Swollen rivers cause Texas cities to worry about flooding

HOUSTON — While the barrage of deadly thunderstorms that hit Texas has tapered, many cities remain in danger, and officials have warned about the possibility of more flooding from rain-swollen rivers as the week goes on.

In suburban Houston, the rains have pushed the San Jacinto River above flood stage, and its waters were expected to cover streets in subdivisions along the west fork of the river, possibly stranding people in their homes for days if they don't leave.

In Wharton, about 60 miles southwest of Houston, the mayor asked residents to voluntarily evacuate about 300 homes on the west side of the city due to the predicted rise of the Colorado River. In the Parker County town of Horseshoe Bend in north Texas, officials asked about 250 residents to leave their homes as the Brazos River was expected to rise above its flood stage of 21 feet on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in central Texas, crews continued searching for nine people feared dead after the swollen Blanco River smashed through Wimberley, a small tourist town between San Antonio and Austin, over the Memorial Day weekend. In Houston, residents whose homes were flooded by torrential rains Monday and Tuesday also continued their cleanup efforts. The storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma this week have left at least 21 people dead and about a dozen others missing.

While the Houston area got a respite from rainy weather for most of Wednesday, the heavy rains from earlier in the week were still making their way downstream. By late Wednesday, the San Jacinto was at 52 feet, nearly three feet above its flood stage, said Kim Jackson, a spokesman for the Harris County Flood Control District.

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