Texas flood victims pictured with 21 dead and dozens missing

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Storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma this week have left at least 21 people dead – including six in Houston
There are more than about a dozen missing, with many of those not accounted for from one house in Hays County
Some of the worst damage so far has been in Wimberley, a popular bed-and-breakfast getaway surrounded in Austin
Two families were staying in an A-frame house in the town when it was torn from its foundations and swept away
A Houston wastewater treatment plant overflowed, spilling 100,000 gallons of sewage into surrounding waters

By Reuters and Dailymail.com Reporter and Ted Thornhill for MailOnline

Published: 08:40 EST, 27 May 2015 | Updated: 08:35 EST, 28 May 2015

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The storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma this week have left at least 21 people dead – including six in Houston - and about a dozen others missing.

Many of those not accounted for were from one house in Wimberley, Hays County, that was torn from its foundations during a terrifying flash flood over the weekend.

There were two families staying at the A-frame house in the picturesque bed-and-breakfast getaway for the long Memorial Day weekend. Among them were three children.

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Laura McComb (left), and her son and daughter Andrew, 6, and Leighton McComb (together right) were missing from Wimberley and presumed dead Wednesday. Also missing from Wimberley are Jose Arteaga-Pichardo (second from right) and Ralph Carey (far right)

Rescue teams are searching for (from left) Kenneth Reissig, Thomas Dayton, Sue Carey and William Charba, all from Wimberley

Terrified homeowners watch as floodwaters gush into house

Inside was Laura McComb, who was on the phone with her sister when the house, built on stilts, broke free and was swept away, NBC reported.

'We are in a house that is now floating down the river,' she reportedly told her sister, Julie Shields. 'Call Mom and Dad. I love you. And pray.'

Shields told the NBC affiliate KXAN that the phone call ended when McComb thought she saw a light from a helicopter that had come to rescue them.

She has not been heard from since Saturday night.

And while the barrage of deadly thunderstorms that hit Texas has tapered off, several cities aren't out of danger, as officials warn about possible flooding as the week goes on from rivers swollen by rainfall.

Lone survivor: Jonathan McComb (left) was the only one found alive when the vacation home was swept away. The eight other people who were in the cabin are believed to have been killed

Missing: Laura McComb and her children Andrew, 6, (right) and Leighton, 4, (left) are believed to be dead after their vacation home was washed away in severe flooding

Homecoming queen Alyssa Ramirez, 18, had just attended her high school prom (left) in Devine, Texas on Saturday when her car was swept away by rising flood waters. Her body was recovered on Sunday

Relatives of a flood victim react with shock after learning a loved one was found drowned

Search: Randy and Michelle Charba (right) and their 4-year-old son Will (left) are also missing. Mrs Charba is the daughter of Ralph and Sue Carey

Death toll rises to six in Houston as it recovers from floods

In hard-hit Houston a waste water treatment plant was so inundated with waters from an overflowing nearby bayou that more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled out into surrounding floodwaters.

In suburban Houston, the rains have sent the San Jacinto River above flood stage, and its waters were expected to cover streets in subdivisions along the west fork of the river, possibly stranding people their homes for several days if they didn't leave.

'A lot of folks drove their car into high water and had to abandon those vehicles,' Houston Mayor Annise Parker said at a news conference.

Two of the dead in Houston were found in their cars and another two were found in a bayou.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office said six people died in weather-related incidents over the holiday weekend in the state.

Sewage: More than 100,000 gallons of untreated wastewater has spilled after Houston's Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant flooded Tuesday when a bayou overflowed its banks

Overflowing dam: The Padera Dam near Dallas was dangerously close to overflowing, and sending a cascade of floodwaters into a nearby busy highway, as workers scrambled to pump off the excess

A tornado and torrential rains hit Texas and Oklahoma, killing at least 17 people and damaging hundreds of homes and buildings. At least 11 remain missing

More bad news: Flash floods stranded motorists along the city's freeways after historic levels of rain hit the state

Submerged: Some lost their cars completely to the water as they became barely even visible

Cleanup begins: Sandy Reyesa adds wet books to a dumpster full of soggy carpets and belongings Wednesday in Houston, where residents were just starting to clean up after flash floods soaked much of the nation's fourth largest city

More to come: Meteorologists say storms that have been virtually parked over Texas for weeks are not yet done, raising the prospect of even more flooding

Giant mess: Lorraine Joseph talks about her car still stuck the mud despite several attempts to pull it out Wednesday in Houston. Each attempt failed when the rescuers also got stuck in the mud

Search: Volunteers search for missing bodies along the Blanco River May 26, 2015 in San Marcos, Texas. The area was one of the hardest hit from recent storms and over a dozen remained unaccounted for Wednesday

A storm-ravaged highway along the Blanco River is strewn with debris. Rains were expected to continue through the weekend

Still more flash flood warnings were expected through the weekend in Texas, as a storm system that has settled along several southern states brings several more inches of rain

Floods damaged about 1,400 structures and snarled transport in Houston, the fourth most-populous U.S. city, where more than a thousands vehicles were trapped in rising water

New flood warning for Texas as death toll rises

Though Parker said parts of the city were unscathed, more than 1,000 vehicles were submerged in the Houston floods, CNN reports, and people took instead to bicycles, kayaks and surfboards to navigate water-covered streets.

