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CNN Sunday Morning

Flooding Continues to Inundate Southwest Texas

Aired June 10, 2001 - 07:10   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: Up next, the storm that won't go away. In Texas and Louisiana, the threat of more rain today is grim news. Flash flood watches remain posted in many areas. Some places have been deluged with about two feet of rain in the past four days. Rivers and streams continue rising.

In southeast Texas, at least two deaths, about three feet of rain in some areas. Flooding has forced thousands from their homes leaving tens of thousands of families displaced.

More on how Texas is trying to cope from Will Jensen of our affiliate KTBC in Austin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL JENSEN, KTBC REPORTER (voice-over): Two hundred men and women with the Texas Army National Guard head for Houston. They take with them 50 military vehicles, six helicopters.

JAMES JARDINE, TEXAS ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: We're equipped to assist with generators possibly, with repair. We're also able, with our large five-ton trucks, to transport food and water.

JENSEN: It's taken a helicopter to fly into the Bayou city lately. Planes are being turned away. Dozens sit at airports in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.

JACKIE MAYO, ABIA SPOKESMAN: They're going all over the place. But the ones that we're experiencing here, the airlines are doing the best that they can to make provisions for their passengers.

JENSEN: Thousands of passengers are forced to change their plans.

GREGORY BELL, PASSENGER: We're trying to get over to Fort Myers to start our vacation. And we always usually watch the weather channel but today we didn't watch it. And we're finding out that Houston apparently is under water.

JENSEN (on camera): One hundred fifty miles away from the floodwaters, three stories under ground. Seventy-some odd state officials monitor and react to the changing situation. They work from a bunker built back in 1964.

JACK COLLEY, TEXAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We're not going to stop the operation. We're going to continue to do what we're doing.

JENSEN (voice-over): Nearly 40 years later it's not Fidel they fear, but the remnants of Allison.

COLLEY: Well, it's a pretty grave situation without saying. We've had almost a catastrophic event -- rain event from tropical storm Allison, which came to shore, you know, a few days ago.

JENSEN: President Bush has met Governor Rick Perry's request for federal aid, declaring 28 Houston area counties disaster areas.

GOVERNOR RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: What we're looking at right now, even now with the weather, with one eye but the other's making sure we don't have any citizens that get into citizens situations where their lives are impaired. You know, it's bad enough to lose to their property, but the lives are what we're most interested in right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That report from Will Jensen of KTBC in Austin, Texas.

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