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Tropical Storm Imelda floods Texas

Los remanentes de la depresión tropical Imelda siguen causando hoy graves inundaciones en partes del sureste del estado norteamericano de Texas, donde se reportan personas atrapadas en casas y vehículos, y carreteras cubiertas de agua.
De acuerdo con la cadena de televisión CNN, las inundaciones son más graves al norte y al este de la ciudad de Houston, incluida la de Beaumont, donde la policía informó que recibió cientos de llamadas de rescate y rogaba a la gente que evitaran conducir dadas las condiciones de las carreteras.

Michael Stephens, un residente atrapado por las aguas en un complejo de apartamentos en la ciudad de Vidor, declaró al medio que la situación empeoraba por minutos, y que las inundaciones parecían peores que las provocadas por el huracán Harvey en la zona en 2017.

El clima severo provocó que esta mañana se detuvieran por completo las operaciones del aeropuerto intercontinental George Bush, de Houston.

Asimismo, en la comunidad de Winnie, entre Houston y Beaumont, las aguas invadieron la carretera Interestatal 10 y diferentes calles, lo cual dejó a personas atrapadas en sus automóviles y en negocios del área.

En el condado de Chambers, que incluye a Winnie, el alguacil Brian Hawthorne informó que las inundaciones alcanzaron al menos a 200 hogares, en algunos de los cuales el agua superó el metro y medio de altura, y las autoridades estaban ayudando a las personas atrapadas con vehículos de rescate en alta mar y botes de aire.

Imelda ha provocado precipitaciones intensas desde que llegó a tierra el martes proveniente del golfo de México como una depresión tropical, y algunos lugares de Texas ya recibieron más de 700 milímetros de lluvia.

De acuerdo con la policía, en la ciudad de Beaumont cayeron de 300 a 500 milímetros entre la noche del miércoles y la mañana de hoy, con más precipitaciones por venir, y CNN indicó que algunos barrios de la localidad parecían lagos.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional emitió una declaración de emergencia este jueves para los residentes de los condados de Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers y Harris, en la pidió permanecer en el interior de edificaciones debido a las inundaciones repentinas.

A man wades out through floodwaters caused by heavy rain spawned by Tropical Depression Imelda inundated the area on Sept. 19, 2019, in Patton Village, Texas. (Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

ENGLISH

By Thursday night, floodwaters had started receding in most of the Houston area, said the city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner. Law enforcement officers planned to work well into the night to clear freeways of vehicles stalled and abandoned because of flooding, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said there had been a combination of at least 1,700 high-water rescues and evacuations to get people to shelter as the longevity and intensity of the rain quickly came to surprise even those who had been bracing for floods. The storm also flooded parts of southwestern Louisiana.

More than 900 flights were canceled or delayed in Houston. Further along the Texas Gulf Coast, authorities at one point warned that a levee could break near Beaumont in Jefferson County. During Harvey, Beaumont’s only pump station was swamped by floodwaters, leaving residents without water service for more than a week.

Imelda’s remnants Thursday led to the deaths of two men. A 19-year-old man drowned and was electrocuted while trying to move his horse to safety, according to a message from his family shared by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Crystal Holmes, a spokeswoman for the department, said the death occurred during a lightning storm.

More: https://news.yahoo.com/photos-tropical-storm-imelda-floods-texas-133004932.html

Jade McLain carries Thor out of a boat as she and Fred Stewart were rescued from their flooded neighborhood inundated by rains from Tropical Depression Imelda by Splendora Police officers on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Spendora, Texas. (Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Cars drive on a flooded street in Sargent, Texas, as seen in this aerial photo, Sept. 18, 2019. (Photo: Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Splendora Police Lt. Troy Teller, left, Cpl. Jacob Rutherford and Mike Jones pull a boat carrying Anita McFadden and Fred Stewart from their flooded neighborhood inundated by rain from Tropical Depression Imelda on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Spendora, Texas. (Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A truck sits largely submerged in floodwater in front of a church on Sept. 19, 2019, in Vidor, Texas, following flooding from Tropical Depression Imelda. (Photo: Ryan Welch/The Beaumont Enterprise via AP)
People wait outside of their stranded vehicles along Interstate 10 westbound at T.C Jester, Sept. 19, 2019. The freeway is closed because of high water east bound on the freeway. (Photo: Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Several cars were flooded along Interstate 10 in Southeast Texas, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, due to Tropical Storm Imelda. (Photo: Guiseppe Barranco/The Beaumont Enterprise via AP)