Emergency Update: Floods Surge Across Texas

By Michah Griffin

Unprecedented storms continue to slam central and eastern Texas, with certain areas receiving up to 40 inches of rainfall over the last five days.

On Thursday morning, a new round of thunderstorms dropped three inches of rain per hour in already saturated parts of the State, causing flash floods and rivers to crest at record highs. The flooding has stranded cars, damaged over 1,400 homes, and claimed at least six lives, prompting the Governor to declare a State of Disaster in 31 counties.

The Brazos River, which runs for 850 miles through eastern Texas, reached its highest level ever recorded Wednesday. The swollen river forced more than 1,000 people from their homes in Fort Bend County in areas along the river.

Meteorologists expect the storms to continue through the week and into the weekend, impacting central regions of Texas before returning to the Houston area on Friday.

The region is still recovering from the devastation caused by April’s torrential downpour, which dropped almost a month’s worth of rain on Houston in a single day and claimed the lives of six people.

Direct Relief’s Response


Direct Relief has responded with shipments of essential medication to health facilities in the region and deliveries of disaster packs for rescuers involved with relief efforts.

Direct Relief will continue to respond to requests for support as the needs arise.

In the aftermath of such flooding emergencies, clinic and health centers often lack the resources needed to handle the influx of patients triggered by the emergency. Direct Relief’s supplies of critical medicines and supplies as well as its emergency reserves – items set aside specifically for disaster events – have been made available to medical professionals in the impacted region.

 

Further Reading

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster across 31 counties in the Lone Star State as a severe storm parked itself over the region, causing flash flooding. Heavy rain was falling at a rate of up to 3 inches per hour, said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.

Texas river expected to crest at record level as locals brace for more flooding

Residents of some rural south-east Texas counties braced for more flooding along a river that is expected to crest at a record level just two years after it had run dry in places because of drought.

6 Dead in Texas Floods, and More Rain Is Coming

At least six people have died in flooding from torrential rain across large areas of Texas, and emergency workers were searching for an 11-year-old boy who was swept away in a storm-swollen creek in Kansas, the authorities said on Monday.

Deadly Texas flooding continues

Flooding that left at least six people dead in Texas over the weekend continued on Tuesday, with one river forecast to crest at an all-time record high level. The Brazos River, which runs from New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico, should crest at 53.5 feet on Tuesday in Richmond, Texas, the National Weather Service said.

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