The wrong weather pattern can turn dry ground into a deadly torrent in a matter of hours, and that’s exactly what happened over the weekend in Venezuela as heavy rain triggered flash flooding across Caracas.

Local media reports the floods swept away two young girls, while a third victim was killed when a wall collapsed. Several more residents remain missing.

Tragically, some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods had already been damaged by two major earthquakes in recent weeks.

On June 24, a magnitude 7.2 and later 7.5 struck Venezuela, forcing people into temporary shelters. This latest bout of torrential rain destroyed tents that were housing some of those earthquake-displaced families.

(MORE: Aerial footage shows devastation from Venezuela quakes)

How fast the water rose

Rain came down so unrelentingly, the El Valle River overflowed, submerging major highways and trapping drivers in their vehicles.

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Emergency crews had to rescue stranded motorists, while at least 30 homes were inundated in the city of Sucre alone.

Trees were uprooted, power lines came down and homes were damaged across Caracas and surrounding communities, making it even harder for emergency crews to communicate and get help where it was needed.

More rain on the way

The region had actually been experiencing below-average rainfall before the storm arrived, bringing the flash flood conditions.

Venezuela’s national forecasting institute predicts more rainfall may be in store before the end of the month.