Dewhurst to visit flooded area as rain threat persists

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (AP) - The acting governor was headed to this waterlogged Hill Country town Thursday to survey damage from massive flooding while evacuations were ordered elsewhere in the state under the threat of more downpours and flooding.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, acting governor while Gov. Rick Perry is out of the country, was set to visit the small lakeside community that was drenched by up to 18 inches of rain early Wednesday. No one was killed, but there were 32 water rescues and widespread wreckage.

Much of the state is enduring a second week of unseasonably heavy rains and flooding that have been blamed for at least 11 deaths. Two people in Williamson County were feared washed away early Thursday after their car was found abandoned, but they were found safe, officials said.

In North Texas, rains continued falling west of Fort Worth and widespread evacuations were ordered in Parker County along the Brazos River.

Overnight rainfall in Central Texas was far short of the 10 inches that were in the forecast, but more was expected Thursday and flash flood warnings were in effect throughout the area.

Marble Falls, about 40 miles northwest of Austin, received the brunt of the deluge Tuesday and Wednesday that left numerous people stuck on rooftops, in trees and on houses. The city was spared any rain overnight, but the rains began again late Thursday morning.

In Georgetown, north of Austin, 10 people were evacuated from three homes Thursday morning because of flooding on a branch of the San Gabriel River, said Keith Hutchinson, the city's public information officer. There were no reports of injuries.

Authorities also closed several impassible roads in surrounding Williamson County. Some cars stalled in the high water, but the occupants were able to get out without the help of rescue workers, county spokeswoman Connie Watson said.

The San Antonio Fire Department said it had conducted one high-water rescue early Thursday of a motorist stuck in water in northeast San Antonio.

"I'm sure that between now and end of the day we'll probably have a few more," said district chief Tommy Thompson.

Storm systems near Austin and San Antonio were expected to dump at least 4 more inches of rain in the area Thursday, with as much as 10 inches possible, the National Weather Service said.

Marble Falls Mayor Raymond Whitman said some looting had been reported in flood-damaged areas Wednesday. Extra police officers were on duty throughout the night, but no more incidents had been reported by Thursday morning, a city spokeswoman said.

Most of the residents in the town of about 7,200 remained without running water after flash floods damaged the city's water plant. Bottled water brought in by state emergency workers was available.

With more rain on the way, lakefront residents in two subdivisions near Buchanan Dam were advised to evacuate. In one area, about seven families were evacuated from their homes by helicopter because the roads were not passable.

The Texas National Guard dispatched troops and vehicles to Central Texas, as well as other areas hit by storms from the Oklahoma border to the Rio Grande Valley. About 150 troops and 50 vehicles were mobilized.

Whitman said the flooding caused the closure of three bridges and tore the back wall off the funeral home. Already, as many as 150 homes and businesses were damaged in Marble Falls, city spokeswoman Christine Laine said.

It's the wettest year on record in Austin, with more than 30 inches of rain since January, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Waco and Wichita Falls have received near-record amounts. The rainfall has more than compensated for a drought that gripped much of Texas in 2005-06, National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Lenz said.

___

Associated Press Writer Elizabeth White in New Braunfels contributed to this report.