Dozens of people are dead in central Texas in what officials called a "mass casualty event" after devastating flash floods slammed Texas Hill Country, with water rescues taking place along the Guadalupe River.

Catastrophic flooding in Central Texas has prompted rescue and recovery efforts for an unknown number of people, including families in the Houston area.

The region is also known as “Flash Flood Alley,” because of its propensity for high levels of rainfall and the runoff on thin soil.