At least two people have died in flooding across Texas after torrential rains swept away their vehicles, as authorities warned of "record-shattering" rainfall over the next 24 hours and expanded rescue operations across the state, according to Reuters.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott said emergency responders have carried out 230 rescues, including one in which a man and his dog were airlifted from a truck by a Black Hawk helicopter and a rescue swimmer.
"We're facing record-shattering rainfall that leads to very dangerous flooding. We want to do everything we possibly can to protect our lives," Abbott told reporters after receiving a briefing from emergency officials.
The latest victims were identified as a man whose recreational vehicle was swept away by floodwaters and a woman whose vehicle was overtaken by rising water.
The National Weather Service said 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain had fallen across parts of the Texas Hill Country over the past two days. The region includes Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls on the Guadalupe River, where devastating floods last year killed at least 135 people, including 27 campers and counsellors, most of them children.
To deal with the emergency, Texas has deployed 2,350 emergency responders and 1,400 pieces of equipment, including Black Hawk helicopters and swiftwater rescue boats.
Abbott urged residents to stay off the roads until the storms ease, which is expected late Friday. He said flooding had affected 125 roadway sections across the state, with 87 closures, including a bridge that was struck by a barge.
Officials said Uvalde and Johnson City remain among the areas of greatest concern. The Nueces River near Uvalde is forecast to exceed its record crest set in 1996, while the Frio and Pedernales rivers are also expected to reach some of their highest levels on record, according to Reuters.
