Texas flood rescues continue as helicopters airlift stranded residents

Helicopters airlifted stranded residents from flooded neighborhoods in Uvalde as Texas crews worked through roads that had turned impassable and large stretches of the state remained underwater. Governor Greg Abbott said at least two people died in the flooding and that emergency crews carried out more than 230 rescues.

Video from the rescue effort showed residents being lifted out after floods covered large areas of Texas on Thursday, July 16. In Uvalde, responders used high-water vehicles, boats and aircraft to reach isolated homes amid submerged streets, blocked roads and stranded cars. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Uvalde at 3:54 p.m. CDT on July 16; it expired at midnight on July 17.

The danger was not limited to Uvalde. In Comfort, flood sirens blared early Thursday as the Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in three hours, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Some areas of Texas had taken on more than 20 inches of rain since the start of the week, overwhelming drainage systems and turning streets into waterways within hours. One death was tied to the area near Comfort and another to Uvalde.

The region had already been hit by the deadly July 4 floods from the prior year, which killed more than 100 people. Texas later expanded the response with a major disaster declaration for 59 counties.