulsa a firefighter died attempting a high-water rescue, as emergency crews scrambled to pull residents from floodwaters.
With more rain falling, the torrents have already pushed Oklahoma City handily past a rain record, and rescuers have carried out at least 48 high-water rescues.
Water rescues underway
In Hays County, Texas, adjacent to Austin, hundreds of people were rescued or evacuated from their homes, according to sheriff’s office spokeswoman Lt. Jeri Skrocki.
Many of the rescues were along the Blanco River, she said. Hays County set up emergency shelters in two schools, a community center and a nursing home.
“We have people on car tops and rooftops awaiting rescue. People in homes are going to higher levels in the homes. Emergency workers are working around the clock trying to get to those people and get them out safely,” Wyatt said.
Authorities had to open more evacuation centers because the first one filled up so quickly.
“We had over 300 residents at the first location and the second location is getting filled up as well,” Wyatt said.
“These are just people who had no friends or relatives to go to, so there are many more residents than that evacuated,” she explained. National Guard troops arrived early Sunday to help with evacuations and flood control.
Emergency management officials are not just urging everyone to stay inside, they’re making it mandatory. Officials from Hays County and the cities of San Marcos and Wimberley issued a curfew from 9 p.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday because of the potential safety concerns posed by the flooding.
“Turn around, don’t drown” said Hays County Judge Bert Cobb, who’s presiding over the county’s emergency management operations. “If you go around a water barrier, there may not be anybody to come help you … so just don’t do that,” he pleaded. “If you think you can make it — think twice. ” he said.
Houston-area dam a concern
Nearly 200 miles northeast of Hays County, near Houston, an area of about 400 homes around Louis Creek Dam is under mandatory evacuation, according to Miranda Haas with the Montgomery County, Texas, Office of Emergency Management. The dam has not breached and workers continue to pack soil on it.
“Our construction efforts have been phenomenal, they have made tremendous progress, it’s just the weather is not letting up at all,” she said.
Another 2 to 3 inches of rain could soak the evacuation area and bring damaging winds through Sunday evening, according to the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service. And, there’s more to come. An additional 2 to 4 inches are possible Monday as rains continue.
Wichita Falls ‘historic flood’
Wichita Falls, Texas, was warned that its river could widely overflow its banks and severely flood broad swaths of surrounding areas, as well as large parts of the city. Officials published a potential flooding map with a red zone nearly the size of the city.
“Predictions from the National Weather Service indicate that significant flooding along the Wichita River is very likely,” the town’s emergency management agency said. “The National Weather Service is calling this an ‘historic’ flood event.”
The agency called for the voluntary evacuation of 2,177 homes.
“I really don’t want to leave my home. I don’t want to leave it,” said Olivia McKinney with tears in her eyes. “I’ll be glad when its over” she said.
Wichita Falls is having the rainiest May ever recorded there and “could set an all-time record for rainiest month ever recorded there,” said CNN’ weather producer Sean Morris.
Breaking banks
Broad, muddied flood waters gushed across fields, towns and roads in images from both states, turning land expanses into lakes, half burying cars and houses.
Blue and red emergency vehicle lights bounced off dark, watery surfaces, as rescuers worked through the night.
On the National Weather Service map, chartreuse squiggles signified overflowing rivers and creeks from southern Texas to northern Missouri. Much of the state of Oklahoma was covered in the bright green.
Motorists abandoned cars in streets and parking lots, as rising waters took them over. The weather service put out its usual flood mantra to drivers, “Turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flooded roads. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
The weather service also told campers and hikers to seek higher ground.
In addition to the worst-hit areas, flood watches and warnings reached from the Texas and western Louisiana Gulf coasts up through eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
In middle of drought
Despite the heavy rain, western Oklahoma and parts of the Texas Panhandle and central Texas are still facing moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The rainfall should put a dent in it, though.
But the current deluge might be a bit much.
“I didn’t hesitate telling people… there’s going to come a day when we’re gonna wish the rain would stop,” Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham told CNN affiliate KAUZ. “I think that day is probably here.”
In 2011, drought and wildfire brought heavy damage to Texas. The drought caused at least $5 billion in economic damage, and wildfire damage amounted to tens of millions of dollars, authorities said.
