Texas Governor Declares Disaster for 23 Counties

Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference in Uvalde, Texas, on May 27, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared a disaster for 23 Texas counties after storms and rainfall triggered flash flooding.

Abbott signed the declaration in Dallas, one of the most impacted areas during the recent storms and flooding.

As of Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported that more than 10 inches of rain fell in the area. The Dallas-Fort Worth received about 9.19 inches of rain over the past several days.

“The effect of this storm has been dramatic here in Dallas and Fort Worth, but across multiple regions around the state of Texas. And as a result, I’m about to sign a state disaster declaration,” he said alongside Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Fox4 reported.

Abbott said the declaration for 23 counties will “ensure impacted communities” will get state funding and resources to deal with flood damage. Residents should report property damage to a state emergency management website, he wrote on Twitter.

Across the area, rainfall amounts ranged from less than 1 inch to over 15 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Sarah Barnes. By Monday afternoon, the rain had moved out of the area, she said.

“There was quite a bit of variation in the rainfall totals,” Barnes said.

At least one fatality was blamed on the downpours as emergency responders across the area reported responding to hundreds of high-water calls. A 60-year-old woman was killed in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite when flood waters from South Mesquite Creek swept her vehicle from Texas 352 westbound at Interstate 635, officials said.

But in Dallas, more than 100 homes across the area have been damaged or impacted by the weather, Abbott said Tuesday. The state has deployed water rescue craft and personnel. About 28 cars were damaged in the storm, the city’s police chief said.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, as presiding officer of the Dallas County commissioners, declared a disaster had occurred in the county and requested federal and state assistance for affected individuals.

Meanwhile, the weather caused hundreds of delays and cancellations in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and at Dallas Love Field.

Farther west, about 60 people were forced to evacuate after a levee was breached Monday in a small town near the Arizona-New Mexico state line. That followed a weekend of flash floods across the Southwest that also swept away one woman who is still missing in Utah’s Zion National Park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.