Multiple water rescues conducted amid flash flooding in southern Texas

By Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — Intense thunderstorms sweeping through the Rio Grande Valley unleashed flash floods across multiple counties in Texas late Thursday into Friday, with authorities warning residents to avoid low-lying areas.

As heavy rain continued to pour down across southeastern Texas, fire officials from the city of Alamo in Hidalgo County confirmed at least 50 water rescues on Thursday, CNN affiliate KRGV reported.

Alamo Fire Chief RC Flores told KRGV at one point an emergency vehicle was unable to rescue a pregnant woman having contractions near a Walmart but a fire truck eventually made it through the floodwaters.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office told CNN that “a lot is happening because of the thunderstorm,” which was expected to produce heavy rainfall throughout the night and into Friday.

Water rescues were also being performed in neighboring Cameron County, according to the National Weather Service, during a round of strong to severe thunderstorms, with people urged to seek higher ground amid life-threatening flash floods.

The storms have the potential to produce “large hail, gusty damaging wind gusts, a brief tornado, and torrential rainfall,” the weather service reported.

Forecasters reported a high risk of rip currents along coastal areas – dangerous for even the best swimmers.

Several flash flood warnings and a flood watch warning were extended in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties overnight Thursday, the service said.

Between 6 and 10 inches of rain have fallen as of early Friday, the Brownsville branch of the weather service noted, with additional amounts of up to 1 inch expected in the warned area.

The combination of slow-moving storms, high precipitation rates and already saturated soils could lead to excessive runoff, “flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, urban, poor drainage and other flood-prone, low-lying areas,” the weather service reported.

“Stay away or be swept away,” the weather service warned. “River banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.”

The weather service also cautioned against entering flooded roads. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles,” it noted.

In Hidalgo County Thursday afternoon, South Texas Health System’s hospital in McAllen experienced minor flooding in the facility’s first floor from issues with the stormwater drain, according to a spokesperson for the hospital.

A video circulating on social media shows a forceful stream of water bursting a wall open at the hospital, with water reaching ankle height flowing through a corridor.

The hospital briefly diverted walk-in and ambulance patients to other nearby hospitals and paused visitation hours.

“As South Texas Health System McAllen continues clean-up efforts after minor flooding on the facility’s first floor earlier this afternoon, the facility has partially reopened its Level 1 Trauma Center and is accepting inbound stroke and trauma patients,” the hospital said in a Thursday evening update on Instagram.

Ambulance patients experiencing medical emergencies other than stroke and trauma were still being diverted to nearby hospitals. While the hospital remained closed to visitors, it announced normal visitation hours are resuming on Friday.

A number of schools across the two counties announced temporary closures Thursday, including all South Texas ISD campuses, South Texas College, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, IDEA Public Schools, Triumph Public High Schools and the Brownsville Independent School District.

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