Houston Motorists Abandon Vehicles Swamped by Heavy Rain

Parts of Texas have been deluged by rain that caused flooding and led to water rescues in the Houston area, while officials in North Texas are taking the unusual step of releasing water from lakes to avoid banks from being breached.

As of mid-day on May 13 more than 9 inches of rain had fallen in the Houston area in the previous 24 hours. Houston fire spokesman Jay Evans said that 20 people, most of them motorists, needed to be rescued from high water.

He says some intersections have 5 feet of standing water, stranding vehicles in Houston and cities to the south.

Parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area have received 10 inches of rain over the past week, with more on the way. Lakes long-parched by drought have overflowed with water in recent days.