Central Texas awash in floods, three dead

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- After days of pummeling central and south Texas, a slow-moving storm system responsible for at least three deaths moved to the west after its floodwaters turned scores of communities into virtual islands.

Throughout the region, low-lying areas were under several feet of water, forcing officials to shut down parts of more than 100 roads. Dry creek beds were transformed into boiling, brown torrents carrying trees, household appliances and debris downstream.

Gov. Rick Perry activated the Texas National Guard to help with relief efforts. Rescue teams used rafts, personal watercraft and helicopters to rescue people from stranded vehicles and flooded homes.

The storm, which began Saturday and intensified Sunday, has dumped more than 15 inches of rain in some areas. The state Division of Emergency Management estimated that heavy rain was affecting 29 counties surrounding San Antonio.

The storm front, moving north from the Gulf of Mexico, was at its most powerful on the northern edge of San Antonio and in nearby counties to the north and west.

The forecast offered little hope for a reprieve. More downpours were expected Wednesday over central and eastern Texas.

In Utopia, about 75 miles west of San Antonio, a man was washed off a farm tractor and killed Tuesday while traveling to help others, said Department of Public Safety trooper Travis Hall.

Nearby, another man was swept away from a car stuck in deep water Tuesday. He was still missing early Wednesday.

On Sunday, a man drowned in Austin when he fell into a swollen creek.

In Bandera County, the driver of a pickup truck was killed Tuesday when his truck hit a pool of water and slid into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer rig.

The Sabinal River, which runs through a small park in Utopia, broke out of its banks in several places, sending a "wall of water" about 10 to 15 feet high through the town, said Iona Alley, who lives seven miles northwest of town.