Third Person Confirmed Dead in Texas Flooding

COTULLA, TX — Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Friday a third person died in the flooding that swept through much of the Hill Country and South Texas.

The flood victim was swept away while driving July 20 in Val Verde County, Abbott said during a media briefing in Cotulla, a city about 90 miles southwest of San Antonio 

The widespread flooding killed two last week — one person who was driving in Uvalde County, and another whose RV was swept away in Kerr County.

Abbott said as many as 135 homes in Kerry County were destroyed or heavily damaged by the flood, and that the state is continuing to assess the damage it left behind. 

Since the flooding began July 12, the state has “provided more than 2,700 personnel, more than 1,400 vehicles, more than 22 boats, more than 20 aircraft,” Abbott said. “And altogether, the state has rescued more than 500 people across our state.”

He said the number of homes damaged is expected to grow in coming days because some areas are still so inundated with water that they’re inaccessible.

Abbott assessed damage from a helicopter earlier Friday and said the area with the most water was Cotulla, where at least 48 homes were  recorded as damaged, but he called it a preliminary number.

“We all know that as soon as the waters recede, evaluators will be able to get in and evaluate more about the properties damaged,” he said. “So, that number is likely to go up.”

Until then, he said, the water is still high as floodwater continues to flow downstream. 

“Once you’re above the Nueces [River], that water is everywhere, and it seems like it just continues to persist,” he said. “We saw destruction to homes. We saw destruction to infrastructure.”