Worst of rain may be over in central Texas

A school bus rests in floodwaters in New Braunfels, Texas, after the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CNN) -- After heavy rains that have swelled rivers, lifted homes from foundations and forced thousands to evacuate in south-central Texas, there was optimism Saturday that the worst was over.

The rain during the past week was blamed for eight deaths -- six in Bexar County and two in Uvalde County, said Texas Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Hall. He said one person was missing in Bexar.

"Conditions are supposed to improve over the next couple of days in terms of rainfall," Hall said.

A chance of afternoon or evening thundershowers was predicted for San Antonio and surrounding areas through the weekend, but most of the rain has shifted north and northwest to the Abilene area, said Michael Eckert of the National Weather Service.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO Aerial view of floods ravaging homes in Central Texas (July 5) Play video   GALLERY Images of the flooding in Texas    EXTRA INFORMATION Map of the area    RESOURCES On the Scene: CNN's Ed Lavandera in Texas

Most of the water that caused the flooding -- as much as 30 inches of rain since Monday night -- has come from Kendall and Kerr counties northwest of New Braunfels, where the headwaters of the Guadalupe River begin, said Carol Edgett, emergency management coordinator for Comal County.

In the county north of San Antonio, floodwaters lifted at least 12 homes from their foundations along the Guadalupe River, and more than 400 other homes were heavily damaged, she said.

In addition, two state highway bridges were washed out, and many riverfront businesses in the recreational area suffered "substantial damage," she said.

At least 2,000 residents who were evacuated on the Fourth of July likely won't be able to return home until early next week, Edgett said. Campgrounds and other recreational facilities also were evacuated. Several people were rescued from the flooding Friday.

Water levels at the Canyon Lake Dam -- where water was coursing over the spillway for the first time in 45 years -- were more than 7 feet above the spillway elevation of 943 feet, she said.

Vince Velex loads a truck with the belongings of a friend on Friday in New Braunfels, Texas.

However, Edgett said water was flowing into the Guadalupe River at a lower rate than expected, 63,540 cubic feet per second. Water flow projections had been decreased from 85,000 cfs or more to 70,000 cfs.

"If we can get through this today, I think we're on the downhill slide," she said.

In Bexar County to the south, at least 100 families living within a mile of the riverbank were asked to evacuate. But Marie Mullins, a Sheriff's Department supervisor, said she didn't know how many had done so.

Officials recommended late Friday that thousands of residents in Castroville and other areas west of San Antonio leave their homes along the Medina River because water was seeping through cracks at the Medina Lake Dam.

But engineers who inspected the dam Saturday said the 90-year-old structure was safe, although they worried about erosion at the base of the structure because of the fast-moving floodwaters flowing over the spillway. That problem will be assessed once the waters recede.

A canoeist paddles past a flooded home at Lake McQueeney near New Braunfels, Texas, Friday.

"All dams crack, all concrete cracks," consulting engineer John King told reporters. "It's just something to monitor. It's fine right now."

Although floodwaters had topped the spillway, they did not overflow the dam, and officials were confident they wouldn't.

Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has declared 29 counties state disaster areas, eligible for state emergency-relief funds. President Bush declared 10 counties federal disaster areas on Thursday, making them eligible for federal relief funds.