“Friday Bastrop County, Texas, issued a disaster declaration after about 100 homes were damaged by flooding,” The Weather Channel reported. “This is the fifth disaster declaration issued by Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape since Memorial Day weekend of last year.”
Bastrop has indeed had a terrible year for natural disasters, as Paul Pape confirmed.
“I’ve lived here 33 years and that’s the most disaster declarations we’ve ever had in a 12 month period.”
Watch an update on the deadly #Texas floods & rescue efforts w/ @AllisonChinchar AHEAD on https://t.co/BqO4SKhMza pic.twitter.com/8essrHW1uI
— CNNgo (@CNNgo) May 29, 2016
The rains and storms even felled numerous trees, according to Mark Moore of Conroe, Texas, who told Houston’s KTRK-TV about the incident.
“I heard a loud thud. Everything was calm and then it just, boom.”
Even though the rain has ceased for a while now, the deep waters have continued to pose safety threats — both for civilians and for vehicles.
“Although the rain stopped Friday night, the area remains clogged with floodwaters. Rescue boats helped people stranded in their homes and trapped in their cars.”
JUST IN: Ranchers battle to save cattle after pasture floods, near Chappell Hill, Texas. @KHOU pic.twitter.com/iCnr60FGkk
— Storm Surge (@KHOUSergioSoto) May 27, 2016
The rain in Brenham, Texas, set a new record on Thursday: 16.6 inches of rain in one day, according to ABC News . With the accelerated rainfall, deep water, strong currents and hydroplaning were likely all factors in the various reports of deaths and missing persons.
“The body of a man who was reported missing was found Saturday morning, said county judge John Brieden. The other victims in Washington County include a person found in a mobile home in Brenham and thought to have drowned, said police spokeswoman Angela Hahn,” CNN reported .
Officials report that at least 3 people are still missing, according to the Weather Channel. Police are still searching for two people who were swept away by flood waters.
One missing person has already become a known figure in nationwide news. Darren Mitchell, 21, posted a haunting photo on Facebook as his car was trapped in the flood waters.
“And all I wanted to do was go home.”
According to the Inquisitr , Darren called his mother and sister to tell them that he had made it safely out of his car.
“He just said he was alright and he made it out of the truck.”
His car was found overturned in water Friday morning. However, Mitchell is still missing.
Texas flood victim posted to Facebook as raging water overtook his truck | @smervosh https://t.co/r27gmx2fEA pic.twitter.com/8DPleDMZwu
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) May 28, 2016
Police have taken steps to prevent deaths and flood-related threats by enforcing evacuations.
“Swollen rivers and creeks throughout the state have prompted officials to ask for mandatory and voluntary evacuations of homes. Most of the 800 residents of Simonton were ordered to evacuate Saturday due to the rising levels of the Brazos River, the Associated Press reports. In the Houston-area Northwood Pines subdivision, families were asked to voluntarily evacuate their homes and apartments Saturday due to rising levels of a nearby creek.”
While the flooding was far reaching, many areas were able to successfully evacuate without any deaths, ABC said.
“In Bastrop County, near Austin, about 100 to 120 people evacuated voluntarily, officials said. No injuries or deaths were reported there, Bastrop County officials said. The severe weather extended beyond southeastern Texas, with much of the Plains and the South suffering from flash flooding.”
CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said that the likelihood of such a disaster happening is so rare that having it happen in a 2-month span is very unfortunate for Texas.
“Basically, it’s a 1-in-500 chance of it happening in any year. Happening twice in a single year is very bad luck.”
Of course, we cannot forget that Texas’ bad weather streak really began in May, 2015, when violent floods claimed the lives of 22 people , according to CNN .
Hopefully, Texas will have better luck in the future. Maybe the next year will hold fairer weather than the previous one.
[Photo by Eric Kayne/Getty Images]
