As storms, flooding, and probable tornadoes pounded the Midwest and parts of the South overnight, police reported that at least one person had perished in Texas due to rising floodwaters.
Two submerged cars were discovered in the city’s north by a boat team, according to a statement from Dallas Fire-Rescue. Rescuers had to wait for the water levels to drop before examining a second vehicle, according to the fire service, however “early reports” stated two individuals were seen exiting one.
“Unfortunately, once first responders were able to search the second vehicle, they found one adult male still inside who was pronounced dead,” according to the department’s public information officer. The victim has not been identified.
A vast region that extended up to Kansas and Missouri was struck by turbulent weather.
In a suburban street in Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday, witnesses saw firefighters rescue an elderly woman whose car was encircled by several feet of rushing floods.
Two individuals were evacuated simultaneously from another automobile, according to Colin Fee and Danielle Hart, who recorded the video in Wichita. The Wichita Fire Department received 77 “submersion calls” from stranded drivers on Tuesday, including the rescue.
During floods, the fire department has urged cars to follow the well-worn advice, “Turn around, don’t drown.”
“The waters were rising, they were getting very close to her car being fully submerged, so she just looked like she was relieved and just happy to be alive,” Hart stated.
In just forty-five minutes, the couple reported, the water level increased several feet, and they were only warned “about an hour into the flood.”
A semitrailer was overturned on Interstate 35, and social media users posted pictures of a massive funnel cloud forming overhead as a tornado warning was issued near Kansas City, Missouri.
Another video showed tornado sirens blaring as strong gusts and rain blew across the Royals’ home field, Kauffman Stadium.
A woman shared on TikTok that she and other customers were forced to take refuge in a Whole Foods store’s walk-in freezer.
The previous daily rainfall record of 2.25 inches set in 2015 was shattered by Kansas City’s record-breaking 2.46 inches of rain on Tuesday.
Read Also: Kansas Declares Flash Flood Emergency as Rescues Unfold in Wichita
The city stated that its staff had already started evaluating the damage and removing debris Friday night after launching its emergency operation team, which handles big disasters. As of yet, no injuries have been reported.
Only scattered thunderstorms are predicted on Wednesday, but 18 million people from Kansas to Texas were under flash flood alerts on Tuesday. Wednesday is supposed to bring calmer weather, but this reprieve won’t last long.
33 million people nationwide, from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas, are at risk of severe thunderstorms on Thursday night as a result of another round of moderate to heavy rain.
“By Thursday night into Friday morning, a low pressure wave is forecast to form over the southern High Plains and then track eastward, setting the stage for a round of moderate to heavy rain and strong to severe thunderstorms to impact the south-central U.S. beginning Thursday night,” the National Weather Service stated on Wednesday morning.
