Flooding

Torrential rainfall triggers high water rescues across DFW

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Wednesday night’s torrential rainfall created a dangerous situation for drivers across North Texas Thursday morning. Waters have receded but there were numerous road closures and high water rescues reported overnight especially in Dallas. NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen has more.

Overnight torrential rainfall created a dangerous situation for drivers across North Texas, leading to multiple road closures and high-water rescues, particularly in Dallas.

While waters have since receded in many areas, some spots remain flooded, including White Rock Creek in Dallas.

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Dallas Fire Rescue crews were inundated with calls throughout the night. One of the first high-water incidents occurred at Wycliff Avenue, where two homeless individuals living in tents were swept away by rising waters. Fortunately, both were rescued without injuries.

From there, rescue operations escalated. According to Dallas Fire Rescue, their busiest swift water rescue team was deployed at 8 p.m. last night and worked tirelessly until nearly 8 a.m. this morning. Many of the calls originated from northeast Dallas, an area notorious for flooding.

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Lawther Road and Northwest Highway remain closed due to high water, continuing to pose a hazard for motorists.

In a bizarre incident nearby on Goforth Road, a funeral home van became stuck in high water while transporting two bodies. When units originally responded, the water was all the way up to the windows of the van.

Officials said the driver and passenger were safely rescued. As the water receded, DFR crews were able to walk out to the van and hook a tow cable to it so a heavy wrecker could pull it to dry land before the bodies were transferred to another vehicle.

Another dramatic rescue took place on Fireside Drive, where Dallas Fire Rescue boats evacuated six people from a home that had taken on water. While the area frequently floods, this particular home had never experienced such conditions. The Red Cross has stepped in to assist the family.

Despite the volume of emergency calls, there were no reported injuries from the high-water rescues. Jason Evans, a spokesperson for Dallas Fire Rescue, emphasized the importance of public awareness and safety precautions.

"It seems like people more and more are understanding the importance of the information we push out, which is basically ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown,'" he said. "One of the challenges we have with a storm coming in at nighttime is the lack of visibility. So sometimes when people get caught in those situations, it's simply because they cannot see it coming, which makes it all the more dangerous."

Evans commended the work of first responders who risk their lives to save others.

"There's not enough that can be said about the work they do. Hats off to them and the work they put in. First responders go out every day and they they there's a certain understanding that they're going to encounter things that are life-threatening and dangerous," he said. "But our special operations division, they take that time to get that specialized training to go out and go that extra mile for our residents when they are in need."

While the rain has subsided, wet roads and scattered debris still pose a risk to drivers. Authorities urge motorists to remain cautious until conditions fully improve.

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