flood, Texas
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Texas, flooding
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After hours of waiting and praying in the attic, the water stopped rising and the family was rescued. A first responder helped Matteson, wearing a navy and pink floral dress and quilted white jacket, into the back of a car. Her family survived. Their home was not so lucky.
The Texas Hill Country has been notorious for flash floods caused by the Guadalupe River. Here's why the area is called "Flash Flood Alley."
This part of Texas Hill Country is known for flash floods. Why were so many people caught off guard when the river turned violent?
Walston drove from his home to the Center Point Bridge on FM 480 near Highway 27, where he shot video of the river below. He recorded nearly 38 minutes of surging water as it rose over 20 feet, carrying massive cypress trees, debris and even a house.
The family had little time to think of a way out. They started using lobster buoys and a pocketknife to make a hole in the sleeping loft to escape.
More than two dozen Mexican rescue volunteers and firefighters have been looking for victims and clearing debris along the Guadalupe River. Others were left waiting for visas and humanitarian permits to cross the border.
After hearing a young woman scream for her life on the flooded Guadalupe River, Carl Jeter called first responders to rescue her after she tread water for 15 miles.
With more than 170 still missing, communities must reconcile how to pick up the pieces around a waterway that remains both a wellspring and a looming menace.
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