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Dozens rescued in north Texas flash floods, more rain expected

By Amy R. Connolly

HOUSTON, May 29 (UPI) -- Emergency workers answered hundreds of calls for help early Friday, as yet another storm dumped up to seven inches of rain on north Texas, causing more flash floods in the already rain-soaked state.

Dallas Fire Rescue said dozens of people were rescued after vehicles became trapped in flooded streets. Another 21 people aboard a houseboat, that was swept away in flood waters, were rescued from Austin's Lake Travis. In Oklahoma, state troopers rescued a man who was swept off a bridge by floodwaters. He was later arrested on a public-intoxication complaint.

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Officials said 24 people have died in both states since rain began Memorial Day weekend, 20 of those in Texas. At least 14 remain missing.

"Northwest Dallas was bombarded for a very long time," Dhruv Pandya, assistant director of the Trinity Watershed Management, told The Dallas Morning News. "At one time we were getting rainfall amounts of 7 inches per hour, around 3 to 4 this morning. It didn't fall for one complete hour at that rate, but at one point that was the rate it was coming down."

Friday, the city of Wharton, southwest of Houston, issued a mandatory evacuation effective 5:30 p.m. as the Colorado River was predicted to crest above 43.4 feet on Saturday morning.

At the same time, the National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for the Arkansas River in Little Rock until Saturday. Forecasters said the river was at 21.3 feet Friday morning. Flooding state is 23 feet.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for 21 regions of Texas. Parts of Oklahoma are expected to get more rain Friday as well.

"It's bad all around north Texas and into Oklahoma. We need the rain, we were in a five-year drought and that drought is over thankfully, but the rain continues," said Joel Kertok, spokesman for the Parker County, Texas office of emergency management.

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