CBS — Parts of Texas and Oklahoma have been hit with heavy rains, leading to numerous rescues and evacuations, as well as the death of a firefighter.
Authorities say a firefighter for the city of Claremore, Oklahoma, died after being swept away by floodwaters. Claremore Fire Chief Sean Douglas told CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City the firefighter was attempting to rescue a fellow firefighter who had fallen into a flooded storm.
Rogers County Emergency Management spokesman Thomas Hudson says the firefighter died early Sunday morning. The man was standing in some water during the rescue, lost his footing and was swept away. The firefighter’s name has not been released.
The flooding is due to days of heavy rain throughout the state, especially in the southwest part, as well as Oklahoma City and Norman. Hudson says the Claremore area is expecting more rain Sunday.
Additional rainfall is expected for much of Sunday, which will worsen flooding conditions across the area, reports CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City.
Authorities in Oklahoma and Texas say they have been conducting numerous rescues of residents from flooding areas.
In Hays County in Central Texas, sheriff’s Lt. Jeri Skrocki tells The Associated Press that residents in the small community of Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, are being urged to evacuate as the nearby Blanco River continues to rise at a record-high level.
She says no serious injuries have been reported and that emergency shelters have been set up for residents at schools, a church, a nursing home and a community center.
In Oklahoma, authorities in Cleveland and Comanche counties say in news releases that they also have assisted with rescues after flooding, including people trapped in their attics and on their roofs.
A music festival in Oklahoma was evacuated Saturday because of inclement weather.
Officials with the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, about 50 miles west of Tulsa, urged attendees around 9 p.m. to head to their cars or the nearby camping area to wait out the incoming weather. They later stressed the campgrounds were not being evacuated.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says at least 15 highways have been closed across the state due to high water from the recent flooding. It also caused damage to a gas station and mall in Oklahoma City.
Evacuation orders have been issued in Elk City, Oklahoma, and Wichita Falls, Texas, amid warnings from the National Weather Service about potentially historic flooding.