A NEW weather emergency is unfolding in Texas as more heavy rain pounds the already soaked Hill Country.
The bad weather has come just days after deadly flash floods killed at least 132 people in the area.
Officials are now scrambling to respond to life-threatening flash flooding across multiple counties as the ground remains saturated and rivers rise fast.
The National Weather Service in San Antonio warned of a “dangerous situation” on Monday morning across northern Uvalde, eastern Real, western Bandera and southwest Kerr Counties.
Between 2 and nearly 5 inches of rain had already fallen in the area by 4:37 am, with more storms barreling through.
“More heavy rain is on the way. Flooding is already happening,” the NWS said in an urgent alert.
It’s the second severe weather threat to hit Central Texas in less than two weeks after flash floods killed more than 130 people on July 4.
Kerr County was the hardest hit, with at least 106 deaths reported, many of them children staying at a riverside summer camp called Camp Mystic.
Camp Mystic, a historic girls-only Christian camp, sits near the Guadalupe River, which surged more than 20 feet overnight and swept away cabins and vehicles.
Authorities say 27 campers and counselors were lost at the camp alone.
The July 4 disaster unfolded in the early morning hours, when the Guadalupe River suddenly swelled in an area known as Flash Flood Alley.
Many residents were caught off guard, with questions now being raised over whether enough warning was given.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice admitted he wasn’t sure he even received the National Weather Service alert that was sent out around 1 am.
Search efforts for flood victims have been underway ever since, but were temporarily halted on Sunday due to more storms.
Authorities said rescue operations resumed in parts of western Kerr County later Sunday afternoon.
Kerrville police confirmed that ground searches were paused again before 8 am Sunday due to “flood danger.”
The NWS reissued a flood warning for the Guadalupe River at Hunt, where the water rose more than 20 feet in under an hour during the last disaster.
That warning remains in effect until after 9 pm Monday, as roads and bridges remain underwater.
Search crews have relied on boats, helicopters, drones, and dogs as they comb the debris-choked area for missing people.
Officials believe as many as 160 people could still be unaccounted for in Kerr County alone, with another 10 missing in neighboring regions.
Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday that rescue teams had also been dispatched to San Saba, Lampasas, and Schleicher Counties.
“Dozens” were rescued from Lampasas as floodwaters began to rise fast, he said.
The Lampasas River surged 30 feet in just five hours over the weekend, as back-to-back storms dumped 6 to 10 inches of rain across the region.
In Kerrville, another flood watch was issued through 9 pm on Monday as the slow-moving thunderstorms continued to soak the area.
Kerr County had issued a code red alert later on Saturday as water levels began rising once again.
At 6:30 am Monday, the Guadalupe River at Hunt was at 8.45 feet, and expected to swell to nearly 15 feet by mid-morning.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14708931/texas-weather-warning-new-dangerous-situation-floods/
