Overview
- A slow-moving, moisture-rich storm that began Tuesday dropped extreme totals in mid-July, with some locations receiving about two feet of rain and rivers surging rapidly between July 15 and 17.
- State officials confirmed two flood-related deaths and said hundreds of people were rescued by boats and helicopters as roughly 2,350 emergency responders and about 1,400 vehicles and pieces of equipment were deployed.
- Multiple river gauges hit record or near-record crests — the Nueces near Uvalde reached a new high — and fast currents damaged roads and bridges, including the collapse of the FM 481 bridge in Uvalde County.
- New warning measures put in place after last year’s deadly Guadalupe River disaster — automated sirens, alert towers and expanded alerting systems — were activated and officials say they helped warn residents and speed evacuations.
- Cleanup and damage surveys have begun even as disaster declarations and flood watches cover about 59 counties, officials warn downstream rises remain likely, and communities face weeks of repair and recovery work.