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Video Shows Texas Getting Hammered By Some Serious Rain

One town reported that almost 20 inches fell in the past 48 hours, as heavy rains associated with the Tropical Depression Patricia swamped Texas, closing interstates and washing homes and vehicles away.
via Youtube

Heavy rains associated with the tropical depression formerly known as Hurricane Patricia swamped Texas Friday and Saturday, forcing the evacuation of some residents in at least one county, closing interstates, and causing cancellations of dozens of flights at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Flooding also carried away cars and mobile homes, while first responders have performed several water rescues after rain overtook people in their vehicles. A homeless man was reported missing in San Antonio.

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Houston Chronicle reporter Dylan Baddour shared numerous videos showing roads in Austin, TX being entirely taken over by flooding.

Well that's not a road anymore. Flooding in Austin TX. Old Spcwd Spgs @ 360. — Dylan Baddour (@DylanBaddour)October 24, 2015

Chopper footage from Navarro County, TX also shows that in some areas, floodwaters reached several feet in height.

Some areas, including Corsicana, Texas, saw nearly 20 inches of rain by midday Saturday. Most of the state is expected to receive at least eight inches (20 cm) of rain over the weekend, said a statement from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Authorities in Navarro County requested sandbags for some homes that were being evacuated due to flooding, the statement said. It was not immediately clear how many homes were evacuated.

Interstate 45 in Navarro County was shut down in some spots due to rising waters, stranding some drivers, the department said.

Storms caused floods that lifted mobile homes off their foundations in Rankin, about 300 miles northwest of Austin, and caused numerous road accidents in Abilene and Odessa. Footage emerging on Wednesday showed a trailer house and an recreational vehicle drifting away in the floodwaters.

The flood waters also derailed a Union Pacific freight train in southeast Texas early Saturday morning. Flood waters covered the tracks about 55 miles south of Dallas, putting a locomotive and rail cars on their side, and the two crew members operating the train swam to safety after the derailment, Jeff DeGraff, a Union Pacific Railroad spokesman, told CNN.

The storm hit land near the area of Cuixmala, home to one of Mexico's most exclusive resort areas, at 6:15 pm on Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said. While the storm will not directly hit the U.S., its moisture is being absorbed into a gathering storm system over Texas.

The flood watch stretches from the border with Mexico through San Antonio and into the Dallas and Houston area, a region where heavy rains and flooding in May killed more than 20 people and caused massive damage.