Texas flooding: 2 dead, evacuations and rescues continue

Uvalde Police Department said a 74-year-old man was found dead when a crew with the Department of Public Safety saw his vehicle bobbing in floodwaters. The man’s name was not released.

The second person was identified by his wife as John Mark Steward. Flooding from the Guadalupe River carried off Steward’s mobile home, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

His wife, Jennie Steward, was visiting her parents out of state when a neighbor called her to tell her that her husband was missing. The water had risen to the door of their mobile home, which was off the ground. The home was swept from the platform and floated down Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, The Associated Press reported.

The couple celebrated their third wedding anniversary, speaking on the phone on Wednesday.

“It’s really hard that I wasn’t there with him,” Jennie Steward said.

Gov. Gregg Abbott said as of Thursday afternoon, more than 230 rescues had been made and that more than 85 boats, 20 aircraft and 200 high-profile vehicles were deployed.

More rain is expected on Friday and the governor said that some rivers may reach historic levels, the AP reported.

Original report: Gov. Greg Abbott said that at least one person was killed in the flooding that has swamped the region, The Associated Press reported. He did not specify where the person was killed or when. He did say it happened “between the Kerrville and Comfort area,” according to CNN.

More than 20 river gauges in the state were expected to reach flood stage, with 100 more being monitored for flooding, The New York Times reported.

“We are dealing with and responding to a flood that is likely going to break records,” Abbott said. He issued disaster declarations for 59 counties.

More than 1,300 first responders were on scenes of flooding and more than 70 people had been saved, the governor said, according to the AP.

Many also sought higher ground before the water prevented them from doing so.

The flooding came after several days of rain, with the National Weather Service warning that a “large and deadly flood wave” was flowing down the Guadalupe River, the same waterway that flooded Camp Mystic. The camp remained shut this year, despite initial efforts to reopen for the season.

The Leona River backed up, filling the streets around Uvalde, cutting it off from outside access, the AP reported.

“People really can’t get anywhere,” Carmen Rodriguez said. “We have a place to go, but all the streets are closed.”

Crews had to use boats to reach people stranded in the city.