Hundreds flee homes after mandatory evacuation ordered for Wharton

WHARTON (FOX 26) - A curfew began in Wharton at 8 p.m. Thursday and will remain until 6 a.m. Friday.

"That is only for the mandatory evacuation area," said Wharton public information officer Paula Favors. "And that is primarily on the west side of Wharton.

On Monday morning a voluntary evacuation was ordered for parts of Wharton.

"A lot of them know when it's time to get out and what to watch for," Favors said.

The mandatory evacuation ordered on Thursday was for about 350 homes.

"There are more people than 350," Favors said. "We're talking hundreds of people that are affected at this time."

The Texas Guard and law officers had to rescue a handful of folks who thought about waiting  it out.

"We had to go in for a few rescues there were about 30 rescues," said Flowers.

"I wasn't going to leave but they said it was mandatory because the light company was going to cut off power to that area so I went ahead and left," said Louis Campbell.

"It was terrible can you imagine losing everything in your house," said Bobbie Robinson. "We did everything."

About 70 to 100 Wharton residents are holed up in a shelter at the junior high school.

"It got so deep back there that everything was floating," said Nick Baldwin.

The fast rising Colorado River made it difficult for some residents to save their pets.

Many residents are left to wonder if they even have a home to return to.

"I don't even want to go back into the house," Robinson said, "It's rough over there it's real rough," Campbell said. "I'm hoping when I go back I still have something to go back to."