Two dead, others evacuated amid flooding in Kaufman County
KAUFMAN (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Two people have died after overnight flooding in Kaufman County.
The deaths occurred as two different drivers were swept off flooded FM 1390 near the small community of Warsaw, Texas.
The water was moving fast across the road leaving one of the vehicles under 10 feet of water, said County Emergency Manager Steve Howie.
He said first responders were waiting until the water receded before teams went in and pulled out the bodies. He added that there was no immediate information on who the victims were, but the deaths occurred in the overnight hours.
Multiple others were rescued from their vehicles, during which three Forney Police officers became submerged for a short time while saving one woman.
In the meantime, a total of 26 people have been evacuated from the City of Kaufman, the town of College Mound and a rural area near Warsaw. Howie says one home on Love Street has at least seven inches of water in it.
State resources have also been deployed into the county and three boat crews from Texas Task Force One have been out helping people evacuate. Those crews will stay in the county through the overnight hours as additional heavy rains are forecast to move across the region.
The county has now moved its operations from the Kaufman Fire Department to nearby Landmark Church.
The American Red Cross is in Kaufman to assist the victims. Meanwhile, Texas Baptist Men is working to learn whether they will be deployed to the area.
Radar estimates show at least 10 inches of rain has fallen across Kaufman County in just the past twelve hours.
