Texas Flood Death Toll Continues to Rise as More Water Pummels Northern Region
The death toll for recent massive floods in Texas continues to rise this week as rescue teams find missing persons swept away from rising flood waters.
Texas officials reported Thursday that recently-discovered bodies in the counties of Blanco and Hays have raised the death toll to 24, with 20 of those deaths being in Texas and the other four in Oklahoma, which was also highly affected by the recent flooding.
Along with the rising death toll, another 14 residents still remain missing. Several have been missing since their homes were swept away by flooding from the Blanco, Colorado, Brazos and San Jacinto Rivers following massive storms that occurred earlier this week and last week.
This week, Kenneth Bell, the emergency management coordinator for San Marcos, told NBC News that rescue teams are still focusing on rescuing victims following the massive flood.
"Right now we are still in search mode," Bell told the media outlet, adding "Every time it rains, it poses a problem for the guys down there."
According to Fox News, the deluge continued Friday in north Texas, where multiple people had to be rescued from their flooded vehicles after an aggressive storm dumped seven inches of rain.
Some areas became so flooded Friday that local officials encouraged residents to stay indoors for their own safety.
Tarik Hawkins, a Dallas resident, told NBC News in a separate interview that in some places, the water was coming up to the hood of his car.
"It's extremely dangerous out there. I drive a Mustang and in some areas the water has been coming up to the hood. The people who have tried to drive through have become stuck, so there are tow trucks and fire trucks rescuing people," he told the media outlet.