Drivers face tough challenges in Dallas flooding

Friday’s downpour turned Dallas roads into risky rivers, catching both human and self-driving cars off guard. In East Dallas, Tiffanie Delgado McMahon and her young daughter got stuck when water rose around their SUV. The eight-year-old panicked, while McMahon struggled to keep calm until a police officer arrived. With roads blocked and tow trucks swamped, they waited over three hours just to move—a delay that stretched patience thin across the city. Emergency crews scrambled as flood warnings flooded in for multiple counties. Videos showed cars knee-deep in water on residential streets, while in Plano, a creek turned so violent it could sweep vehicles away. Police logged 78 rescue calls in six hours, proving how quickly heavy rain can overwhelm a city.Self-driving taxis weren’t spared either. One Waymo vehicle sat stuck in chest-high water on Fitzhugh Avenue, while another barely escaped by reversing out of danger. The storm wasn’t just a test for drivers but also for technology built to handle city roads. Behind the chaos, the National Weather Service predicted more storms, some with damaging winds or hail. Even as the worst moved east, temperatures soared, leaving parts of Texas under heat warnings. Meanwhile, airports paused flights, adding travel snags to the mess.