Imelda kills two in Texas as the tropical storm unleashes a deluge of rain and devastating floods forcing at least 1,000 to evacuate while boats of rescue crews try to save the stranded

  • Two people have died in Tropical Storm Imelda as of Thursday evening
  • The vicious storm continued to dump rain and trigger massive flooding in southeast Texas late Thursday
  • Hunter Morrison, 19, was electrocuted and drowned while trying to move his horse during a lightning storm
  • A man in his 40s or 50s, who is yet to be named, drowned when he tried to drive a van through eight-foot-deep floodwaters near Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston during the Thursday afternoon rush hour  
  • The slow-churning storm has dumped more than 40 inches of rain in some parts of Texas since Monday 
  • City officials said they received more than 1,500 high-water rescue calls to 911, most from stuck drivers
  • Rain is expected to continue into Friday, leading locals to compare Imelda to 2017's Hurricane Harvey
  • Imelda is the seventh-wettest tropical cyclone to strike the 48 contiguous United States on record 

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Tropical Storm Imelda unleashed devastating flooding on Texas on Thursday, leaving two people dead, forcing at least 1,000 to evacuate, and submerging swathes of the state under water.

And there's no stop to the storm's wrath in sight, leading many to compare Imelda to Hurricane Harvey which wreaked havoc in the state just two years ago in 2017. 

The slow-churning storm has dumped more than 40 inches of rain in some parts of Texas since Monday and the downpour may continue into Friday in parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, according to the Weather Channel. 

Rescue crews with boats are scrambling to reach stranded drivers and families trapped in their homes as the deluge inundates the state. 

Imelda's path of destruction led to the deaths of two men on Thursday.  

Nineteen-year-old Hunter Morrison was electrocuted and drowned while trying to move his horse to safety during a lightning storm, according to a message from his family shared by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.    

A man in his 40s or 50s, who is yet to be named, drowned when he tried to drive a van through eight-foot-deep floodwaters near Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston during the Thursday afternoon rush hour, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Tropical Storm Imelda unleashed devastating flooding on Texas on Thursday, leaving two people dead, forcing at least 1,000 to evacuate, and submerging swathes of the state under water. Fred Stewart, left, is helped to high ground by Splendora Police officer Mike Jones after he was rescued from his flooded neighborhood on Thursday

Tropical Storm Imelda unleashed devastating flooding on Texas on Thursday, leaving two people dead, forcing at least 1,000 to evacuate, and submerging swathes of the state under water. Fred Stewart, left, is helped to high ground by Splendora Police officer Mike Jones after he was rescued from his flooded neighborhood on Thursday

Two people including 19-year-old Hunter Morrison (above) were killed in Imelda's wrath on Thursday
Hunter Morrison was killed earlier on Thursday after being electrocuted while trying to rescue his horse from the rising floodwaters in Texas, where a state of disaster has been declared

Hunter Morrison, 19, was killed earlier on Thursday after being electrocuted while trying to rescue his horse from the rising floodwaters in the middle of a lightning storm in Jefferson County, Texas 

Splendora Police officer Mike Jones carries Ramiro Lopez Jr.'s dog, Panthea, from a boat after the officers rescued the family from their flooded neighborhood as rains from Tropical Depression Imelda inundated the area on Thursday

Splendora Police officer Mike Jones carries Ramiro Lopez Jr.'s dog, Panthea, from a boat after the officers rescued the family from their flooded neighborhood as rains from Tropical Depression Imelda inundated the area on Thursday

The slow-churning storm has dumped more than 40 inches of rain in some parts of Texas since Monday and the downpour may continue into Friday in parts of eastern Texas

The slow-churning storm has dumped more than 40 inches of rain in some parts of Texas since Monday and the downpour may continue into Friday in parts of eastern Texas

A man paddles out from a flooded neighborhood caused by heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda with an armadillo as a passenger

A man paddles out from a flooded neighborhood caused by heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda with an armadillo as a passenger

A man's cat meows as his owner shelters him from the rain with his jacket. as the two were rescued from their RV after water trapped them in

