HOUSTON (Reuters) - The National Weather Service issued a new flash flood warning on Wednesday for Houston where storms have left five people dead and turned neighborhoods into lakes in the fourth most-populous U.S. city.
Southwest of Dallas, police evacuated people living near a dam that threatened to burst due to surging floodwaters as emergency officials searched for bodies from storms that killed at least 18 in Texas and Oklahoma.
Water had topped the Padera dam, about 25 miles (40 kms) southwest of Dallas, and police in Midlothian said they have called on people living downstream to evacuate and move livestock to higher ground in case the structure gives way.
The death toll in Texas was set to rise with numerous people still missing after Memorial Day weekend storms that caused record floods, destroying hundreds of homes, sweeping away bridges and stranding more than 2,000 motorists on roads.
"This rain has the potential to cause additional street flooding so residents are advised to be careful as they commute to work," the city of Houston said in a statement, adding there were two people unaccounted for in the city.
Flash flood warnings were expected through the weekend in Texas, the Texas Division of Emergency Management said as a storm system that has settled along several southern states brings more rain.
About 11 inches (28 cm) of rain fell in Houston on Monday while parts of Austin have been hit by as much as 7 inches (18 cm). Helicopter crews in both cities plucked to safety people who had been stranded in cars and on top of buildings.
President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he had assured Texas Governor Greg Abbott that he could count on help from the federal government as the state recovers from the floods. Abbott has declared a state of disaster in at least 40 Texas counties, including Harris County, which includes Houston.
(Writing by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Additional reporting by Lisa Maria Garza in Dallas and Heide Brandes in Oklahoma City; Editing by Susan Heavey and Bill Trott)
