San Antonio Reels After Catastrophic Flash Floods
San Antonio is grappling with the aftermath of devastating flash floods that struck late last week, claiming the lives of 13 people, the San Antonio Fire Department confirmed this weekend. The deluge arrived on Thursday, unleashing a record-breaking 6.11 inches of rain upon the area. Alarmingly, approximately 4 inches fell within a single hour during the early hours of Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The Fire Department has released the names of most of the victims, as reported by Texas Public Radio (TPR). They also responded to over 70 water rescues, highlighting the scale of the emergency. The Fire Department has yet to respond to NPR's requests for further information regarding these rescue operations.
Mack Morris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, spoke to NPR on Sunday about the unexpected severity of the flooding. "Over the last couple of years, we've been dealing with a drought," he explained, "So we haven't had a lot of flash flooding occur over the last three to five years, at least not anything nearly as significant as what occurred on Thursday."
Other areas in southern Texas also experienced significant rainfall due to widespread thunderstorms. The situation isn't isolated to Texas; storms in Appalachia resulted in at least three fatalities in West Virginia over the weekend. The Wheeling-Ohio County emergency management agency reported that several individuals remain missing.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for Ohio County. He stated that some areas received approximately 3 to 4 inches of rain in under an hour, causing severe flash flooding in Wheeling, Triadelphia, and Valley Grove. Further storms are predicted across the United States, with parts of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas potentially facing severe thunderstorms.
This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the power of nature and the importance of preparedness in the face of extreme weather conditions.