Upwards of 2 feet of rain, even more by some estimates, has fallen over the South Central Texas region, hitting Uvalde and surrounding towns the hardest. Local officers pleaded with drivers all day to head barricades placed in front of roads with rapidly flowing water – a difficult ask considering the entire city was essentially gridlocked by barricades and rising rivers.
But the Uvalde Police Department claims a 74-year-old man circumvented these roadblocks, and they say it cost him his life.
“[Officers] reported that they saw the taillights and reverse lights of a vehicle bobbing the floodwater approximately 4 miles north of Uvalde at the intersection of US Highway 83 North and County Road 400,” the agency said in a public statement. “A TX DPS Boat Team was able to approach the vehicle in the water and confirmed that a male occupant was deceased.”
Police department officials say the unnamed man “eluded” law enforcement warning not to go up the road. The agency vows Sheriff Suben Nolasco and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate the death. While the man has not been identified, officials did confirm that his family lives outside of Texas.
This is the second victim confirmed in the deadly floods that have devastated South Central Texas. During a press conference, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed a man died in the floods and was found Thursday morning the following morning in Kerr County. The man, later identified by his wife as John Mark Steward, was reportedly swept away in rushing water along with his family’s mobile home.
With rains continuing to plague the forecast, potentially dropping inches more rain on already soaked and flooded regions, public officials continue to plead with residents to stay safe – avoiding flooded roads, staying home when possible or seeking higher ground if flood warnings are issued.