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 Abbott declared states of disaster in 24 counties and flew over
the area south of Austin to assess the damage caused by tornadoes,
heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flooding that forced evacuations
and rooftop rescues and left thousands of residents without
electricity.
"This is the biggest flood this area of Texas has ever seen," Abbott
said.
"It is absolutely massive - the relentless tsunami-type power of
this wave of water," he said.
He described homes that were "completely wiped off the map" by the
dangerous weather system that struck Texas and Oklahoma.
Police in DeVine, Texas, south of San Antonio, said the dead
included an 18-year-old girl whose car was swept away by flood
waters as she returned home from her high school prom.
Authorities in Bastrop County, on the southeastern outskirts of
Austin, said on Twitter that Lake Dam had failed in Bastrop State
Park, forcing several rescues but causing no injuries.
 The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for
Houston, where more than 60,000 area residents were without power,
according to CenterPoint Energy.
Accuweather.com said more rain was forecast through Monday across
eastern Texas and Oklahoma, bringing flash floods, tornadoes and
winds of more than 65 mph (105 kph).
The National Weather Service reported 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) of rain
fell in 90 minutes at Marquette, in central Kansas, washing out
roads.
The bodies of a 14-year-old boy and his dog were found in a storm
drain in the Dallas suburb of DeSoto on Monday, police said. Two
other people killed in the storm were described as an unidentified
man found dead in San Marcos, Texas, and a firefighter who was swept
into a storm drain in Oklahoma.
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The New York Times said a Tulsa, Oklahoma, woman died on Saturday
after her automobile hydroplaned on a highway.
Twelve people were listed as missing in Texas, including eight from
an extended family from Corpus Christi who were vacationing in a
Wimberley home that was washed into the raging Blanco River,
according to officials and the family's church.
A curfew in Wimberley and San Marcos was extended for a second night
on Monday, Hays County officials said.
Parts of the area have received more than 1-1/2 feet (46 cm)of rain
since May 1, six times normal May amounts.
The governor's office said the severe weather could continue through
the week.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Garza in Dallas, Ellen Wulfhorst in
New York and Ian Simpson in Washington; editing by Barbara Goldberg,
Richard Chang, Peter Cooney, Diane Craft and Mohammad Zargham)
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