Two men aged 65 and 74 have died in the flooding, which comes a year after a historic storm in the same area claimed the lives of more than 130 people

Rescue crews were seen airlifting a young girl to safety, saving her family and their two dogs, amid severe flooding that has left at least two people dead in Texas.

Body camera footage shared by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office on Facebook on Thursday, July 16, showed a Department of Public Safety Aircraft Operations rescuer landing on a home in Uvalde the previous day, before putting a helicopter rescue vest on the girl and taking her away from the property.

“Texans in affected areas should remain vigilant, monitor local forecasts, follow guidance from local officials and stay far away from rising water,” the post read. “Turn Around Don’t Drown.”

On Thursday, Abbott held a severe weather briefing and press conference to provide an update on the flooding and rescue efforts.

“Protecting life remains our top priority as we work through extraordinarily record-breaking rain,” he said, per a release, explaining that more than 2,350 state emergency responders and 1,400 vehicles had been deployed.

The rescue unfolded as officials confirmed that two people had died in the flooding.

Abbott said Thursday that one of the victims was swept away while driving on a flooded road near Uvalde, per the Associated Press. The second victim, 65-year-old John Mark Steward, died in Kerr County, the news agency reported.

Jennie Steward, his wife, said she was away visiting her parents when a neighbor called overnight to say her husband was missing after water rose to the door of their mobile home, which then floated down Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, according to the AP.

“It’s really hard that I wasn’t there with him,” she told the outlet, explaining that they last spoke over the phone on Wednesday, July 15, to celebrate their third anniversary.

The Uvalde Police Department said that the other victim, a 74-year-old man who has not been identified, “eluded law enforcement’s warnings not to proceed up the roadway,” per the Uvalde Leader-News.

According to the police, the man’s family lives out of state, the outlet reported.

A flood watch remains in effect for portions of South-Central Texas, according to the National Weather Service. It is set to expire at noon local time on Friday, July 17.

A flash flooding alert is also in force for an area including parts of Kerr County and Edwards County until 7 a.m. local time, according to a NWS post on X.

The flooding comes a year after more than 130 people died in a historic storm that hit Central Texas.

Per the AP, the Guadalupe River has so far remained below the levels it reached last year, when it hit record levels.

Camp Mystic, the Kerr County summer camp that sits near the river, has remained closed since 28 people, including 25 young campers, died there during last year’s flooding. Earlier this year, it filed for bankruptcy.

However, other summer camps in the area have remained safe this year, the county’s sheriff’s office said, per the AP. One camp reported normal flooding, while others said the children were staying inside amid the severe weather.

Although river levels have remained below last year’s record highs, the weather has revived painful memories across the region.

“Too familiar for sure, and too soon,” Duke Earwood, an RV park manager in Comfort, told the AP.

Katie Buck, of the Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab center in nearby Ingram, described the effects of the flood as “devastating,” per the outlet.

“It’s crazy happening two times in one year,” Kerrville resident Josiah Rodriguez, who helped evacuate relatives on Thursday, told the news agency, though he said the region has been a lot more prepared this time around.

Uvalde resident, Casy Sanford, told the AP that she was in “mere shock” at having to evacuate her home by boat with her husband, son and three daughters, mother-in-law and two dogs on Thursday morning.

“My little one was scared. She kept grabbing my hand real tight,” she said of her 8-year-old daughter. “I’m not sure what we’ll see when we get back.”

Source: https://people.com/young-girl-airlifted-safety-dramatic-video-death-toll-rises-two-extreme-floods-central-texas-12021355