Another day of pounding rain across Texas has led to flash flood warnings and a scramble of evacuations as emergency responders rushed to rescue people from quickly rising waters.
In Boerne, north of San Antonio, the National Weather Service declared a flood emergency on Wednesday and said up to 12 inches of rain had fallen in the Hill Country city, with more on the way.
Chris Shadrock, Boerne’s communications director, said water had enveloped the city’s Main Street. High water rescues were taking place in the city, which has a population of 12,314.
“This is a life threatening weather event,” he said on the city’s social media page. “We are seeing flood conditions that we have not seen since 2015.”
The American Red Cross said on Wednesday that there had been dozens of water rescues in southern parts of Texas, where heavy rain had already inundated populated areas with up to 16 inches of rain. The precipitation was expected to last through Friday,
The Pecos, Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, Medina and San Antonio rivers could all flood, it said. The areas at greatest risk include all or parts of Medina, Frio, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Zavala, Val Verde, Edwards, Real and Bandera counties, it said.
“Of special concern are people who may be vacationing in the area who are not familiar with the flash flood threat,” the Red Cross said in a statement.
As rescuers were helping people in stalled vehicles, he said, there were several road closures. Boerne was under a flash flood warning through the afternoon as heavy rain, already measuring between 4 and 12 inches, continued to fall on Wednesday.
Mr. Shadrock said residents needed to be prepared to evacuate if they live along creeks and streams, including in the communities of Evergreen and other areas west of San Antonio, or be prepared to shelter in place. “If you are safe, please stay there,” he said.
In Bandera County on Wednesday, Judge Richard A. Evans signed an order for the recreational vehicle parks along the Medina River to evacuate immediately.
“We have several low water crossings and roads that are now closed,” Laurie Blanchard, a county spokeswoman, said in an email on Wednesday. “We expect the river to rise.” Preparations have been made to give residents shelter at the Silver Sage, a senior center. Ms. Blanchard was not able to provide numbers for how many people were affected by the order.
Heavy rain and flash flooding are not uncommon in Texas in mid-July. It was just over a year ago that a weekend of devastating flooding killed more than 130 people in Central Texas, including 25 young campers along the Guadalupe River in Hill Country.
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