A major disaster declaration was issued for at least 28 counties Friday after historic rainfall caused major flood damage across South Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference in Uvalde.
In a 1,800-square mile stretch of the Hill Country — from Hondo through Uvalde, up toward Camp Wood and Utopia — anywhere between 15 and 27 inches of rain fell from July 13 to July 17, according to KSAT Weather Authority Meteorologist Sarah Spivey. That’s nearly 12 billion bathtubs of water.
Even though the worst of the rain is behind us, Abbott predicted the rivers will continue to rise for days.
“Because of the flow of water downstream, residents and leaders need to understand the rivers will still rise and still pose life-threatening danger to anybody near those rivers,” Abbott said.
Abbott listed the Sabinal, Frio and Leona rivers as bodies of water to avoid. He highly urged people near Uvalde County to stay away from the Nueces River.
“The one river that remains the greatest danger to this community is the Nueces River,” Abbott said.
Major disaster declaration
Major disaster declarations are written up by the state governor and sent to the president to ask for federal relief to assist the rebuilding process of an area affected by a natural disaster, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Abbott signed the declaration and said he will send it to President Donald Trump after Friday’s news conference concluded.
The declaration includes 28 counties who were among the “hardest hit by these devastating floodwaters,” Abbott said. Bexar County was listed in the declaration.
“More counties can and will be added as needed,” he said.
Abbott named Uvalde, Zavala, Dimmit, Real, Sutton and Crockett as counties that remain under the greatest threat for flood damage.
Last year’s declaration after the July 4 floods in the Hill Country was received and accepted by the president in a few days, according to Abbott. He predicted a similar timely response from Trump.
Flood response
First responders from the state and local counties rescued more than 500 people this week during the historic South Texas floods. Abbott said the rescue efforts continue even though rain has slowed down significantly.
Abbott linked last year’s devastating Hill Country flood to the successful evacuation and rescue efforts of residents in counties experiencing flooding.
“Because of everything that was learned and experienced in the flood last year, everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year,” Abbott said.
Two people have died as a result of the flooding this week.
A 74-year-old man was found dead Thursday in Uvalde after floods swept away his vehicle, the city’s police department said in a news release.
The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed John Mark Steward also died in Thursday’s floods. His body was recovered near Center Point after he was swept away in an RV.
On July 18, the Texas Game Wardens said they have made 153 rescues, 92 evacuations and 5 pet evacuations.
Uvalde County
In Uvalde County, more than 10 inches of rain fell Thursday on top of the showers over the last few days, according to the KSAT Weather Authority team.
The excessive rainfall caused the Farm-to-Market 481 Bridge above the Nueces River to collapse, DPS footage showed. A timeline for when the bridge will reopen is unclear, according to a Texas Department of Transportation official.
A dam in the northern part of the county “did not fail,” according to acting Uvalde County Judge Jerry Bates.
Bates cited the historic flood for the water breaching over the dam.
“We put eyes on that dam, and it did not fail, it worked just as designed,” Bates said. “The water came over the spillway in a way that it’s never done.”
The excessive showers caused all major highways and many streets to close in Uvalde.
U.S. Highway 90 in Uvalde was closed for all of Thursday and reopened at least one lane early Friday.
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