At Least Two Killed as Flash Floods Sweep Through Houston
At least two people were killed after flash floods ripped through Houston following an estimated 10 inches of rain last night.
The death toll from the storm system that devastated parts of Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma on Monday now stands at 22, including 13 who were killed in a tornado in northern Mexico.
One victim, the Houston Chronicle reports, was found inside the cab of a flooded pickup this morning at about 5 am; another was reportedly discovered hours later, floating in a bayou. A third person was found dead last night outside of a parking garage, but it’s unclear if thatdeath was weather related.
Twelve people remain missing in Hays County, Texas. Of those twelve, eight were staying in a vacation home along the Blanco River. From the New York Times:
One of the homes held Jonathan McComb, 36, his wife and two children and two other families from Corpus Christi — nine in all, including at least three children. On Monday, Mr. McComb was in a San Antonio hospital with a collapsed lung and broken bones.
The other eight were missing, along with four others from the area, apparently lost in the torrent that capped weeks of rain and violent weather across Texas and Oklahoma.
Among those missing from the home are Laura McComb and her two children, Leighton and Andrew. According to KXAN, McComb was on the phone with her sister when the flood struck, sweeping the cabin away.
“We are floating in a house that is now floating down the river,” McComb reportedly said. “Call mom and dad. I love you, and pray.”
The Times also reports that that Houston public schools are closed today and the city’s rail and bus service are suspended, except for a few core routes that reopened last this morning.
