Widespread flooding leads to high-water rescues in South Texas

High water rescues, evacuations, fires and power outages have been reported amid widespread flooding in the San Antonio area, according to the National Weather Service and news reports.

Up to 5 inches of rain fell in isolated pockets of Bexar County on Monday morning, the weather service reported, with 2 to 4 inches of rain reported across much of the county. Several low-water crossings remained flooded in San Antonio and elsewhere in Bexar County.

Runoff from the heavy rains was causing flooding in small creeks and streams, on streets and underpasses and at other drainage areas and low-lying spots, the weather service said.

At least 27 streets were closed in San Antonio, according to mysanantonio.com.

Two people had to be rescued from vehicles trapped in floodwaters on the city’s west side, it reported.

The dramatic rescue of one man near Highway 151 by the San Antonio Fire Department was captured on video:

Fire officials say the man told them he was on his way to work and started driving through foot-high water when his SUV stopped moving. He was reportedly unharmed.

A woman was rescued from her car near West Commerce Street and West Military Drive, then got swept away when she tried soon afterward to go back for her keys, mysanantonio.com reported. She managed to make it to a river bank safely, it said.

Police said the woman would be charged with endangering the lives of the first responders, mysanantonio.com said.

The news site said numerous homes in the enclave of Leon Valley on the northwest side of San Antonio had been evacuated and the fire department was urging residents in low-lying areas to find alternative shelter.

Power outages related to the storm affected almost 26,000 customers, according to CPS Energy. At least five structure fires caused by lightning were also reported, KSAT-TV said.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Widespread flooding leads to high-water rescues in South Texas."