In Wharton, about 60 miles southwest of Houston, the mayor asked residents who live in 300 homes on the west side of the city to voluntarily evacuate due to the predicted rise of the Colorado River. In the Parker County town of Horseshoe Bend in North Texas, officials asked about 250 residents to leave their homes as the Brazos River was expected to rise above its flood stage of 21 feet on Thursday.

While the Houston area got a respite from rainy weather for most of Wednesday, the heavy rains from earlier in the week were still making their way downstream. By late Wednesday, the San Jacinto was at 52 feet, nearly three feet above its flood stage, said Kim Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Flood Control District.

SMALL TOURIST TOWN AMONG HARDEST HIT AS 13 TEXANS REMAINED MISSING WEDNESDAY

The vacation house where two families were to spend Memorial Day weekend was already gone, swept down the swollen Blanco River, when Carissa Smith's husband arrived.

All he found was a Chevrolet Suburban slammed against a tree, the engine running.

The fate of those who were inside the home was still unclear Tuesday. Recovery teams were to resume looking for a group of people who may have been staying at the two-story house in this small town in the Texas Hill Country, where punishing rains and other severe weather have destroyed or damaged more than 1,000 homes. At least 17 people were reported killed by the storms in Texas and Oklahoma.

Some of the worst damage so far has been in Wimberley, a popular bed-and-breakfast getaway surrounded by vineyards near Austin.

Hundreds of trees on the banks of the Blanco, which crested to a record 40-plus feet and tripled its flood stage, toppled on or near houses.

'You cannot candy coat it. It's absolutely massive,' Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said after touring the destruction.

Witnesses said the vacation house was carried into the river by floodwaters and crashed into a bridge downstream. Bent concrete pylons and a few scattered horseshoes remained on the home's limestone slab.

At the top of a small slope that had led down to the house, the back wheels of a Suburban dangled above a ditch and its tailgate was smashed against a tree. Smith, who owns the land next door, said the car belonged to the homeowner.

'We think he went back in to get everybody out. Problem is, the house is up on stilts, so when they climb down the stairs, they had to climb into the water to get out,' said Smith, whose aunt and mother both live nearby. 'And I'm sure they realized that when they got in there, it was too late.'

Smith said she had spoken to relatives of the homeowner, a retired doctor.

Eight people missing from the destroyed house were friends and family who had gathered for the holiday, said Kristi Wyatt, a spokeswoman for the City of San Marcos. Three children, two age 6 and another 4, were among the missing.

Rescue teams planned to end their search efforts and move into a recovery phase.

'When you hit a bridge moving at 35 to 40 mph on the river, it's equivalent to a 70 mph head-on' collision, said Hays County Judge Bert Cobb.

Still missing: Flood debris atop a car in the Brays Bayou area where people are still missing following days of heavy rain and flash flooding in Houston

Trashed: A tornado and torrential rains hit northern Mexico as well as the US states of Texas and Oklahoma, killing at least 18 people and leaving thousands of homes damaged,

Raging waters: Debris collected in a destroyed swimming pool on the bank of the Blanco River in Wimberly, which can be seen in the background

Cruel reminder: A sign marks the road along the bank of the Blanco River, a cruel reminder of the source of destruction across much of eastern Texas

Rain still falls: Brian Quattrucci (L) and Mark Perez (R) move a flood-damaged mattress to the curb in front of a home in the Brays Bayou area where people are still missing following days of heavy rains and flooding

Hard-hit: A destroyed kitchen refrigerator lays among other debris near a ruined home in hard-hit Wimberly, Texas

'We're advising residents to take any measures that they deem appropriate for their safety as the river continues to rise,' she said.

Joey Shedd, 23, didn't plan on evacuating his home in the Moonshine Hill neighborhood located along the San Jacinto. Shedd said his home was safe as it stands on stilts, but he expected his parents' home next door to flood as it was not off the ground.

'It hasn't been this bad since Hurricane Ike (in 2008). This barely makes it to my house,' he said of the all-terrain vehicle he was using to ride across the flooded roadway that leads to his neighborhood located in a rural area northeast of Houston.

Chuck Bayne was among those who decided to follow the advice of officials and leave his North Texas home in Horseshoe Bend, about 70 miles west of Dallas. On Wednesday, Bayne, owner of the Brazos RV Resort, headed to his second home in Arlington.

'Everybody on the river is leaving - except you have a couple dozen who aren't leaving. They're afraid of looters, and some are just plain stubborn,' he said.

In Wharton, the Colorado River was predicted by Friday to crest at 45.8 feet, which is nearly seven feet above its flood stage.

