More rain for Texas, 7-year-old among the dead
HOUSTON -- Rain, floods, and mandatory evacuations are what Texans have been dealing with the past few days. Here's an update on how things stand right now.
At least 31 people have been killed in storms that began in Texas and Oklahoma over Memorial Day weekend. Twenty-seven of the deaths have been in Texas alone, and 11 people are still missing.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department says a 7-year-old girl was killed after a crash that ejected her into floodwaters and she was swept away.
PHOTOS: Severe weather moves through Texas
In order to help the Lone Star State rebuild and recover from the storm, President Obama signed a disaster declaration for several counties including Harris County.
Officials are still keeping a close eye on several rivers. The National Weather Service says later Sunday the Colorado River in Wharton and the San Jacinto River should both recede below flood stage. However the Brazos River remains a huge area of concern.
City officials in Wharton have given the all-clear for residents there to return to their homes, after calling a mandatory evacuation last week. Neighbors on the west side of Wharton were evacuated Thursday as the waters of the Colorado River rose to alarming heights, but the river crested at 42.5 feet yesterday without any flooding of homes.
Many high school seniors will receive their diplomas Sunday after severe storms and a power outage canceled Saturday's ceremonies.
Other events are rescheduled as a result of storms: the Sugar Land Skeeters game is rescheduled for Monday as double header at 6:05pm, and the Miller Outdoor Theater "Karma: The Wheel of Life" is slated for a later date.
As much as 3 inches of rain fell Saturday afternoon and evening in Houston, feeding fears of renewed flooding. But officials say bayous are responding well and no new evacuations have been ordered or recommended in low-lying and riverfront areas of Southeast Texas outside the nation's fourth-largest city.
Some street flooding is reported and thousands of customers lost power.
There was minor flooding inside Minute Maid Park as the Houston Astros hosted the Chicago White Sox.
Meanwhile, officials say the flood threat from the Colorado River is over in Wharton, Texas, and a mandatory evacuation order for neighborhoods on the west side of town has been lifted.
Also, authorities in Central Texas have recovered the bodies of two women killed in flash flooding last weekend along the Blanco River.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
