Texas sees worst flooding since Hurricane Harvey, days of punishing rain

Abandoned vehicles sit in sewage-tainted floodwater Wednesday, June 20, 2018, near Mercedes, Texas. (AP)

Heavy rainfall along the Texas coast has led to severe flooding throughout the southeastern part of the state -- the worst flooding the state has seen since Hurricane Harvey.

Gov. Gregg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for six counties on Thursday. Port Aransas, which was devastated by Harvey, was among the cities inundated with rainfall.

Since Tuesday, Texas has seen 5-10 inches of rain along the border, with some areas seeing up to 14 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Mayor Armando O’Cana, of the South Texas city of Mission, said officials already have conducted more than 200 water rescues.

In McAllen, a city of nearly 143,000, crews conducted several dozen water rescues with floodwaters as high as 10 inches, Kevin Pagan, the city’s emergency management coordinator, said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Speece said the rain was expected to continue throughout the week before the storm system moves out on Friday.

Hurricane Harvey killed dozens of people and triggered $125 billion in damage -- making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history -- after it roared ashore in August 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.