A man's cat meows as his owner shelters him from the rain with his jacket. as the two were rescued from their RV after water trapped them in

Rescue crews with boats are scrambling to reach stranded drivers and families trapped in their homes as the deluge inundates the state on Thursday. In this photo provided by the Chambers County Sheriff's Office, floodwaters surround a home in Winnie, Texas

Rescue crews with boats are scrambling to reach stranded drivers and families trapped in their homes as the deluge inundates the state on Thursday. In this photo provided by the Chambers County Sheriff's Office, floodwaters surround a home in Winnie, Texas

Several cars were flooded and abandoned along Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas on Thursday as Tropical Storm Imelda hit the state with devastating rain. The National Weather Service says Imelda is the seventh-wettest tropical cyclone to strike the 48 contiguous United States on record

Several cars were flooded and abandoned along Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas on Thursday as Tropical Storm Imelda hit the state with devastating rain. The National Weather Service says Imelda is the seventh-wettest tropical cyclone to strike the 48 contiguous United States on record

Absolute devastation: Texans were stranded outside of their vehicles along Interstate 10 westbound at T.C Jester on Thursday as the freeway was closed due to high water

Absolute devastation: Texans were stranded outside of their vehicles along Interstate 10 westbound at T.C Jester on Thursday as the freeway was closed due to high water 

Morrison's family released a statement in light of his death saying: 'Right now my family and I are going through one of the most horrific times in our lives with losing Hunter. Thank you for all the kind words and phone calls I have received over the past 8 hrs.' 

By Thursday night, floodwaters had started receding in most of the Houston area, mayor Sylvester Turner announced. 

Law enforcement officers planned to work well into the night to clear freeways of vehicles stalled and abandoned because of flooding, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said there had been a combination of at least 1,700 high-water rescues and evacuations to get people to shelter as the longevity and intensity of the rain quickly came to surprise even those who had been bracing for floods. The storm also flooded parts of southwestern Louisiana.

More than 900 flights were canceled or delayed in Houston. 

Further along the Texas Gulf Coast, authorities worried that a levee could break near Beaumont in Jefferson County. During Harvey, Beaumont's only pump station was swamped by floodwaters, leaving residents without water service for more than a week.

The National Weather Service said preliminary estimates suggested that Jefferson County was deluged with more than 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain in a span of just 72 hours, which would make it the seventh wettest tropical cyclone in U.S. history. 

Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said there had been a combination of at least 1,700 high-water rescues and evacuations to get people to shelter/ Jerran Pearson, left, and Ryan Bettencourt and his dog, Chief, are rescued by boat from their neighborhood flooded due to heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursda

Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said there had been a combination of at least 1,700 high-water rescues and evacuations to get people to shelter/ Jerran Pearson, left, and Ryan Bettencourt and his dog, Chief, are rescued by boat from their neighborhood flooded due to heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursday in Patton Village

Rescue efforts took place across the state. In this image Dwain Kaufman, right, waits for his wife as she is helped into the back of a family member's truck by firefighters and members of the Texas National Guard on Thursday in Beaumont, Texas

Rescue efforts took place across the state. In this image Dwain Kaufman, right, waits for his wife as she is helped into the back of a family member's truck by firefighters and members of the Texas National Guard on Thursday in Beaumont, Texas

A man sits on top of a truck on a flooded road in Houston. Members of the Houston Fire Dept. brought him a life jacket and walked him to dry land

A man sits on top of a truck on a flooded road in Houston. Members of the Houston Fire Dept. brought him a life jacket and walked him to dry land

Jim Dunagan pictured moving his cattle to higher ground as remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda flood parts of Southeast Texas on Thursday near Nome, Texas. He said the water was rising so high it reached to stomach level on his cattle before he moved them to another pasture

Jim Dunagan pictured moving his cattle to higher ground as remnants of Tropical Depression Imelda flood parts of Southeast Texas on Thursday near Nome, Texas. He said the water was rising so high it reached to stomach level on his cattle before he moved them to another pasture 

