Amtrak train stranded Saturday by flooding West of San Antonio

Heavy bout of Texas rains result in flooding, water rescues
July 21, 2007 - Copyright 2007, The Associated Press.
KNIPPA, Texas — Flooding stranded an Amtrak train Saturday and rescue crews elsewhere pulled at least 50 people to safety, including some from rooftops by helicopter, during a bout of heavy showers around San Antonio.

No fatalities or serious injuries were reported, and by late afternoon, numerous roads closed earlier by high waters from more than a foot of rain in some areas began reopening.

"The water is going down. Things are getting better," Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said.

In Knippa, a small town about 75 miles west of San Antonio, water covering the tracks stopped a westbound Amtrak train carrying 176 passengers around 9 a.m. Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said buses were driving the passengers to El Paso, where they were expected to board another train early Sunday.

The train never lost power, but buses could not reach it until early Saturday evening because of flooded roads, Graham said.

Parts of northern Uvalde and Medina counties got as much as 17 inches of rain between 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday, said Pat McDonald, a National Weather Service forecaster.

In southern Guadalupe County overnight, a possible tornado damaged four businesses and at least one house, said Sheriff's Department Cpl. John Batey.

Seco Creek overflowed, inundating the town of D'Hanis near San Antonio, Brown said. Many businesses were flooded with 3 to 4 feet of water.

Boats, fire trucks and helicopters rescued stranded residents, but only one minor injury was reported, Brown said. A shelter was opened in nearby Hondo, but Brown said he didn't know how many residents would stay there.

In Bexar County, rescuers responded to more than two dozen calls for high-water rescue by Saturday afternoon.

There were also 20 to 30 road closures in San Antonio because of high water, said Orlando Hernandez, Bexar County emergency management coordinator.

"Other than a couple of days, we've had rain for the last three to four weeks," he said. "The ground is saturated. Any rain we get is resulting in flooding."

The San Antonio, Guadalupe and Medina rivers and Leon Creek are above their flood stages. Hernandez said early flooding was in low-lying areas without many homes.

Police in Uvalde reported street closures across the city, but no mandatory evacuations or rescues. Road closures and rescues were also reported in Kendall Count, and some campgrounds along the Medina River were evacuated.
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