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CNN Live Today

Floods in Texas Force Residents to Flee

Aired July 05, 2002 - 11:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: But up first -- flooding in Texas. Days of heavy rain are now taking their toll, lake water is rising. And for the first time in its history the Canyon Lake dam is overflowing, forcing hundreds of residents and vacationers to flee the area.

Reporter Shelton Dodson from our affiliate KMS joins us this hour from Castroville, Texas. What's the latest from there?

SHELTON DODSON, KMS CORRESPONDENT: It is incredible. Actually there is some good news for right now -- it's temporarily good news, Miles.

Here in Medina County in Castroville -- that is practically due west of San Antonio -- about 10:00 Central Time.

It has been raining here for about six days throughout this area.

We are just west of the Medina River where we are located now. The trouble is coming again later but where the trouble is now is at the place you mentioned and that is Canyon Lake. Never before has this lake seen this much water.

Canyon Lake is located in Comal County near Dubrofells (ph) -- that is northeast of San Antonio.

Canyon Lake has gone over its spillway. As we said, it's never happened before and it's filling the rivers below. It's been raining here since Sunday morning -- six days -- 30 inches in some areas.

So far five fatalities reported. One man is still reported missing. Unfortunately they expect more in this area with just as much rain as has come out of here.

Powerful cells have ripped through this area all morning long going south to north. And what has happened -- it's gone across Bear County where San Antonio is located and dumped more rain up into Canyon Lake, which you see -- up into Medina Lake.

Both of those lakes have dams on them. Both of those lakes -- Medina, for the past three days, and, Canyon, since I believe late last night -- have come over their spillways and are channeling their ways back down south. Now the Medina River -- as we come back to the location where we're at near Castroville, we have actually come up to higher ground up with our satellite truck just so we could bring these reports.

We were fearing, Miles, that if we were down too close we could not get out -- that's what they expect the Medina River to do.

If you go down to where the Medina River goes through Castroville right now it's about eight feet from coming up over the bridge. But the water at Medina Lake is cresting as we speak and it's about 10 hours of travel time down this way -- enormous amounts.

Medina River comes through Castroville and it turns due east and starts to go towards the San Antonio area.

Here's a very key point, Miles, that will put this in perspective. At one area of the Medina River the flood stage is at 20 feet. It will crest at that area at 61 feet once it finally reaches it -- three times above flood stage and that is one river. We're talking about six that are out of their banks and going wild here in south Texas.

O'BRIEN: It's difficult, Shelton, to really get a sense of perspective on all of this given the volume of water and the number of rivers that are effected. Give us a sense of how many homes might ultimately be -- have to be evacuated or will be effected as a result of this? Has anybody done a tally?

DODSON: It is -- it's very difficult. I will have to speak from the area that I have covered. Basically what we have done is we're afraid that the Medina River once it goes is going to cut us off from San Antonio so we have brought our satellite facilities west.

And I don't know a lot about what's going on east, to be quite frank with you. So I don't know how many homes are effected but there are some very high-priced and big homes up in the Canyon Lake area.

And here where I am at they've actually evacuated about 4,000 people within a mile on each side of the Medina River and taken them up into a town called Honda where they've set up a shelter. About 200 people in that area right now but they're equipped for about 1,500 people.

So there are many, many, many homes threatened and it's only going to get worse. People that are familiar with the south Texas area -- there are numerous rivers -- Medina, Comal, Guadalupe, San Antonio -- I am forgetting many. All of them are out of their banks in certain areas. Massive amounts of water.

And, again, all of the cells that have gone up through the area up from southeast San Antonio through San Antonio and then dropped the load of water into these two lakes with the dams. Then it's come over and it's coming right back down. So we don't even know what's going to happen here really in the next 24 hours, to be quite honest with everyone.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Shelton Dodson with our affiliate KMS, thank you for that update.

DODSON: Certainly.

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