Locals were seen abandoning their homes and taking to the streets in boats in the high water. Donnie McCulley paddles out from a flooded neighborhood with an armadillo as a passenger on Thursday in Patton Village, Texas

Locals were seen abandoning their homes and taking to the streets in boats in the high water. Donnie McCulley paddles out from a flooded neighborhood with an armadillo as a passenger on Thursday in Patton Village, Texas 

Donnie McCulley rescues an armadillo from a flooded neighborhood caused by heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursday in Patton Village

Donnie McCulley rescues an armadillo from a flooded neighborhood caused by heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursday in Patton Village

Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster in 13 counties, saying it 'has caused widespread and severe property damage and threatens loss of life'.

Rainfall in Texas on Thursday 

 Rainfall as of 4pm CDT Thursday

-43.15 inches in North Fork Taylors Bayou

-33.58 inches near Hamshire

-25.07 inches at Pine Island Bayou

-23.24 inches at the East Fork of the San Jacinto River

-21.69 inches at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

-20.40 inches at Beaumont/Port Arthur Regional Airport

-19.59 inches in Humble

-11.64 inches at Houston's Intercontinental Airport

 Source: The Weather Channel

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'The State of Texas is working closely with local officials and emergency personnel to provide the resources they need to keep Texans safe from Tropical Storm Imelda,' Abbott said in a statement.

'I thank our first responders who are acting swiftly to help the communities that are facing this severe weather event. I urge all those in the path of this storm to take the necessary precautions and heed all warnings from local officials.'

The counties included in the disaster declaration are Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Orange and San Jacinto.

When the rain died down in Houston on Thursday evening, what was left was absolute carnage: downtown highways littered with abandoned cars and knee-deep muddy water. 

Thousands of other drivers were at a practical standstill on narrowed lanes near flooded banks.

'The water kept rising. It kept rising. I couldn't believe it,' said Ruby Trahan Robinson, 63. She uses a wheelchair and had a portable oxygen tank while getting settled into a shelter at City Hall in the small town of China, just outside Beaumont.

'It rolled in like a river,' she said.

For many in Texas, the deluge of train echoed the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 which dumped more than 50 inches (127 centimeters) of rain on the nation's fourth-largest city - while pleading with residents to stay put. 

City officials said they had received more than 1,500 high-water rescue calls to 911, most from drivers stuck on flooded roads, but authorities described a number of them as people who were inconvenienced and not in immediate danger.

Ahead of the evening rush hour, Houston officials urged commuters to stay in their offices for an extra three to four hours rather than embark on flooded and already jammed highways. Turner made a similar appeal to parents of schoolchildren as the Houston Independent School District - Texas' largest with more than 200,000 students - did not cancel classes or shorten the day unlike neighboring districts in the path of the storm. The district canceled Friday classes.

Imelda is the first named storm to impact the Houston area since Harvey hovered for days and inundated the flood-prone Gulf Coast. That storm dumped more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water near the Louisiana border, and two years later, it looked in some places like Harvey was playing out all over again.

Under water: A man walks by one of several cars that were flooded along Interstate 10 in Beaumont, Texas on Thursday

Under water: A man walks by one of several cars that were flooded along Interstate 10 in Beaumont, Texas on Thursday

Absolute chaos: Traffic pictured inching along on Interstate 10 feeder road on Thursday after Tropical Storm Imelda hit Southeast Texas

Absolute chaos: Traffic pictured inching along on Interstate 10 feeder road on Thursday after Tropical Storm Imelda hit Southeast Texas

Levi Kelley pictured sitting in Clint Tucker's boat after he was rescued by Tucker, who is a member of the Cajun Navy, after water trapped him in his his trailer on Thursday in Vidor, Texas, following flooding from Tropical Depression Imelda

Levi Kelley pictured sitting in Clint Tucker's boat after he was rescued by Tucker, who is a member of the Cajun Navy, after water trapped him in his his trailer on Thursday in Vidor, Texas, following flooding from Tropical Depression Imelda

