Storms Leave 7 Dead, 2 Lost; Rains Continue

Heavy rains that pounded Central Texas have been blamed for the deaths of seven people, officials said.

Two others were missing after storms dumped as much as 13 inches of rain that turned normally placid rivers and creeks into raging torrents.

Six of the victims died when their vehicles were swept away by rising flood waters, and another was killed when he lost control of his car on a slick highway, a spokesman for the Texas Division of Emergency Management said.

Rescue workers were seeking the two missing people, who were carried away by flood waters near the town of Hutto, north of Austin, in Williamson County, police said.

Thursday’s storms also spawned several small tornadoes that damaged homes near Austin and knocked out electricity to about 30,000 customers, the city’s utility company said.

Heavy rain was still falling Friday in parts of South Texas, but Central Texas was mostly dry.