Above: San Antonio firefighters pulled people from submerged cars and rescued passengers whose bus was swept away in flood waters from torrential rains. A news chopper spotted a man stranded on a roof and directed crews to his location. His rescue was caught on tape.
SAN ANTONIO – Massive flooding from torrential rains in the San Antonio area of Texas left at least one person dead Saturday and sent emergency workers rushing in boats to rescue more than 200 residents stranded in cars and homes.
A woman was trapped in her car, got on the roof and was swept away in floodwaters, said San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Christian Bove. Her body was later found against a fence, he said.
Rescue workers were searching for someone who was missing after being trapped in another car, Bove said.
By Saturday evening, the water was receding quickly in much of San Antonio. However, pools of water could still be seen in some low-lying areas and a major highway that links the suburbs and the city was closed due to standing water.
The Fire Department conducted more than 235 rescues across the city, some by inflatable boats, authorities said. They continued their search into the evening.
Authorities planned to continue searching for anyone who might be stranded, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.
Even a city bus was swept away, but firefighters on a boat were able to rescue the three passengers and driver early Saturday, public transit spokeswoman Priscilla Ingle said. Nobody was injured.
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The San Antonio International Airport by Saturday afternoon had recorded 9.87 inches (25.07 centimetres) of rain since midnight, causing nearly all streams and rivers to experience extraordinary flooding. The highest amount of rainfall recorded since midnight was 15.5 inches (39.37 centimetres) at Olmos Creek at Dresden Drive.
Numerous roads in several counties were closed. Mayor Julian Castro urged residents not to drive.
The San Antonio River about 20 miles (30 kilometres) southeast of the city, near Elmendorf, was expected to peak at 62 feet (18.6 metres) by Sunday morning, well above the flood stage of 35 feet (10.5 metres).
The National Weather Service called the region’s flooding a life-threatening situation similar to what happened in October 1998. Up to 30 inches (75 centimetres) of rain fell in a two-day period, causing floods in the Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins that left more than 30 people dead, according to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.
Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown in Fort Worth and Danny Robbins in Dallas contributed to this report.
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