Residents flee as rain swamps Texas

[WhiteTara]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/08/01/texas.flood.ap/

Family members trying to visit the graves of loved ones pass sunken graves at an El Paso cemetery.


EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A third day of heavy rain caused widespread flooding around El Paso on Tuesday, swamping mountainside homes, forcing evacuations and closing major roads.

Emergency crews juggled an onslaught of distress calls, but there were no immediate reports of any serious injuries.
snip
The rain threatened to push the Rio Grande over its banks and more than doubled the normal speed of the river's current, authorities said.

The parched region had less than an inch of rain in the first six months of the year. But it may have gotten as much as 6 inches since Sunday, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters expect the rain to continue through at least Wednesday morning.

Volunteer fire departments around the county helped residents sandbag their homes

yikes

[barb162]

1. I've been reading about that terrible drought they were having

People and animals were really suffering and water was drying up in reservours

[Warpy]

2. This is the system that has been forcing rain

from Colorado on down the Rio Grande valley through NM and then into Texas. We're all drowning out here. There has been a huge amount of flooding and roads have been washed out all over the place.

We needed rain out here, but this has been ridiculous, an inch in half an hour with some of these storms.

[Broken_Hero]

3. crazy....nt