Driver missing, deputy rescued as storm pounds Texas
A dangerous storm is blasting much of the central United States Friday morning with extreme weather.
It threatens to dump up to eight inches of rain in some areas. Flash flooding led to a number of water rescues overnight in Texas. At least one person is presumed dead.
Arezow Doost from CBS station KTVT reports that the rain fell hard and fast overnight. In Fort Worth, first responders have just called off their search for a 70-year-old woman who was swept away by the floodwaters.
Search and rescue crews in Tarrant County, Texas fought the high, rushing water overnight. They were dispatched to find the elderly driver.
"It is difficult for the guys to navigate in the dark and in water like this," said Lt. Kyle Falkner of the Fort Worth Fire Department. "They're doing their best and they've made their way up to where the vehicle originally went into the water."
Tarrant County Deputy Crystal Salazar, 26, was pulled under the water. Her colleagues searched for her for nearly two hours.
"The rain and the water was at such a high rate across the roadway, as she was attempting to get into the car... she herself was swept into the water and taken downstream some distance and lost," said Terry Grisham of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
Salazar was found clinging to a tree a couple hours later and has been taken to a hospital in Fort Worth. Authorities say she will be okay.
Overnight, the Texas Department of Transportation announced that "travel is highly discouraged." Drivers traveling on the Texas panhandle were urged to "drive with caution" due to the freezing rain and icing conditions.
Dallas-Fort Worth broke Friday's rain record in just hours. This is the wettest year on record for Dallas with more than 53 inches of rain. That total will likely rise as the storm system is expected to saturate this region through Sunday.