May 26, 2015

Texas is drowning. So is Oklahoma. And the rainstorms continue.

CNN:

Record-setting rains left officials in Texas and Oklahoma scrambling to assess the scope of the damage and destruction Monday as an emergency coordinator told reporters that a dozen people were missing in one county.

The 12 people missing in Hays County, Texas, come from families who had gathered for the long weekend, said Ken Bell, emergency coordinator for San Marcos, one of the cities hardest hit by the storms and flooding.

The group likely includes children, Bell said. The county still has Internet problems, and cell phone networks are overwhelmed.

"People outside our community know more about what's going on than people inside our community," Bell said.

The severe weather has left at least four people dead, including one in Texas and three in Oklahoma, and washed away hundreds of homes. The storms are easing up, but it doesn't mean the threat is gone.

The torrents that those storms dumped are still too much for river and creek banks to contain, and runoff was peaking early Monday, threatening continued flooding, the National Weather Service warned.

And rain relief is not coming to everyone.

A flash flood emergency was issued Monday for several areas in south-central Texas, including the city of Austin and Hays County. Thunderstorms were moving over the area and an additional rainfall of 3-6 inches was expected, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters warned that with the ground already saturated, even a small amount of new rain could have devastating consequences.

"Only an inch or two of rainfall could quickly lead to more flash flooding concerns," the weather service said.

The destruction and threat of more inclement weather prompted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to add 24 counties to the 13 already under an emergency disaster declaration, allowing the state to use all the resources "reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster."

Forecasts call for thunderstorms, hail, high winds, flash flooding, river flooding and tornadoes this week, the governor's statement said.

As tempting as it might be to point the finger and tell Texans they're about to reap what they sowed, I just can't. Too many people have been killed or are missing, and too much water is flowing through that state to do anything other than wish them all well.

Here's an update from the Weather Channel:

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