One dead, two rescued in Texas flooding

SAN ANTONIO, July 1 (UPI) -- Two teenagers were rescued from a rain-swollen San Antonio creek in a dramatic rescue Monday as pounding rain across south central Texas closed roads and caused hundreds of accidents.

Firefighters rescued a dozen people from swamped cars at flooded intersections around the city. More than 60 streets were barricaded due to high water.

Late Monday, two teenagers were walking along swollen Apache Creek on the city's west side when one of them fell in. The other jumped in to save him, and both were swept nearly a mile by a 40 mph current.

Firefighter Trenton Thames finally lashed himself to a rope and waded into the rushing water, pulling the youths to safety.

"I saw him and I just went in and grabbed him," Thames told reporters.

One of the teenagers was unhurt, but the other lost consciousness and was airlifted to University Hospital, where he was reported in critical condition.

"This is more evidence that you need to stay away from swift water," District Fire Chief Tommy Thompson said. "Especially younger, unsupervised children need to stay away from swift water, especially in these conditions."

Interstate 35 was closed by high water at two points between San Antonio and Laredo. Hundreds of motorists were reportedly stranded in the massive traffic jam in South Texas.

The sudden drenching rain also broke the region's drought, more than making up in 36 hours for the region's more than 7-inch rain deficit for the year. Some areas of San Antonio reported receiving 14 inches of rain.

The heavy rain prompted officials to lift bans on aerial fireworks in Comal and Bexar Counties, and revoke a ban on outdoor burning in Bexar County.

The board of the Edwards Aquifer Authority also met and decided against imposing region-wide water conservation measures which were set to kick in Tuesday.

"Because the aquifer has come up so quickly, it looks like we'll get almost to the month of August before we'll need additional restrictions," Authority General Manager Greg Ellis said.

The Edwards Aquifer is the main source of water for the region from south of Austin to the Big Bend Country of West Texas.

Ironically, the city of San Antonio remains under water rationing. Strict water use limits were imposed last Wednesday, and the law says aquifer levels have to remain above the threshold for 30 days before those restrictions can be lifted. So a homeowner, who waters his lawn today, with flooding throughout the region, can be fined for wasting water.

One death was blamed on the storms, an 18-year-old hiker who fell into swollen Barton Creek at Austin late Sunday. He was swept away by the fast-moving stream and his body was later recovered.