Navarra County, Texas—Take the floods of May 2015 and double the rainfall – that gives you the feel of what Navarro County experienced Friday and Saturday, as over 20 inches of rain fell in the county.

Torrential downpours of rain and widespread flooding struck the county with a fury, exceeding the initial forecasts by the National Weather Service three-fold. Forecasters had expected between 3 and 6 inches of rain for the weekend. That number was surpassed at noon Friday for many.

City, county and state rescue crews worked around the clock, responding to over 60 reports of stranded motorists – including two crewmen on a Union Pacific freight train caught in rising water north of Corsicana, Texas. That train – carrying cement – was eventually swept from the tracks by flood waters after the men were rescued. 

From 7 a.m. Thursday to 11 a.m. Saturday, the official measurement at the Corsicana Municipal Airport was 19.07 inches of rain for the period. Reports received by county officials and the National Weather Service from elsewhere in the county topped 20 inches in areas both east and west of the city of Corsicana, including Powell, where a National Weather Service observer measured 20.15 inches of rain in the same period. 

County Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Meyers Jr. said it became apparent early on that a major weather event was facing the county.

“We recognized we were in an escalating situation as far as flooding was concerned,” Meyers said. “Our local resources were exhausted and we requested high profile vehicles, swift water rescue teams, Texas Department of Public Safety, and TxDOT.” Those additional assets arrived in the county Friday night and worked throughout the night on numerous high-water rescues. 

Kevin Deremus, a member of Texas Task Force 1, a disaster response team responding to help local officials, said his crews participated in about two dozen rescues during flooding Friday and Saturday.

“About six of those were ‘critical,’” he said – events that could have resulted in fatalities had rescue efforts failed. 

Corsicana first responders also found themselves conducting high-water rescues throughout the flood event, responding to over 40 calls for help in flooded intersections and streets, said Corsicana Fire Chief Donald McMullan.

“Some of these were close calls, but they all worked out well,” McMullan said. City police and street crews were also an important part of the city’s response, helping to block off flooded streets and intersections and placing barriers and road blocks throughout the city.

Extra crews from the Texas Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety were assigned to the county during the flooding to assist with traffic control and detours on the state highways in the county. Busy Interstate 45 in Navarro County was closed several times Friday and Saturday as flood waters impacted both main lanes and access roads to the highway. Several high-water rescues were needed as motorists unfamiliar with the area  left blocked main roads and found themselves on flooded side roads.

County Judge H.M. Davenport Jr. helped man telephone lines throughout the night along with County Sheriff Elmer Tanner, Meyers, and others. He said a disaster declaration would likely be issued by Monday.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in this county in all my life, and I’ve been here 67 years,” Davenport said. “I never remember a time when we had this much rain.” 

Davenport said he spent much of his time on the phone fielding questions from individuals who were stuck in the interstate backup, had family members impacted by the flooding, or needing rescue from high water. Davenport also appeared by telephone on Dallas-area television news programs Saturday morning providing updates from the emergency center.

Officials were still dealing with high water and road closures into the day Saturday, with rising water still impacting parts of Interstate 45 south of Corsicana.

And while the town and county experienced historic one-day rainfall amounts and likely millions in infrastructure damage underneath the flood waters, no lives were lost in the disaster.

“Our goal was no fatalities,” said County Commissioner James Olsen at a Saturday morning briefing of officials. “What’s left, we can fix.”