A U.S. Army truck overturned in a rain-swollen creek at Fort Hood on Thursday, killing three soldiers and leaving six missing as storms dumped more rain on flood-hit parts of Texas on Thursday.
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Officials in Fort Bend were urging evacuated residents not to return home and noted that authorities have conducted almost 560 water rescues since Sunday.
An additional six soldiers remained unaccounted for, according to the Public Affairs Office.
Abbott planned to visit Hood County in North Texas on Thursday and the Fort Bend County area on Friday.
Twelve people were onboard the light medium tactical vehicle when it overturned at the Owl Creek Tactical Low-Water Crossing on East Range Road Thursday morning. They were in stable condition at a local hospital.
The six missing soldiers are from the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Aircraft, a canine team, heavy ground equipment and swift-water rescue watercraft are taking part in the rescue effort.
The names of the dead are being withheld pending family notification. From CNN: “As of May 29, Texas had been inundated with more than 35 trillion gallons of rain, enough to cover the entire state in nearly 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service”. At least two high water rescues were conducted, one near Lackland Air Force Base, according to the National Weather Service. Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers, their families and the entire Fort Hood community.
In his statement, Abbott said the state “stands ready to provide any assistance to Fort Hood as they deal with this tragedy”. More storms were on the way that could dump up to 10 inches of rain from Thursday through Saturday and worsen flooding caused by rivers and other waterways that already have risen to record levels.
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About half of Texas is under flood watches or warnings, including Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, where about 1,400 homes have been affected by the swollen Brazos River.
