Roadways in the Houston area are blocked, drivers are stranded and homes were destroyed due to flash flooding, officials said.
Between 6 and 10 inches of rain had fallen in the region by early Tuesday, with additional rain possible.
As a result of the rainfall and flooded roadways, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for the Texas counties of Harris and Fort Bend. Residents are urged not to travel unless they are fleeing a flooded area.
Hundreds of homes are currently impacted by the flooding, Harris County Emergency management said.
The White Oak Bayou in Houston is rapidly rising and spilling over highways, currently at major flood stage and expected to rise to more than 40 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The last time the bayou crested to this level was during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Those conditions caused some fans at Houston’s Toyota Center to remain in their seats following Monday’s Western Conference Finals basketball game between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.
Fans and players were asked not to leave the arena following the Rockets’ 128-115 Game 4 victory.
When someone’s phone beeped loudly with a flash flood warning during Rockets center Dwight Howard’s postgame press conference he shook his head and said: “It’s bad outside.”
Howard stayed at the arena, hoping to wait out the storm.
The flash flooding follows a series of deadly, powerful storms across the southern Great Plains. Earlier Monday, a tornado ripped through Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, a city on the U.S. Mexico border, killing at least 13 people.
The deadly tornado was one of at least 15 reported Monday. It tore a baby from its mother’s arms, ripped apart buildings, tossed cars and trucks around, in some cases leaving them standing on end.
In weekend flooding that hit parts of Texas, one driver had to be rescued as the surge of water swept away his SUV outside San Antonio. At least five people were killed, and 12 were missing as a result of flash floods along the Blanco River between Austin and San Antonio, officials said.
Among the dead was 14-year-old Damien Blade, who was found with his dog in a suburban Dallas storm drain. Investigators said they apparently had drowned but their investigation continues. According to police, Damien’s family reported him missing about 10 p.m. Sunday after one of his two dogs showed up alone at the house, wet and extremely muddy.
The 12 people missing were all staying in a vacation home that was swept away by rushing floodwaters.
In the town of Wimberley alone, as many as 400 homes have been destroyed.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott added 24 counties Monday to the list of those where he has declared a state of emergency, and he said with more rain in the forecast, he could add additional counties.
The weekend storms were blamed for three deaths, including two in Oklahoma and one in Texas, where a man’s body was recovered from a flooded area along the Blanco River.
