US: Severe storms claim 16 lives, including children
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that further "severe" flash flooding is to be expected in the coming days.
A number of fierce storms stretching from the states of Arkansas to Ohio damaged buildings, flooded roadways and produced dozens of tornadoes over the past week.
Tennessee was hardest hit by extreme weather, with state authorities saying on Saturday that 10 people had died across the western part of the state.
Two people were killed due to floods in Kentucky, according to state Governor Andy Beshear, including a nine-year-old child who was "swept away by floodwaters," as he walked to a bus stop.
Photos showed widespread damage from the storm across several states, with homes torn apart, toppled trees, downed power lines and overturned cars.
"Severe, widespread flash flooding is expected" into Sunday in parts of the central-eastern region, the NWS said, warning that "lives and property are in great danger."
A further two storm-related deaths were recorded in Missouri and one in Indiana, according to local media reports and authorities.
A five-year-old was found dead in a home in Little Rock, Arkansas "in connection to the ongoing severe weather," the state's emergency management agency said in a statement.
"Flooding has reached record levels in many communities," Kentucky's Governor Beshear wrote on social media Saturday, urging residents in the state to "avoid travel, and never drive through water."
More than 100,000 people were without power in Arkansas and Tennessee as of early Sunday, according to tracking website PowerOutage US.
The NWS warned that moderate to severe tornadoes could form in parts of the Tennessee Valley and Lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday, along with "severe thunderstorms."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Muscat Daily
15-07-2025
- Muscat Daily
Texas flood: Rescue operations hindered by heavy rain forecast
Texas, US – Search and rescue operations in Texas were hampered by rain forecasts for the second day in a row after the devastating July 4 floods killed at least 131 people. Most rescue crews were held off or ordered to stop amid worries of more heavy rain and the possibility of more flooding. Meanwhile, authorities lowered the tally of people unaccounted for to 101, with 97 still missing in Kerrville and four more in neighbouring counties. Officials have begun draining nearby reservoirs in a bid to locate submerged vehicles and victims. No one rescued alive since July 4 The floods, which swept through the Guadalupe River basin after over a foot of rain fell in less than an hour, have left entire trailers buried or missing. Most of those killed were children at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat. Authorities say no one has been rescued alive since July 4, when the flooding caught residents and tourists off guard before dawn. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said on Monday that it has been difficult to know how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred. 'We don't know how many of them there are,' Kelly said. Authorities face flak and threats As the disaster has also raised questions about readiness, Governor Abbott has called for a special legislative session later this month to investigate the emergency response and preparedness measures leading up to the flood. Kerr County lacked a flash-flood warning sirens, and officials are now facing mounting criticism and even threats. The high death toll, in one of the deadliest floods in the US in decades, has sparked concerns over the lack of warning sirens in Kerr County and staffing shortages at the National Weather Service after staffing cuts under the Trump administration. 'They're just playing a blame game,' said Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces, who reported receiving death threats. Heavy rains are forecast to continue through Tuesday, with up to six inches expected in parts of central Texas, including already-hit areas. DW
Times of Oman
08-07-2025
- Times of Oman
US: Over 100 dead in Texas floods as rescue ops continue amid improving weather
Texas: More than 100 people have lost their lives due to catastrophic flooding across central Texas in the US, with state authorities continuing rescue operations as drier weather is forecast for the coming days, as reported by CNN on Tuesday. As per CNN, among the most heavily impacted areas is Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, with 27 confirmed deaths of campers and counsellors in the floods, while 10 campers and one counsellor remain unaccounted for. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha reported that a total of 75 people have died in the county--48 adults and 27 children. Many of the child victims were attending Camp Mystic at the time of the disaster. Search efforts are ongoing, with 24 individuals still missing across the state, CNN reported. In Travis County, which includes the capital city of Austin, seven fatalities have been reported and ten others are missing, CNN reported, citing local officials. In Williamson County, Sheriff Matthew Lindemann confirmed that two people have died in the area and stated that one of the victims was recovered on Sunday (local time). Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated today that over 20 state agencies are actively involved in the emergency response, working around the clock to locate survivors and assess the full extent of the damage. Meanwhile, officials from the National Weather Service expect that the severe weather pattern will ease by Monday night (local time), bringing a significant reduction in rainfall. While some scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible on Tuesday afternoon, they are not expected to pose a major flood threat, CNN reported. The drier conditions are forecast to continue through the end of the week, offering some relief to flood-stricken regions.
Observer
07-07-2025
- Observer
Desperate search for the missing as more than 80 people dead in Texas floods
Rescuers in Texas raced against time to find dozens of missing people, including children, swept away by flash floods that killed more than 80 people, with forecasters warning of new deluges. US President Donald Trump said he would "probably" visit the southern state on Friday. T rump brushed off concerns his administration's wide-ranging cuts to weather forecasting and related federal agencies had left local warning systems worse off. Instead, he described the flash floods as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected." At least 40 adults and 28 children were killed in the worst-hit Kerr County in central Texas, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Sunday, while nearby areas showed at least 13 more people were killed by flooding. "Across the state, in all the areas affected by flooding, there are 41 known missing," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday. As questions grew about why warnings did not come sooner or people were not evacuated earlier in the area popular with campers, Trump said the situation was a "Biden setup." "That was not our setup," Trump told reporters on Sunday, adding that he would "not" hire back meteorologists when probed about staff and budget cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS). Asked about whether he would change his plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he responded: "FEMA is something we can talk about later." Trump, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state-level, also signed a major disaster declaration, activating FEMA and freeing up resources for Texas. Around 17 helicopters joined the search in central Texas for missing people, including 10 girls and a counselor from a riverside Christian summer camp where about 750 people had been staying when disaster struck. In a terrifying display of nature's power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins in Camp Mystic as girls slept overnight Friday, washing away some of them and leaving a scene of devastation. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings at the camp were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned Sunday that slow-moving thunderstorms threatened more flash floods over the saturated ground of central Texas. Governor Abbott warned that heavy rainfall could "lead to potential flash flooding" in Kerrville and surrounding areas, as officials cautioned people against going near the swollen river and its creeks. The flooding began at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, much of it coming overnight as people slept. The Guadalupe surged around 26 feet (eight meters) -- more than a two-story building -- in just 45 minutes. Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual in this region of south and central Texas, known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley." Human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense in recent years. Officials said while rescue operations were ongoing, they were also starting the process of debris removal. "There's debris all over the place that makes roads impassable, that makes reconstruction projects unachievable," Abbott said. People from elsewhere in the state converged on Kerr County to help look for the missing. Texans also started flying personal drones to help look but local officials urged them to stop, citing a danger for rescue aircraft. One of the searches focused on four young women who were staying in a house that was washed away by the river. Adam Durda and his wife Amber, both 45, drove three hours to help. "There was a group of 20-year-olds that were in a house that had gotten washed away," Durda told AFP. "That's who the family requested help for, but of course, we're looking for anybody." Justin Morales, 36, was part of a search team that found three bodies, including that of a Camp Mystic girl caught up in a tree. "We're happy to give a family closure and hopefully we can keep looking and find some of the... you know, whoever," he told AFP. "Help give some of those families closure. That's why we're out here."
