Caskets were suddenly unearthed in a Texas cemetery on Wednesday morning after torrential rains caused severe flooding throughout the state.
Rain battered Texas and several other Gulf Coast states earlier this week beginning on Monday. The rain quickly saturated the ground, prompting numerous flash flood warnings. The storm system brought several rounds of heavy rain and severe weather, including tornados. Some of the most severe storms moving through the region on Wednesday morning.
The caskets were discovered unearthed in the West Green Lawn Cemetery in Kirbyville, Texas, on Wednesday morning, KJAS reported. Some caskets remained near their burial plot, whereas others floated further away. Workers were attempting to locate which plot each casket floated out of, according to the local news outlet.
Newsweek reached out to the City of Kirbyville through an online request form for comment.
Caskets are sealed airtight. When they are covered with water, pressure builds within them, causing them to sometimes float out of the grave, according to Scientific American. The phenomenon has led to some cities, such as New Orleans, building their graves above ground to prevent the caskets from becoming unearthed.
The massive storm system wreaked havoc across several Gulf Coast states. Many Texas cities received torrential rain, including Kirbyville. Kirbyville Mayor Frank George said that he estimated parts of his city received around 12 inches of rain during the storms, according to a FOX Weather report. Flash flooding closed Highway 96 and first responders were engaged in rescue efforts throughout the city on Wednesday, the report said.
“The city is underwater,” George said.
West of Kirbyville, the torrential rains caused Belton Lake to rise by two feet in only a few days. The lake has struggled with drought for several years and reached such low levels last summer that items were revealed beneath the surface, such as abandoned motorcycles.
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The destructive, moisture-laden storm system caused damage elsewhere, spawning a tornado in Slidell, Louisiana, that damaged “anything in its path,” according to extreme storm chaser Reed Timmer, who filmed a live stream video of his pursuit of the storm.
Tornado damage also was reported near Houston, where winds of 90 miles per hour were reported.
Up to 10 inches of rain was expected in parts of Louisiana. Forecasts predicted that Little Rock, Arkansas, could experience four times its weekly rainfall in only three days.
The storm killed at least one person in Mississippi and caused damage to dozens of homes across the state.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.