Texas Governor Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration for 23 Counties Due to Heavy Rain and Massive Flooding

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, issued a disaster declaration during a press conference on Tuesday, August 23, for 23 counties impacted by the massive flooding due to heavy rain.

The declaration also led to the update of the situation on the ground.

It also mentioned Texas' response to the severe weather and flash flooding across the state; where some urban areas have been submerged in floodwaters.

The disaster declaration will allow access to federal funds for the primary purpose of assisting recovery efforts in hard-hit locations such as the Dallas-Fort Worth area in northeastern Texas.

These areas reportedly received an above-average downpour, prompting some residents to be overwhelmed from the severity of the inclement weather.

At least one person was killed during the weather event.

Over the weekend, multiple weather forecasts have shifted their attention towards a weather system that causes torrential over the southern United States.

Earlier this week, meteorological updates indicated that the system will move from the Southern Plains toward the Lower Mississippi Valley.

This comes after heavy rainfall inundated the Southwest, causing disruptive floods in Nevada, New Mexico, and other areas.

Texas Disaster Declaration

(Photo : Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Governor Abbott signed a disaster declaration during the conference at Dallas City Hall, according to the Office of the Texas Governor.

The Texas head official was joined by members of the state's emergency management agencies, just after a briefing on the current adverse weather and flood conditions throughout the state.

Abbott thanked the agencies and first responders, as well as local and state officials for their response to the "historic flooding event."

However, the governor still outlined the need for assistance in the recovery process for the following 23 Texas counties:

Camp
Culberson
Dallas
Duval
Ellis
El Paso
Henderson
Hopkins
Hudspeth
Kaufman
Kerr
Live Oak
Marion
Montague
Navarro
Pecos
Rains
Smith
Tarrant
Upshur
Van Zandt
Webb
Wood

Also Read: Heavy Rain Forecasted at Texas-Oklahoma Corridor; Travel Delays Expected

Dallas Deadly Flooding

Dallas residents woke up on the morning hours of Monday, August 22, only to find that their surroundings were a terrifying scene, as deadly floodwaters were raging into the streets and their homes, according to AccuWeather.

One Dallas woman named Brittany Taylor saw her entire apartment was flooded.

Distressed at first, Taylor then salvaged whatever possession she can take above water line.

As heavy rain continued on Monday, the flooding continued to spread throughout the city, resulting in almost 200 water rescues and at least one fatality, an unnamed woman who was swept away by flood waters while on her vehicle.

According to Russell Wilson, the fire department chief of Mesquite, Texas, the woman's car was "presumably" carried off the road and was only found after the water has receded, as cited by CNN.

Prior to the unprecedented rainfall and flooding, Texas has been experiencing extreme drought in recent months. In South Texas, a water crisis emerged due to a drought in North Mexico.

US media reporting and local authorities consider the Texas flooding as a rare weather phenomenon and a "once-in-a-thousand-year event."