Hurricane’s Rains Cause Train Derailment in Texas

A train derailment near the North Texas town of Corsicana is being blamed on flooding related to former Hurricane Patricia. The freight train derailed after flood waters washed away a section of the train tracks.

The Union Pacific freight train was traveling through an area about four miles north of Corsicana in Navarro County. The train tracks had been washed away by the floods causing the train to exit the tracks. Two crew members were able to swim to safety after jumping from the train, according to a CBS News report. The crash occurred about 3:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday morning.

Many sections of North Texas had received as much as 12 inches of rain from the advance rain bands of now Tropical Storm Patricia. The storm made landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico Friday evening and is quickly moving across the mountainous regions of central Mexico on a march towards Texas.

National Weather Service forecasts are calling for up to a foot of rain in places like San Antonio and flash flood warnings continue across the Lone Star State.

WFAA in Dallas reported that the Corsicana area received more than 18 inches of rain as of 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Other towns including Malone, Glen Rose and West reported more than 12 inches. Six other communities, including the DFW airport, reported between 5 and 10 inches of rain.

Officials with the Navarro County Office of Emergency Management reported that the locomotive and several rail cars hauling loose gravel careened into the water and were at least partially submerged. No one was injured in the crash. An exact count of the number of derailed cars is not yet available.

The rapidly moving storm is already causing havoc across Texas. On Friday, Governor Greg Abbott activated the State Operation Center (SOC) to lay out state resources in advance of the anticipated flooding. Nearly 100 flights have already been cancelled at the DFW Airport due to storm related complications, CBS reported.

At one point during the night, Interstate Highway 45 was shut down due to flooding. The highway has since reopened.

The Dallas Police Department reported dealing with more than 500 auto accidents since midnight Friday and 33 high water rescues were initiated.

More rain is expected as Patricia moves into and across Texas. The storm related rains are expected to continue until early next week.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.