KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Four to six inches of rain was measured in parts of Kaufman County on Wednesday as flash flooding swept across the county.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Four to six inches of rain was measured in parts of Kaufman County on Wednesday as flash flooding swept across the county.
In total, high water caused the closure of 63 roads throughout the county, Kaufman County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Howie told inForney.com. Three of those roads remained closed because the water washed out the roadway — Dawson Road in Combine, County Road (CR) 122B, and CR 314.
Howie says the washed out roads are expected to remain closed for seven to 14 days for repairs. CareFlite has also been put on notice that any medical emergencies on Dawson could possibly require a medical helicopter due to inaccessibility to at least five homes, according to Howie.
Two strike teams from Texas Task Force 1, and a swift water rescue team from the Texas Parks and Wildlife, were on standby in Kaufman as flood waters continued to shutter area roadways — grid-locking a majority of Kaufman roads along U.S. Highway 175.
Three water rescues were reported to Howie's office, all of which were vehicles stuck in high water. Two of those rescues occurred on County Roads 313 and 115. The third involved a retired firefighter who pulled a driver from the sunroof of a vehicle partially submerged in Terrell in the area of North Delphine Street and East High Street — an area notorious for flooding.
Residents of an RV park along U.S. Highway 80 were flooded in and unable to drive in and out of the park. Firefighters made contact with the residents who opted to shelter in place until waters receded.
A temporary emergency shelter was established at the First Christian Church in Terrell due, in large part, to a StarTransit bus being unable to take some passengers to their residences. Howie says that shelter was closed around 6 p.m. after the passengers were able to seek shelter with relatives.
Today's showers and thunderstorms have retreated to the east with light showers possible in the northern counties ahead of a cold front that settles in overnight.