Dangerous floods are hitting South Central Texas — a region that just marked one year since more than 130 people died in catastrophic flooding. Gov. Greg Abbott says at least two people have died in the current emergency.

More than 230 rescues have been made, the governor said Thursday evening, adding that more than 2,350 responders and 1,400 vehicles have been deployed.

A wide swath of Texas is under flood alerts, from the Kerrville area south to Uvalde and beyond to Laredo. In parts of Uvalde County, muddy floodwaters covered roads and fields and rose nearly as high as houses’ rooftops, according to a video posted by Texas Department of Public Safety.

With heavy rains expected to continue into Friday, Abbott said Uvalde and Johnson City are at the greatest risk of life-threatening floods overnight.

“The people in that area need to be very cautious,” Abbott said.

In some cases, communities that endured flooding on Wednesday are being deluged once again.

“Showers and thunderstorms continue developing and moving into areas that are currently experiencing dangerous flooding conditions,” the National Weather Service office in San Antonio and Austin said.

NPR member stations in Texas are covering the floods. In some cases, residents tell reporters that flooding exceeds levels they saw in 2025.

In Kerrville, the city police department said in a noon update that while high water had mostly receded, the emergency is ongoing, with numerous road and bridge closures. The agency urged residents not to venture out.

“There is a lot of people driving around to take a look and that is not helpful,” the police said.

At least one summer camp has evacuated, according to the Texas Newsroom, and state lawmakers say they’re seeing an improved safety response to the floods, thanks to an increase in disaster resources such as funding for warning systems and flood mitigation.

The Guadalupe River rose at terrifying speed near Comfort, Texas, Thursday morning — from 5.46 feet at 5 a.m. CT to 37.05 feet at 8:05 a.m. — according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

An Associated Press reporter and photographer viewed the fenced-off Reflecting Pool on Wednesday from the top of the Washington Monument. The new liner appears grayer than when the pool was repainted and refilled with water in early June. Debris that had been visible earlier this week after the pool was drained is now largely gone, after work crews removed it.

Trump’s problem-plagued effort to revamp the landmark has stretched well past his initial goal of having the Reflecting Pool ready by July 4 for the nation’s 250th birthday.

The president at first suggested his renovations would cost $1.5 million, but the bill ballooned to more than $16 million by June.

Trump had said the repairs would last a century, but within days of the project’s initial completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.

Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Vandalism charges were levied against a former Olympic canoeist

Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for the peeling paint, though critics allege it’s from shoddy repair work.

Trump has said, without citing evidence, that vandals made a “350-foot gash” in the liner and caused other problems. No large slash marks were immediately visible Wednesday from the Washington Monument view. It was not possible to do a more up-close inspection of the entire pool due to a dark fence surrounding the perimeter.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose agency oversees the National Park Service, said that after the water is drained and debris is cleaned from Independence Day fireworks, the plan for the pool is straightforward: “Repair the vandalism that was done. Fill it back up again.” He was speaking with conservative podcaster Katie Miller.

Court documents show that the National Park Service reported to the U.S. Park Police a June 9 incident in which a sharp knife or razor was said to have cut the pool’s new liner.

Former Olympic canoe racer David Hearn pleaded not guilty last week in D.C. Superior Court to deliberately damaging the Reflecting Pool. Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to by a park worker.

His attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided the case as an abuse of prosecutorial power and maintain he is being scapegoated for the poor job done fixing up the Reflecting Pool.

At least three other people have been charged in the same court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the pool, court records show. All three pleaded not guilty during initial court appearances.

The work on the Reflecting Pool is just one of a number of projects Trump has spearheaded across the nation’s capital. Most prominently, he demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a $400 million ballroom and plans to build a towering arch. between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

ATLANTA — Argentina, the death-defying defending World Cup champion, will play for a second consecutive title after scoring two late goals to beat England in the semifinal, 2-1.

For a fourth straight knockout game, Argentina survived a heart-stoppingly close call. First was Cape Verde, the African island nation underdog, who took the champions to extra time. Then was the furious miracle comeback after Egypt took a 2-0 lead. Then, in the quarterfinal, a shorthanded Switzerland squad forced extra time despite a 72nd-minute red card.

This gutsy Argentina squad prevailed in all three games, and Wednesday, they pulled it off yet again. In the 55th minute, England took a 1-0 lead when forward Anthony Gordon tapped in a cross.

But, as the clock ticked up, Argentina turned up the intensity. A relentless onslaught yielded near miss after near miss before finally midfielder Enzo Fernández scored off a rocket from outside the penalty area to equalize the game at 1-1 in the 85th minute.

Then, in stoppage time, forward Lautaro Martínez sent the Argentina crowd into delirium with a header off a cross from 39-year-old superstar Lionel Messi, who assisted on both goals.

“I think that this team plays the best when we are facing a difficult situation, with adversity, ” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni afterward. “We had a challenging game, a challenging situation. There was blood in the water, and we went for it.”

In Sunday’s final they will face Spain, which defeated France on Tuesday 2-0 to contend for their second-ever title.

England’s Anthony Gordon celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the World Cup semifinal against Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta.

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

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Wednesday’s game, the sixth meeting between these two teams at the men’s World Cup, was the newest chapter in their storied rivalry. That history includes the infamous “Hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona in the 1986 World Cup, four years after a war between the two countries over the Falkland Islands. The British won the war, but the sovereignty of the territory is still under dispute.