May 2015 has been one to remember for residents in Texas and Oklahoma. Record-breaking rainfall has flooded interstates, prompting lakes, creeks, and rivers to dramatically exceed their capacities. Tornado activity has increased exponentially compared to the season’s slow start, and many residents have been killed, injured, displaced, or have gone missing. Governors in Texas and Oklahoma have declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties in both states.
#houstonflood @KHOU @abc13houston Allen Parkway completed flooded up to Montrose / Studemont. pic.twitter.com/rhdBQYESlo
— Rachelle (@mrsraee) May 26, 2015
Houston, Texas has been one of the areas hit especially hard. Two weeks ago, the city endured a ‘500-year’ flood event before being hit with even more torrential rain Monday night. Fans attending Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors were forced to stay at the Toyota Center well into Tuesday morning, as flooding prevented?them from leaving the arena.
Bus lines have been delayed, and schools have been closed. Shoppers at Houston’s Galleria Mall were stranded when the first floor of the mall’s parking garage flooded. 500 water rescues were performed Monday night and 50,000 are without power.
Two were injured when a tornado struck a Houston apartment complex causing severe damage to 10 units and lesser damage to dozens of others.
In Wimberley, the Blanco River swelled 33 feet?in three hours, breaking the all-time record crest. Twelve members of two families staying in a vacation home in Wimberley are missing. The vacation home was swept from its foundation and thrown into a bridge downstream.
Monday’s storms also wreaked havoc?in other parts of Texas. A 14-year-old boy in DeSoto, an 18-year-old girl in Devine, and a man in San Marcos were all killed in the storms. The city of Corpus Christi canceled its Memorial Day ceremony, and five parishioners of a Corpus Christi church are missing due to their vacation home being swept away by Blanco River flooding.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency?in 37 Texas counties.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, four are confirmed dead due to the severe weather. Veteran Claremore firefighter Jason Farley drowned?while rescuing residents from a duplex. The rash of storms also contributed to the deaths of a 37-year-old man in Sapulpa and a 33-year-old woman in Tulsa.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared?a state of emergency in 25 Okla. counties last Thursday.
