DALLAS—A woman and her two young children died on April 24 when the family car was caught in rushing flash flood waters in the West Texas rolling plains.
The incident happened about 6 a.m. Wednesday at what’s usually a small creek just outside Dublin, Texas, about 75 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
Crews launched a high-water rescue effort only to find the woman’s husband clinging to a tree, Erath County Sheriff Matt Coates told the Stephenville Empire-Tribune. He was taken to a hospital.
The mother’s body was later recovered from the swamped car. Their 7-year-old son was found 400 yards further downstream, and their 3-year-old girl was found 3 miles downstream.
It was not clear immediately exactly how the accident happened, Coates said. An investigation is ongoing.
Damaging winds later Wednesday destroyed a warehouse near Bryan in Central Texas.
The National Weather Service reports about 3½ inches of rain had fallen overnight at the Stephenville Municipal Airport, about 26 miles northeast of the accident site.
Heavy rains moved across much of Texas and brought flash-flood warnings and high-water rescues. More rain was expected in North and Central Texas as a flash flood watch the National Weather Service had issued remained in effect.
Authorities Find Body of Man Swept Away by Tennessee Flood
COVINGTON, Tenn.—Authorities in Tennessee have found the body of a man who was swept away by flood waters this month.
News outlets report Tipton County Sheriff’s deputies found the body of 47-year-old Kenya Williams on April 23.
The sheriff’s office says Williams was swept away by flood waters in a drainage ditch near the Covington Municipal Airport on April 13. His body was found in a nearby creek.
Williams’ cause of death is pending an autopsy at a Memphis forensic center. An investigation is ongoing.
Oregon Officials Seek Disaster Declaration After Flooding
PENDLETON, Ore.—Officials in eastern Oregon are urging the governor to declare a state of emergency in response to recent flooding.
Office of Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps was scheduled to be in Umatilla County to assess the damage on April 23, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Monday.
The head of the #Oregon Office of Emergency Management is in Pendleton to assess the damage caused by recent flooding in Umatilla County. So far, state officials have declined requests to declare a state of emergency in Umatilla and Wallowa counties. https://t.co/Qg2Kp6feOF
— OPB (@OPB) April 23, 2019
Phelps last week declined to recommend an emergency declaration to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, according to Republican state Sen. Bill Hansell, one of several elected officials who requested one.
The agency needs a comprehensive damage assessment before issuing a disaster declaration, spokeswoman Paula Negele said.
“There would have to be significant damage to homes and businesses, and we are in the middle of collecting that information,” Negele said.
The county 209 miles east of Portland declared a local state of emergency April 10 due to flooding from rapid snowmelt and spring rains.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released water April 11 to ease pressure on McKay Dam, which doubled the flow rate of a creek in Pendleton.
Homes in Pendleton have experienced up to 18 inches of water in basements, dumpsters provided by the city are filled with debris and nursing home remains evacuated, said Umatilla County Commissioner John Schafer.
In the city of Umatilla, about 41 miles west of Pendleton, Schafer said a footbridge was washed away and could cost millions to replace.
“One house was knocked off its foundation,” Schafer said. “These people’s lives are turned upside down right now, and then to be told it’s not an emergency—it’s pretty devastating to hear.”
