Disaster declarations have been issued for parts of central Texas after heavy rains produced “a catastrophic flooding event” and killed an as yet unconfirmed number of people.

The National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood warnings followed by a flash flood emergency early on Friday morning for Gillespie and Mason counties, after more than a foot of rainfall fell in just a few hours in the hill country west of Austin.

The local news outlet KXAN warned that “life-threatening flooding is imminent or occurring. Leave low-lying or flood-prone areas immediately, but do not drive over water-covered roads.”