Deadly flash floods leave their mark

Jim Skillington in Disaster News Network: Flash flooding in Texas, Wyoming and Utah have turned deadly this week after several days of heavy rain. In Texas alone, nearly a dozen inches of rain has swamped the central portion of the state. In Comal County, emergency responders plucked nearly 90 people from their homes or trees after the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks. At least one person was killed in the flash flooding.

In addition to property damage Texas health officials were warning of water contamination when a sewage treatment plant was overrun by the flooding. New Braunfels Utilities shut down the plant but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said downstream residents should wear protective clothing when cleaning up their homes.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry warned residents to keep an eye on forecasts that predict additional rainfall as he activated emergency resources to deal with the flooding. "We will. . .continue to take action to protect Texans as needed," he said.

Rain wasn't the only hazard to hit the state Wednesday. The National Weather Service said a small tornado caused property damage in Jefferson County. As Texans coped with the heavy rain, emergency officials in Wyoming and Utah dealt with record flooding in those states as well….

The Trinity River flooding in Dallas, Texas (USA) on 8 July 1908