Frantic searches were underway for people who were missing after heavy rain set off deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday, the authorities said.
The authorities in Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio, said that people had died in the flooding, but declined to say how many or disclose further details until the victims’ relatives could be notified.
The torrential downpour prompted evacuation orders and water rescues as the churning river burst from its banks, rising at an alarming rate from seven feet at midnight in Hunt, Texas, to over 29 feet at 4 a.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The police in Kerrville, Texas, said on social media that they were working with the Kerrville Fire Department to evacuate residents, noting that “many roads and streets are flooding in town.”
“The entire county is an extremely active scene,” the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Residents are encouraged to shelter in place and not attempt travel. Those near creeks, streams and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground.”
A Walmart store was being used as “a temporary reunification center” for people who had been displaced by the flooding, the Police Department said. The authorities urged people to stay out of flooded areas and to avoid driving through water. People were also advised not to call 911 for updates.
The flash flood warning covers a portion of west-central Texas, including Coke and Tom Green counties, and was expected to remain in effect until 3 p.m. local time, the National Weather Service said.
Up to 15 inches of rain have fallen in some areas, according to the Weather Service, which said that thunderstorms had brought heavy downpours across the area. The rain and flooding were expected to continue for several hours, the agency said.
“Numerous roads remain closed due to flooding,” the Weather Service said. “Low-water crossings are inundated with water and may not be passable.”
The Weather Service in San Angelo, Texas, said it had “received multiple reports of flooded roads and homes across Tom Green County.”
“These conditions are life-threatening,” the agency said, warning people stay off the roads if possible.
The Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement that San Angelo was “experiencing major flooding” in at least one area of the city and that emergency workers were “responding to water rescues, structure fires and numerous 911 calls.”
The mayor of Kerrville, Joe Herring Jr., issued a disaster declaration on Friday morning.
The city of Kerrville shared images on social media of the swollen Guadalupe River churning and swiftly moving under a bridge as traffic crawled across it cautiously. The city urged those who live close to the water to move to higher ground immediately.
The city’s Fourth of July celebration on the river was canceled because of the flooding, the city said.
The event, which bills itself as “Texas’ Largest Free Family Music Festival on 4th of July,” draws thousands of festivalgoers each year. In a statement posted on Instagram, festival organizers said offered the Arcardia Live theater as a shelter for anyone who needs one.
For those old enough to have lived through it, the flooding on Friday surfaced memories of a deadly flooding event along the Guadalupe River in July 1987. The river rose 29 feet on the morning of July 17, sweeping away a school bus and a van that were carrying teenagers from a church camp southwest of Comfort, Texas, about 15 miles southeast of Kerrville.
Ten of the teenagers drowned; 33 others, and four adults, were rescued. Some who survived held onto the upper branches of cypress and pecan trees, praying until helicopters arrived to carry them to safety, The New York Times reported in a front-page article. At the time it was the worst flooding of the Guadalupe River in 55 years, The Times reported.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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