Rescuers pulled stranded drivers and residents from rising waters on Thursday as catastrophic flooding again swept the Texas Hill Country, according to state and local officials.
Gov. Greg Abbott said at least two people have died and more than 2,000 responders have carried out over 200 rescues.
"Our number one focus is saving lives," Abbott said.
The National Weather Service warned of a "large and deadly flood wave" racing down the Guadalupe River, which rose more than 30 feet in hours near Kerrville, according to the weather service. The same river was the site of last summer's Camp Mystic disaster that killed two dozen children and staff.
"It's crazy happening two times in one year," said Kerrville resident Josiah Rodriguez, who helped rescue relatives. "This year, a lot more alerts have gone into place, a lot more safety measures."
Residents Urged to Move to Higher Ground
The weather service issued urgent calls for residents to "move to higher ground now!" as rivers climbed hour by hour. Several tornado warnings were also issued across the affected area. Gauges along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville showed a rise of 32 feet in just four hours. Near Camp Mystic—which remains closed—the river reached approximately 20.5 feet near Hunt, just under the level at which structures and roads are expected to flood, according to a U.S. Geological Survey gauge.The flooding followed two days of intense rainfall, with the weather service reporting 10 to 20 inches of precipitation across the region and as much as 8 inches falling in just two hours early Thursday. The governor issued disaster declarations for dozens of counties, and as of late Wednesday, roughly six million residents across 57 counties were under a National Weather Service flood watch.
The city of Uvalde was isolated overnight as floodwaters overran the community, cutting off most outside routes. The Leona River, typically dry for much of the year, filled neighborhood streets.
"People really can't get anywhere," said Carmen Rodriguez, a Uvalde resident who watched water encircle her neighborhood on Thursday morning. "We have a place to go, but all the streets are closed."
Uvalde police had ordered mandatory evacuations by Wednesday, with officers directly notifying residents, according to police spokesperson Juli Alvarado. Rescue boats were deployed overnight and found several people trapped inside vehicles, she said.
"There's no way into the city at this point," Alvarado said.
Texas Game Wardens rescued more than 150 people and evacuated approximately a dozen others by the afternoon, primarily in Uvalde County, according to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson.
In Ingram, just upstream from Hunt, volunteer firefighters worked through the night helping residents evacuate homes as water levels rose, according to Ingram Mayor Claud Jordan. Jordan said this flooding appeared more widespread in his city than last year's, even if water levels didn't climb quite as high.
"The rural part of Ingram, all the roads are just trashed," Jordan said. "There are a bunch of businesses that haven't reopened from last year. They're still trying to rebuild from the July 4 floods. This doesn't help."
At an RV park in Comfort, Texas, manager Duke Earwood said about 200 residents scrambled to move trailers as fire sirens sounded and water rose over the hoods of vehicles near the river, according to Earwood. Markers indicated flood levels had already matched those from last July's devastating surge.
"Too familiar for sure, and too soon," Earwood said.