CNN
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Flooding is intensifying in Texas, with more rain expected over the weekend as strong storms and heavy rains wash away vehicles, damage homes and prompt evacuations.
Most of the rain will fall in West and Central Texas, but there is a good chance of rain returning to the greater Houston area on Sunday. The heaviest downpours in central Texas occurred upstream of the Houston floodwaters, where flooding could worsen in areas where 12 rivers have reached major flood stage.
This week's storm is just the latest in a series of brutal weather events to hit the state since early April. Dozens of tornadoes struck from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast, dumping softball-sized hail in some parts of the state, and months of heavy rain in East Texas left crippling river levels. It has risen to a level not seen since the disaster. Floods from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Some areas north of Houston received nearly two months' worth of rain on Thursday. The rain submerged roads and flooded rivers, prompting evacuations and water rescues.
Here's what's happening in South Texas on Friday night.
• san jacinto county, 60 miles north of Houston: Approximately 100 to 200 homes affected by flooding and mandatory evacuations in place. Emmitt Eldridge, the county's emergency management coordinator, told CNN that this event was “85% worse than Hurricane Harvey.” Eldridge said the additional rainfall “expects even higher water levels” due to the location downstream of Dallas along the Trinity River. “Everything they deal with, we deal with,” he added. At least 58 water rescues have been conducted in the county so far, Eldridge said. More rain is expected in the region next week.
• walker county, about 110 miles northwest of Houston: Officials are calling flooding there also historic. “This was historic flooding for Walker County. We had more flooding in this disaster than we did in Hurricane Harvey,” Sherry Pegoda, Walker County's deputy emergency management coordinator, told CNN. According to Pegoda, the two communities along the Trinity River are underwater and only accessible by high-water vehicles. “Nearly every road in Walker County was completely submerged Monday night into Tuesday,” Pegoda said. “Approximately 43 roads are still flooded, there are several major washouts, and several bridges are damaged.” At least 42 high water rescues have been conducted in the county since April 28. He added that he was
• Polk CountyAbout 130 miles northeast of Houston: About 700 homes are flooded, emergency management officials said, and warned that flood levels could continue to rise in the coming days with more rain. Polk County Judge Sidney Murphy told CNN that a total of 1,000 homes in the county are in mandatory evacuation zones. A flood warning remains in effect for the county on Friday. The judge said he was concerned about and closely monitoring the flooding in the northern part of the county as it could affect the area. “Continued rainfall and rising stream and river levels across East Texas could result in increased flood levels. Please continue to monitor changes in flood levels along the Trinity River and at all low-lying levels. If you want to evacuate, evacuate now!,” the Office of Emergency Management said in a recent Facebook post.
• harris countyIncludes the city of Houston and several northern suburbs. A mandatory evacuation has been in effect for residents on the east side of the East Branch of the San Jacinto River starting Thursday. The river is expected to reach major flood stage Thursday and crest Saturday morning just a few feet short of record levels during Harvey. “I want you to get out of this area…This is a life-threatening situation,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told the News. meeting. Hidalgo said the expected rise in water levels could affect high-rise structures and reach rooftops and power lines.
In the Harris County suburb of Crosby, a school bus driver stopped the bus after discovering a flooded road that had not yet been barricaded, and forced the middle and high school students on board the rear door, according to a statement from the school. It is said that he was forced to take the vehicle down. district. Another bus took the students to school, where they were provided with breakfast and dry clothes, the statement added.
• Liberty County, about 45 miles northeast of Houston: The Coast Guard removed a 12-hour-old baby girl from Cleveland, Texas, by helicopter Friday. The girl was found suffering from hypoxia at a Texas emergency hospital, which does not have a neonatal intensive care unit, according to a Coast Guard news release. Due to flooding, she could not be transported by ambulance on the ground. A helicopter took the girl and her mother to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where the baby was listed in stable condition, the report added.
Voluntary evacuations were also implemented in Montgomery County, just north of Harris County, due to flooding.
drone brothers
Flooding in Livingston, Texas.
More than a third of Texas counties are under disaster declarations after Gov. Greg Abbott expanded storm-related declarations in response to flooding, according to a news release. More counties could be added in the coming days, especially if more storms are expected.
Parts of East Texas have experienced three to seven times more rainfall than usual over the past three to four weeks. Frequent heavy rains have saturated the soil, making many areas highly susceptible to both flash flooding and river flooding. The final blow was delivered Thursday into Friday morning, with nearly a foot of rain falling in some places. The rain will continue into Friday evening, with an additional 1 to 2 inches possible.
The worst of the flooding was confined to southeast Texas, where at least a dozen rivers, including parts of the San Jacinto and Trinity rivers, were at the highest flood stage as of Friday morning. Severe flooding is predicted to occur in several more locations by the end of the week, potentially meeting or exceeding record levels set during Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey dumped 30 to 40 inches of rain across the metro in just 48 hours, causing widespread flooding disasters in Houston. While this week's ongoing flooding is notable, it is far less widespread and is occurring north of where the worst of Harvey's rain fell.
Torrential rain caused flooding in East Texas, and severe thunderstorms spawned tornadoes north and south of the Abilene area of West Texas. There were eight reports of tornadoes Thursday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
A “large and extremely dangerous” tornado affected the towns of Hodges and Hawley, about 16 miles north of Abilene, Thursday night.
Approximately 30 homes in Hawley were torn apart by the tornado's winds, leaving some homes completely exposed. A nearby car was also damaged by flying debris. Hawley Police Chief Brad Wilson told CNN there were “numerous” injuries, but no deaths as of Friday morning.
At least some school districts are allowing students to study and recover from home on Friday after Thursday night's devastating tornado.
“The Hawley area has been hit pretty hard and we have several families who have lost their homes,” the Hawley Independent School District said in a Facebook post.
KTXS
Homes damaged by storms Thursday between Hawley and Hodges, Texas.
Flood rainfall totals for Texas and Louisiana this week showed nearly 2 feet of rain fell over five days, according to the National Weather Service. Totals ranged from 23.56 inches in Groveton, Texas to 18.42 inches in Livingston, Texas.
CNN’s Alison Chinchar, Sara Tonks, Ray Sanchez, Andy Rose, Joe Sutton and Paradise Afshar contributed to this report.