Thursday saw the Texas rivers wreck havoc in the state, flooding cities and tearing through houses. With this, May has been recorded as the wettest month, with thunderstorms affecting large parts of the region.

State climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said the average rainfall across the state was 7.54 inches in May, breaking June 2004 record of 6.66 inches.

This made the National Weather Service call for a flash flood watch, stretching from south of San Antonio to Dallas. The storms have costed the state as many as 17 lives. Teams have been working to rescue as many people as possible. Until now, Johnson County emergency workers have rescued 14 drivers and residents, while Travis County firefighters have saved 21 people from a drifting houseboat.

Amidst those who were fighting for their lives during the deadly floods, were Sarah and Ernie Perez. They were residing in a vacation rental in Wimberley, along with their four-year-old daughter and Ernie's brother and sister-in-law, when Blanco River teared through their house. Sarah filmed the video and handed it over to Break.com.

The video showed gushing floodwaters burst into their house, which made them flee to the second storey. However, the water caught them there too and they had to escape on a boat, spotted by Ernie’s brother. All five of them were saved, but they said that they had not received any reverse 911 calls or warnings to evacuate the house.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has pledged federal support and said the government had been working with local officials. During a tour of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, on Thursday, Obama said, “They appear to have the assets they need at this stage to respond, but there's going to be a lot of rebuilding”.