San Antonio Flooding Kills 2, More Than 200 Rescued

[GemMan 96]

San Antonio Flooding Kills 2, More Than 200 Rescued

Published May 26, 2013
Associated Press



May 25, 2013: A San Antonio metro bus sits in floodwaters after it was swept off the road during heavy rains in San Antonio.



SAN ANTONIO – Two women died after being swept away by floodwaters after weekend rains deluged numerous roads in San Antonio, forcing more than 235 rescues by emergency workers who aided stranded motorists and homeowners at times using inflatable boats.

At least one teenage boy also was reported missing after Saturday's torrential rains, carried away while trying to cross the swollen Cibolo Creek in the San Antonio suburb of Schertz, authorities said.

At the height of Saturday's torrential downpours, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro urged residents not to drive as a flash flood warning covered nearly two dozen counties. Nearly 10 inches of rainfall was reported in a matter of hours Saturday at the city's airport.

The National Weather Service said the flash flood threat would persist until late Sunday morning though mostly cloudy weather with occasional thunderstorms and showers was expected to give way to partly sunny skies later in the day.

The rains left more than 200 residents of the Texas city stranded in cars and homes when water rose unexpectedly up to 4 feet in some spots. Traffic also was snarled, making driving difficult.

"It was pretty crazy," said Gera Hinojosa, a valet parking cars downtown after the storm. "It was pretty unexpected. We hardly got any warning about it."

One woman became trapped in her car and climbed to the roof before being swept away in floodwaters, said San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove. Her body was later found against a fence, he said.

Emergency officials also recovered the body of a woman in her 60s who was swept away in her car while firefighters were trying to rescue her. Authorities did not immediately identify the women.

At nightfall, water still was pooling in many ditches and underpasses. Several roadways were closed, including a major highway linking the suburbs and the city. But even in low-lying neighborhoods along Commerce Street east of downtown San Antonio -- a faded stretch of clapboard houses and beauty parlors -- yards were clear. In the tourist district around the River Walk, the streets were thick with weekend holiday revelers.

While the water in some homes rose 4 feet high, according to Bove, most residents experienced the floods primarily as a major traffic hassle.

Karen Herring, 50, who spent the day volunteering at a fitness contest at the AT&T Center, said participants complained of three-hour drives across town.

In the city, even a municipal bus was swept away, but firefighters on a boat were able to pluck the three passengers and driver to safety, public transit spokeswoman Priscilla Ingle said. Nobody was injured.

The San Antonio International Airport by Saturday afternoon had recorded 9.87 inches of rain since midnight, causing nearly all streams and rivers to experience extraordinary flooding. The highest amount of rainfall recorded since midnight was 15.5 inches at Olmos Creek at Dresden Drive.

The San Antonio River about 20 miles southeast of the city, near Elmendorf, was expected to peak at 62 feet by Sunday morning, well above the flood stage of 35 feet, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service compared the flooding to the storm of October 1998, when 30 inches of rain fell in a two-day period. In that flood, the Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins overflowed, leaving more than 30 people dead, according to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.

 

[GemMan 96]

Memorial Day weekend tragedy as woman drowns and 100 are rescued after 10 inches of rain falls on San Antonio in just 8 hours

By Daily Mail UK, 25 May 2013

One woman, 29, has died after a massive Memorial Day weekend storm brought up to 10 inches of rain in San Antonio.

Massive flooding was reported on Saturday across South Texas as emergency crews scrambled to rescue one hundred residents in flood prone areas.

As many as 13,000 San Antonio residents were without power on Saturday morning but officials believe electricity has been restored to many, leaving 2,000 now without power.



Neighbors: Marco Fairchild, left, and Gary Garza, right, help Sueann Schaller from her car Saturday after she drove it into floodwaters in the Westwood Village neighborhood



Water: A bus is stranded in the water on Blanco Road near Basse during heavy rains in San Antonio after heavy ran began on Friday night



Widespread: The Olmos Basin Municipal Golf Course and Basse Road are underwater as a result of heavy rains in San Antonio on Saturday



Easy rider: Albert Rios holds a beer as he floats into the intersection of Castleridge Dr. and Crestfield Street in San Antonio



Safety: San Antonio mayor Julian Castro urged San Antonians to stay home



Life threatening: Torrential rains fell overnight and into the early morning hours on Saturday, triggering Flash Flood warnings across South Texas


Flash flooding: Massive flooding was reported on Saturday across South Texas as emergency crews scrambled to rescue residents in flood prone areas


Rain: A flood gauge shows waters just under 10 feet at an intersection on Saturday in San Antonio

Police say the woman who died was driving when waters rushed upon the road and washed her car away.
She tried to escape the vehicle and is believed to have been waiting on the roof of the car when she was swept away by the rising waters.

Her vehicle was found pushed against a drainage culture, KSAT-TV reported.

Officials from the local fire department said the woman, whose identity was not released, was dead when they arrived.
Rains began on Friday evening and have been falling at a rate of nearly 2 inches per hour for the past 8 hours.

Officials have closed numerous roadways across South Texas due to flash flooding.
Weather officials warned the heavy rain could be a 'life-threatening' situation similar to a 1998 flood - when two dozen people dead, according to the National Weather Service.

Public transit spokeswoman Priscilla Ingle told the NWS how firefighters used a boat to reach a public bus that had become stranded, rescuing three passengers and driver early on Saturday.
San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove said 'since 5:25 this morning, we've received at least 70 calls just for water rescues. We're urging the public just to stay home and stay off the road.'



Downpour: A man photographs floodwaters caused by heavy rains




Damage: A San Antonio metro bus sits in floodwaters after it was swept off the road during heavy rains




Rescue: Three passengers and the bus driver were rescued and uninjured after this VIA bus was swept away




Waterway: San Antonio residents captured pictures of the rain waters flooding the streets



Aftermath: An estimated 10 inches of rain hit San Antonio on Saturday, leaving a pool in this Texas backyard




Unbelievable: A man surveys floodwaters caused by heavy rains in San Antonio


Another woman was found trapped in her car and was rescued by officials. She was transported to the hospital.
Local media reported another man, in the flood-prone Olmos Park area, was standing on the roof of a structure to escape the rising waters.
Firefighters managed to reach him in a rescue boat.

The National Weather Service extended the flash flood warning for Bexar Country and surrounding counties until 3:30pm on Saturday.




Road closures: Flood waters cover eight lanes of Highway 281 in San Antonio




Warning: The National Weather Service extended the flash flood warning for Bexar Country and surrounding counties until 3:30pm on Saturday




Heavy rain: This NOAA satellite image taken on Saturday shows rain clouds hovering over South Texas and the Midwest

Mayor Julian Castro urged San Antonians to stay home.
'Despite a break in the rain, many roads throughout the city continue to be impassable and dangerous. We ask San Antonians to please stay off the roads and stay at home,' he said.

'Just because it's not raining at the moment, does not mean that the threat has passed. If you must drive, observe all low-water crossings and use common sense.'
The San Antonio International Airport remained open on Saturday though spokesman Nora Castro told The San Antonio Express News many flights had been cancelled or were delayed.

Though Memorial Day weekend is typically a celebration of summer, many parts of the country will be experiencing unseasonably cold temperatures.

Forecasters have suggested parts of the Northeast, including parts of northern Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont, could even experience snow.