Over the Memorial weekend, seemingly endless rain flooded parts of Texas and Oklahoma. The much needed rain solved much of the drought problem in the states, but resulted in at least 10 deaths and 30 missing people.
In Houston, major roadways and freeways are blocked as the storm is expected to continue in the afternoon. Thousands of vehicles were abandoned on the roadways where the floodwater reached dangerously high levels. One of the deceased victims was found in a flooded vehicle. In addition to thousands of vehicles, hundreds of buildings and homes are flooded with an estimated 700 homes ruined by the flood.
Houston's Metro system was closed along with its bus system. Schools and businesses were also closed on Tuesday as high water levels left buildings unsafe and transportation impossible for some. In the month of May alone, Texas and Oklahoma have received 20 inches of rain.
Mayor Annise Parker warned residents to stay away from flooded areas, as some Houston residents ventured out to see sites of immense flooding. The situation in Houston has reached national attention as President Barrack Obama offered federal assistance to Houston to deal with the storm and floods.
"We have FEMA personnel already on the ground. They are coordinating with Texas emergency management authorities and I will anticipate that there will be some significant requests made to Washington. My pledge to him is that we will expedite those requests," said President Barrack Obama.
The flooding is so severe in some areas that the deluge engulfs street signs. Texas governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency in 24 counties. 44 Oklahoma counties are currently in a state of emergency.
Power failures occurred on a widespread level during the storm, and thousands were without power on Tuesday as power companies quickly rushed to fix technical problems caused by the storm.
