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Firefighter swept to his death as floods hit Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado Record rainfall causes flooding and chaos in Texas and Oklahoma
(about 4 hours later)
Up to 10in of rain fell over 24 hours in parts of Texas, prompting numerous evacuations and rescues overnight and into Sunday. In Oklahoma, a 20-year veteran firefighter died after being swept away in floodwaters. Record rainfall wreaked havoc across a swath of the US midwest on Sunday, causing flash floods in normally dry riverbeds, spawning tornadoes and forcing at least 2,000 people to flee.
The storm system that moved across central and north Texas and most of Oklahoma pushed north-east on Sunday, bringing a threat of flooding to some western Arkansas counties, which could see as much as 3in of rain. And the region was not out of the woods, with the National Weather Service (NWS) saying there would be more rainfall in the coming week. About 350 homes in the town of Wimberley were washed away by flash floods along the Blanco River, which rose 26ft in just one hour and left piles of wreckage 20ft high, Texas authorities said.
In north-east Oklahoma, Captain Jason Farley was helping rescue about 10 people trapped in duplexes at about 11.30pm on Saturday when he was swept into a drainage ditch, Claremore’s fire chief, Sean Douglas, said. The body of Farley, who had been a firefighter for 20 years, was recovered an hour and a half later. “We do have whole streets with maybe one or two houses left on them and the rest are just slabs,” Hays County emergency management coordinator Kharley Smith said, describing the town of Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, where several people were missing.
About 1,000 people were evacuated in central Texas communities, which saw dozens of high-water rescues overnight as the Blanco River and other waterways breached their banks. The river – which crested Sunday above 40ft, more than double the flood stage of 13ft – swamped sections of Interstate 35, forcing parts of the busy north-south highway to close. “It looks pretty bad out there,” she said.
Rescue personnel used pontoon boats and a helicopter to evacuate people overnight as floodwaters quickly surrounded their homes, said 62-year-old San Marcos resident Rudy Olivo. Water came to the top of the steps leading to his home. Other homes in his neighbourhood were flooded and many roads in the area were underwater. Tornados struck, severely damaging an apartment complex in Houston, Texas, and a firefighter in Oklahoma was swept to his death while trying to rescue 10 people in high water.
Olivo, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years, said he had never witnessed such severe storms. Rivers rose so fast that whole communities woke up on Sunday morning surrounded by water. The Blanco River crested above 40ft, more than double its flood stage of 13ft, swamping Interstate 35 and forcing parts of the busy north-south highway to close. Rescuers used pontoon boats and a helicopter to pull people out.
“This is the worst I’ve seen it because the water rose so fast,” he said. Dallas faced severe flooding, with the Trinity River expected to crest near 40ft on Monday and lap at the foundations of an industrial park. The Red and Wichita rivers also rose far above flood stage.
Five San Marcos police cars were washed away and a fire station was flooded, city spokeswoman Kristi Wyatt said. The city was imposing a curfew starting at 9pm on Sunday. “The water rose so fast,” said Rudy Olivo, 62, whose front steps in San Marcos were under water.
San Marcos is in Hays County, a fast-growing area between San Antonio and Austin. Some 1,000 homes were damaged in the county, Wyatt said. Hays County sheriff’s lieutenant Jeri Skrocki said a number of rescues were conducted in the community of Wimberley, about 40 miles south-west of Austin. No serious injuries were reported. This May is already the wettest on record for several cities in the southern plains states, with days still to go and more rain on the way.
Forecasts in the area called for the rain to continue on Sunday and be heavy at times on Monday, with continued threats of flash flooding. The widespread heavy rains are being caused by a prolonged warming of Pacific ocean sea surface temperatures that generally results in cooler air, coupled with an active southern jet stream and plentiful moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, said meteorologist Forrest Mitchell at National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman, Oklahoma.
Near Houston, high winds damaged rooftops, blew out windows, damaged at least 50 apartments and injured two people at an apartment complex. Two people who were injured were taken to hospitals, though the severity of their injuries was not immediately known, the Houston fire department said in a news release. So far this year, Oklahoma City has recorded 27.37in of rain. Last year at this time, only 4.29in had been recorded. Such sustained rainfall may end the prolonged drought that has gripped the region for years, since moisture now reaches about 2ft below the surface of the soil and many of Oklahoma’s lakes and reservoirs are full. But one month’s weather cannot predict future events, so Mitchell said it was still too early to tell for sure.
About 50 miles north of the city, authorities concerned that the dam on Lake Lewis could fail due to rain issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents. The NWS said another 2in to 3in could fall on Sunday, with up to 4in the forecast for Monday. Wichita Falls was so dry at one point that that it had to get Texas regulatory approval to recycle and treat its wastewater as drinking water dried up. By Sunday, the city reached a rainfall record, nearly 14in in May.
Oklahoma City set a new monthly rainfall total this weekend – 18.19in through Saturday, beating the previous one of 14.52in in 2013. The storm system was pushing northeast on Sunday after moving across parts of Colorado, central and North Texas and most of Oklahoma. New flash flood watches were issued for western Arkansas, Missouri and parts of Kansas.
Colorado also was waterlogged. A mandatory evacuation notice was issued on Sunday for residents in the north-eastern city of Sterling, and officials in El Paso and Pueblo counties said they intend to ask Governor John Hickenlooper for a disaster declaration. About 1,000 people were evacuated in Central Texas, where rescuers pulled dozens of people from high water overnight.
Tami Mallow, 41, gathered her three cats at a shelter in San Marcos while her husband put furniture on cinderblocks and retreated to the second floor with electronics and other valuables as the floodwaters entered.
“He told me there was 2in of mud,” Mallow said. “I don’t know what the clean-up process is going to be.”
Five San Marcos police cars were washed away and a fire station was flooded, said Kristi Wyatt, a spokeswoman for San Marcos, which imposed a curfew starting at 9pm on Sunday.
Wyatt said some 1,000 homes were damaged in San Marcos, Wimberly and elsewhere in Hays County, a fast-growing area between San Antonio and Austin.
A tornado briefly touched down in Houston, damaging rooftops, toppling trees, blowing out windows and sending at least two people to a hospital. The NWS said the tornado struck with winds of about 100mph at around 6.30am on Sunday. Fire officials said 10 apartments were heavily damaged and 40 others sustained lesser damage.
About 50 miles north of Houston, authorities were concerned that with Lake Lewis overflowing, its dam could fail. Some 900 residents downstream complied with a mandatory evacuation order, the Houston Chronicle reported.
In northeast Oklahoma, Captain Jason Farley was helping rescue people at about 11.30pm on Saturday when he was swept into a drainage ditch. The body of the 20-year veteran was recovered an hour and a half later, Claremore fire chief Sean Douglas said.
Oklahoma City set a new monthly rainfall total this weekend – 18.2in through Saturday, beating the previous mark of 14.5in in 2013.
Colorado also was waterlogged. A mandatory evacuation notice was issued Sunday for residents in the northeastern city of Sterling, and several counties planned to ask the governor for a disaster declaration.