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Flooding Brings San Antonio To Standstill, Kills One

A San Antonio metro bus sits in floodwaters after it was swept off the road during heavy rains on Saturday.
Eric Gay
/
AP
A San Antonio metro bus sits in floodwaters after it was swept off the road during heavy rains on Saturday.

A massive storm system has dumped more than 10 inches of rain over San Antonio, leaving the Texas city flooded and at a standstill.

Texas Public Radio's Ryan Loyd reports the area is still under a flash flood emergency. Ryan filed this report for our Newscast unit:

"Some people didn't have time to make it to safety in rain-drenched San Antonio. A woman died when raging flood waters swept her away in her car. So much rain fell that it floated a city bus. Major highways are completely submerged.

"Lightning strikes started home fires, and an apartment roof collapsed because of water on top of the building.

"Mayor Julian Castro is urging people to stay inside because more rain is expected.

" 'We want folks to stay home, if at all possible, and if they do drive, then to observe these low water warnings and to use common sense,' Castro said.

"Even though San Antonio is no stranger to flash flooding, this is the second wettest rain event in a single day, with only the flood of 1998 topping it."

The San Antonio Express-News is keeping a close watch on the situation. It reports that in one neighborhood, 54 people had to be rescued.

"No one was injured but the losses are likely to be great as residents described water levels that poured through their house windows, swallowed up trucks and was chin-high," the paper reports.

Update at 11:30 p.m. ET. More Than 200 Rescued:

Emergency workers rescued more than 200 stranded residents Saturday, The Associated Press reports.

"Mayor Julian Castro urged residents not to drive. 'We have had too many folks who continue to ignore low-water warnings,' Castro said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.

"A flash flood warning was issued for nearly two dozen counties, with up to 4 inches of rainfall forecast overnight."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.