DALLAS — A day after a record-breaking rainstorm, North Texas residents recounted what the flood left in its wake — boxes of keepsakes destroyed, piles of books soiled, businesses closed for cleanup, and never-to-forget tales of fleeing their homes in lifejackets amid waist-deep waters.
Up to 15 inches of rain flooded some parts of the Dallas area Monday, swamping roads, submerging cars and prompting Gov. Greg Abbott to sign a disaster declaration for 23 counties, including Dallas and Tarrant Counties. The declaration was at least the seventh in Texas this year in response to severe weather, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson noted the deluge in Dallas was just the latest in a string of extreme-weather events the city has had to recover from.
And this time, it was deadly. One woman was killed in Mesquite. Fire officials said her car may have been swept off the road by floodwater.