Aftermath: A home in Wimberley, Texas is left mud-filled and uninhabitable as floodwaters slowly recede and reveal the devastation wrought by relentless storms

Ravaged: An overturned vehicle close to Blanco River which had flooded 2 days earlier. As of Wednesday morning, 18 were confirmed dead and over a dozen remained missing in flood-ravaged Texas and Oklahoma

Devastating: Over 11 inches of had fallen in parts of Houston, America's fourth largest city, where flooded highways have forced hundreds to abandon their cars

Fears mount: A destroyed car is submerged in the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas, after the flood. Search and rescue crews are still looking for over a dozen people swept away in the floodwaters

Austin woman rescued after driving into 40-foot floodwaters

'Our main concern was getting residents ahead of the game and giving them notice to voluntary evacuate,' said Paula Favors, city secretary in Wharton, which has more than 8,800 residents.

In Houston, between 800 and 1,400 homes have already been damaged by the flooding. Thousands of homes were also damaged or destroyed in the central Texas corridor that includes Wimberley - 744 of them in San Marcos alone.

This has been the wettest month on record for Texas, even with several days left. The state climatologist's office said Wednesday that Texas has gotten an average of 7.54 inches of rain in May, breaking the old record of 6.66 inches, set in June 2004. While rain is in the forecast the next couple of days for many of the affected areas, the chances for showers are greater during the weekend.

On the banks of the Blanco in Central Texas, Brian Martinez and his wife, Pam, continued Wednesday to clean up their home after it was swamped when the river crested Sunday.

Drone footage captures devastation caused by Texas floods

More rain: Flash floods continued to be possible as the wave of storms over Texas refused to abate. More rain was expected through Saturday

Memorial Day disaster: People walk their dogs across a flooded street to see a bayou that over flowed its banks in Houston. The death toll is set to rise with numerous people still missing in Texas after the storms slammed the states during the Memorial Day weekend

Standstill: America's fourth largest city, and the largest in Texas, is now a morass of floodwaters and debris as more storms threaten continued damage

Friends and neighbors of homeowner help carry and wash off her belongings several days after the home received major water damage when the nearby Blanco River flooded

Officials warn that dam is on brink of rupturing in Texas

DAM THREATENS TO BREAK AND FLOOD DALLAS-AREA HIGHWAY

Police say emergency personnel could shut down a highway if a dam southwest of Dallas breaks.

Water was flowing over the top of the earthen dam at Padera Lake, near Midlothian, early Wednesday morning following days of heavy rain.

If the dam breaks, Highway 287 could flood with a couple of feet of water.

Midlothian police Capt. John Spann says officials will divert traffic if that happens, but for now they must 'just wait and see.'

He says it's mostly a rural area, but that residents of around a dozen homes have been warned they could be in jeopardy of flooding if the dam breaks. He says they are not in danger of being swept away and that there's no mandatory evacuation order.

Midlothian is some 25 miles southwest of Dallas.

Dam in distress: Workers attempt to relieve the pressure from the earthen dam at Padera Lake, Wednesday in Midlothian, Texas

Water was flowing over the top of the dam early Wednesday morning following days of heavy rain. Police say emergency personnel could shut down a highway if the dam, southwest of Dallas breaks

While authorities early Wednesday stressed that a dam breach was imminent, later reports played down dangers slightly

Texans left helpless as flood waters swallow cars and homes

'I've cried all day,' said Pam Martinez. 'Every time I opened a drawer and saw there was more water. It was too much for me.'

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he had assured Texas Governor Greg Abbott that he could count on help from the federal government as the state recovers from the floods. Abbott has declared a state of disaster in at least 40 Texas counties, including Harris County, which includes Houston.

Abbott said he has deployed the state's National Guard and was worried the death toll could rise.

'It's devastating to see what I saw on the Blanco River when this tidal wave of water just swept away neighborhoods,' he said, recalling a disaster area in central Texas.

There was no damage estimate available for Texas, which has a $1.4 trillion-a-year economy and is the country's main domestic source of energy as well as an agricultural and manufacturing power.

There was no damage estimate available for Texas, which has a $1.4 trillion-a-year economy and is the country's main domestic source of energy as well as an agricultural and manufacturing power

A garden shed behind a home along the bank of the Blanco River in Wimberly after flooding destroyed hundreds of homes in Texas and Oklahoma over the holiday weekend

Flood waters cover several cars at the Meyergrove Apartment complex in Houston. Torrential rains turned streets into rivers and led to nearly 1,000 calls for help across the city

A totaled Porsche sits in the midst of the foundation of a home destroyed by the Memorial Day weekend floods in Wimberley, Texas

Amy Gilmour, a volunteer from San Antonio, Texas, helps pick up debris from the backyards of flood damaged homes along the Blanco River in Wimberley

Stranded: Hundreds of people were forced to abandon their vehicles on the highway when flash floods hit the Houston area. Up to four inches of rain fell in a very short time. Commuters Tuesday morning were met with scenes like this one in Interstate 45