At least two dead as heavy rains and flash floods strike central Texas

At least two people have died and more than 230 others have been rescued after torrential rains and flash floods hit central Texas this week. The flooding has affected communities including Uvalde and Kerrville, while storms continued to move through western parts of the state on Friday. Officials said the emergency response remained active as crews worked to reach stranded people and assess damage.

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The state has deployed 2,350 emergency responders to the region, supported by helicopters, boats and aircraft. Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 59 counties and said the state was carrying out round-the-clock emergency operations. He said the flooding was likely to break records, while the National Weather Service reported rainfall totals of 25 to 50 centimetres in parts of Texas, with some areas receiving as much as 60 centimetres this week.

Among the dead was one unnamed person who was swept away near Uvalde, about 138 kilometres southwest of San Antonio. The other was identified as John Mark Steward of Kerrville, who is believed to have died after his mobile home was carried off by floodwaters spilling over Goat Creek. Officials also said one California man, Gabriel Pablo, was rescued from an 18-wheeler overtaken by floodwaters while driving in the region.

Nearly 6 million people were placed under flood watches across south and central Texas. The flooding has renewed attention on a region that has faced repeated deadly weather emergencies. The latest storms hit the same area where at least 139 people died in floods a little more than a year ago.

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Kerr County was among the hardest hit in that earlier disaster, when 28 campers, staff and counsellors died at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp. The camp did not open this summer, and it has since filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and faces wrongful death lawsuits over its response to the flooding. The current emergency also comes after Texas officials said they had strengthened warning systems and preparedness measures following last year's floods.

The state's response now includes large-scale use of emergency crews, boats, helicopters and aircraft, reflecting the scale of the threat and the difficulty of reaching flooded areas. Big Bend National Park was also among the areas affected by the storms, showing how widely the weather system has spread across the state. What remains unclear is how many people may still need assistance and whether rainfall totals will rise further as storms continue.

Officials have not yet given a final damage assessment, and the death toll could change as rescue and recovery work continues. The key issues to watch are the persistence of the rainfall, the pace of rescues and whether additional counties are added to the emergency response.

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