Gov. Greg Abbott has declared 13 counties disaster areas after heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda swamped parts of Southeast Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott has declared 13 counties disaster areas after heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda swamped parts of Southeast Texas 

A car creates a wake on the floodwater along Market Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday

A car creates a wake on the floodwater along Market Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday

A pedestrian walks across a flooded 23rd Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday as Imelda pummeled the area

A pedestrian walks across a flooded 23rd Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday as Imelda pummeled the area

Storms out, oars out: Daniel Collins, front, and Andrew Dominguez paddle their kayak down a flooded 23rd Street near The Strand in Galveston, Texas on Thursday  as rains from Tropical Depression Imelda flood the island

Storms out, oars out: Daniel Collins, front, and Andrew Dominguez paddle their kayak down a flooded 23rd Street near The Strand in Galveston, Texas on Thursday  as rains from Tropical Depression Imelda flood the island 

Drenched: A man attempts to protect himself from the rain while walking across a flooded 20th Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday

Drenched: A man attempts to protect himself from the rain while walking across a flooded 20th Street in Galveston, Texas on Thursday

An alligator which has escaped from Gator Country in Beaumont is spotted in a resident's flooded property - with people being warned to leave them alone as they'll move on when floodwaters recede

An alligator which has escaped from Gator Country in Beaumont is spotted in a resident's flooded property - with people being warned to leave them alone as they'll move on when floodwaters recede

A massive Houston furniture store became a shelter for evacuees. Live television footage of the storm showed firefighters rescuing stranded truckers from their vehicles on major highways. On social media, people posted that water was quickly seeping into their home while pleading for help.

Even as the intensity of the storm weakened, Harris County officials warned that some of their 4.7 million residents might not see high waters recede in their neighborhoods until the weekend.

BREWING STORMS  

Hurricane Humberto: This Category 3 storm in the Atlantic Ocean has blown off rooftops, toppled trees and knocked out power in Bermuda.

Hurricane Lorena: Forecasters upgraded Lorena from a tropical storm to a hurricane as of Thursday morning. It is centered about 25 miles southeast of Cabo Corrientes in Mexico.

Tropical Storm Jerry: The storm strengthened to top winds of 70mph on its way to becoming a hurricane. Jerry should reach the Leeward Islands on Friday.

Tropical Storm Mario: This storm is also brewing near Mexico, but it is further off the coast. It is expected to strengthen into a hurricane. 

Tropical Storm Kiko: Forecasters said the storm is currently in the Pacific Ocean, more than 1,100 miles from Baja, California.

 

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In Winnie, a town of about 3,200 people 60 miles (95 kilometers) east of Houston, a hospital was evacuated. Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said emergency workers completed more than 300 rescues overnight and some residents were up on their roofs because of rising floodwaters.

Albert Livings, 73, was rescued from his apartment and said at least half of the 116 units in his complex were flooded. Water started seeping into his place before sunrise.

'It came from the front door and it didn't stop rolling until it hit the back wall,' Livings said.

Residents have also reported seeing of the 300-odd alligators from Beaumont's Gator Country in their flooded properties.  

The center warned:  'Alligators tend to move around more frequently when flooding occurs. If you see one that is displaced and not causing danger or in danger please let it be, it will move on once the water recedes. 

'If you do come across an alligator that is in danger or could be a threat, please contact us and we will let you know what to do from there. ' 

Following Harvey, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a report warning that punishing storms would become more frequent because of a changing climate. Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme weather such as storms, droughts, floods and fires, but without extensive study they cannot directly link a single weather event to the changing climate.

Climate change skepticism runs deep among Republican leaders in Texas, and Abbott has said it's 'impossible' for him to say whether he believes manmade global warming is causing the kind of disasters the state is telling residents to get used to. Earlier this year, Abbott approved billions of new dollars to fortify the Texas coast and reduce catastrophic flooding.

As Imelda beat Texas, sister storms were brewing not so far away. Hurricane Humberto blew off rooftops and toppled trees in the British Atlantic island of Bermuda on Thursday and Hurricane Jerry is expected to move to the northern Leeward Islands on Friday and north of Puerto Rico on Saturday.

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