The Latest on flooding: High winds damage Houston complex

The Latest on flooding: High winds damage Houston complex


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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — 10:15 a.m.

High winds have damaged rooftops, blown out windows and blown over trees at a Houston apartment complex, and two people were injured.

Houston fire officials initially said a possible tornado had struck the complex at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, but later said in a news release that the damage was caused by "severe weather."

Authorities say about 10 apartments were heavily damaged and 40 others sustained some.

The two injured residents were taken to a hospital. The extent of their injuries wasn't immediately clear.

Emergency crews searched the complex for people trapped inside but it's believed residents made it out once severe weather passed.

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9:45 a.m.

Some parts of Texas have seen up to 10 inches of rain in 24 hours, and the waters continue to overwhelm communities.

Dozens of high-water rescues in Central Texas were reported overnight as the Blanco River and other swollen waterways breached their banks and residents early Sunday fled their homes.

The Blanco River swamped sections of Interstate 35 on Sunday, forcing parts of the busy north-south highway to close. The National Weather Service says the river crested Sunday at more than 40 feet; its flood stage is 13 feet.

The weather service has issued flash flood warnings for much of the state, particularly Central and North Texas.

Rain in many areas is expected to diminish somewhat but forecasts call for continued periods of rainfall through the week.

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8 a.m.

A mandatory evacuation has been issued for residents in an area north of Houston because authorities are concerned heavy rains may cause a dam to fail.

The evacuation area is between Lake Conroe and nearby Lake Lewis, about 50 miles north of Houston. The Montgomery County Emergency Management office said in a statement Sunday that the dam on Lake Lewis remains intact.

The area received rain overnight and the National Weather Service expects another 2 to 3 inches through Sunday along with damaging winds. Up to 4 inches of rains could fall Monday.

Montgomery County officials say a Red Cross shelter is open in Montgomery to assist residents who have been evacuated.

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7:50 a.m.

Authorities in northeast Oklahoma say a firefighter for the city of Claremore has died after being swept away by floodwaters while assisting in a water rescue from a house.

Rogers County Emergency Management spokesman Thomas Hudson says the firefighter died early Sunday morning. The man was standing in some water during the rescue, lost his footing and was swept away. The firefighter's name has not been released.

The flooding is due to days of heavy rain throughout the state, especially in the southwest part, as well as Oklahoma City and Norman. Hudson says the Claremore area is expecting more rain Sunday.

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6:30 a.m.

Authorities in Oklahoma and Texas say they have been conducting numerous rescues of residents from flooding areas.

In Hays County in Central Texas, sheriff's Lt. Jeri Skrocki tells The Associated Press that residents in the small community of Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, are being urged to evacuate as the nearby Blanco River continues to rise at a record-high level.

She says no serious injuries have been reported and that emergency shelters have been set up for residents at schools, a church, a nursing home and a community center.

In Oklahoma, authorities in Cleveland and Comanche counties say in news releases that they also have assisted with rescues after flooding, including people trapped in their attics and on their roofs.

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10:20 p.m.

A music festival in Oklahoma is being evacuated because of inclement weather.

Officials with the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, about 50 miles west of Tulsa, urged attendees around 9 p.m. to head to their cars or the nearby camping area to wait out the incoming weather. They later stressed the campgrounds were not being evacuated.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says at least 15 highways have been closed across the state due to high water from the recent flooding. It also caused damage to a gas station and mall in Oklahoma City.

Evacuation orders have been issued in Elk City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls, Texas, amid warnings from the National Weather Service about potentially historic flooding.

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9:20 p.m.

A powerful storm that has flooded roads across much of Oklahoma also has caused major damage at a gas station in the state capital of Oklahoma City.

KOCO-TV reports heavy winds peeled the roof off a Shell station and caused other damage. Motorists were stranded on a nearby road due to flooding.

The station reports city fire officials received 80 high-water calls over a two-hour period. Flood water got inside one mall in the city and nearly covered cars in the parking lot of another.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says at least 15 highways have been closed across the state.

Evacuation orders have been issued in Elk City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls, Texas, amid warnings from the National Weather Service about potentially historic flooding.

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9:05 p.m.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says at least 15 highways have been closed across the state due to high water from the recent flooding.

Heavy rainfall also made roads impassable Saturday night across much of the Oklahoma City metro area. The southbound ramp of Interstate 44 leading to I-40 was among the closures.

KOCO-TV reports Oklahoma City fire officials received 80 high-water calls over a two-hour period. The heavy water flooded one mall in the city and nearly covered cars in the parking lot of another.

Evacuation orders have been issued in Elk City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls, Texas, amid warnings from the National Weather Service about potentially historic flooding.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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