Timelapse video shows Texas flash floods turn dry riverbed into deadly rapids in 20 minutes
CCTV footage shows water begin surging into the Llano River at 17:14. Within minutes, a road crossing the river is entirely submerged, with the waterline rising significantly on both sides of the riverbank and completely covering trees and bushes.
The river is located roughly 70 miles northeast of Kerr County, where at least 43 people, including 15 children, have died in the flooding, alongside eight other people from neighbouring counties.
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BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Risk of further floods in Texas as death toll rises to 82
The risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas on Monday even as crews search urgently for the missing following a weekend deluge that killed at least 82 people, including children at summer camps. Officials said the death toll was sure to rise. Advertisement Residents of Kerr County began clearing mud and salvaging what they could from their demolished properties as they recounted harrowing escapes from rapidly rising floodwaters late on Friday. Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbour was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her. 'Then they were able to reach their toolshed up higher ground, and neighbours throughout the early morning began to show up at their toolshed, and they all rode it out together,' Mr Brown said. A few miles away, rescuers manoeuvring through challenging terrain filled with snakes continued their search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp that sustained massive damage. Advertisement Governor Greg Abbott said 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. In the Hill Country area, home to several summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. A helicopter flies over the Guadalupe River (Eric Gay/AP) Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rain lasting into Tuesday could produce more dangerous flooding, especially in places already saturated. Advertisement Families were allowed to look around the camp from Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man whose daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face as they slowly drove away and she gazed through the open window at the wreckage. Nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Officials comb through the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area (Julio Cortez/AP) Volunteers and some families of the missing came to the disaster zone and searched despite being asked not to do so. Advertisement Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday for Kerr County and said he would likely visit on Friday: 'I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way. 'It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,' he told reporters. Governor Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. Advertisement
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Risk of further floods in Texas during desperate search for missing as death toll tops 80
With more rain on the way, the risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas on Monday even as crews search urgently for the missing following a holiday weekend deluge that killed at least 82 people, including children at summer camps. Officials said the death toll was sure to rise. Residents of Kerr County began clearing mud and salvaging what they could from their demolished properties as they recounted harrowing escapes from rapidly rising floodwaters late Friday. Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her. 'Then they were able to reach their toolshed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their toolshed, and they all rode it out together,' Brown said. A few miles away, rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain filled with snakes continued their search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp that sustained massive damage. Gov. Greg Abbott said 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. In the Hill Country area, home to several summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more dangerous flooding, especially in places already saturated. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man whose daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face as they slowly drove away and she gazed through the open window at the wreckage. Searching the disaster zone Nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing came to the disaster zone and searched despite being asked not to do so. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County and said he would likely visit Friday: 'I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way.' 'It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,' he told reporters. Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. The first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, saying, 'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.' Desperate refuge and trees and attics Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics, praying the water wouldn't reach them. At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs. Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Two school-age sisters from Dallas were missing after their cabin was swept away. Their parents were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but the girls' grandparents were unaccounted for. Warnings came before the disaster On Thursday the National Weather Service advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said authorities are committed to a full review of the emergency response. Trump, asked whether he was still planning to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said that was something 'we can talk about later, but right now we are busy working.' He has said he wants to overhaul if not completely eliminate FEMA and sharply criticized its performance. Trump also was asked whether he planned to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year as part of widespread government spending cuts. 'I would think not. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people there, and they didn't see it,' the president said. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Cedar Attanasio in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Michelle Price in Morristown, N.J.; and Nicole Winfield in Rome.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
At least 82 dead in Texas floods as search continues for 10 missing girls
Why you can trust Sky News At least 82 people have died in flash flooding in Texas as the search continues for dozens still missing. At least 41 people remain missing, including at least 10 girls and one councillor still unaccounted for from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River. At Camp Mystic at least 27 people died, the camp confirmed in a statement to Sky's US partner NBC News. It said it is working with local and state officials to try to locate those who remain missing. "This tragedy has devastated us and our entire community. Our hearts are broken alongside the families that are enduring this tragedy, and we share their hope and prayers," Camp Mystic added. The director of the camp, Dick Eastland, was among those killed in the floods. He died trying to save the campers "he so loved and cared for", his grandson George said on social media. Water burst from the banks of the Guadalupe River and began sweeping into Kerr County and other areas around 4am local time on Friday, killing at least 68 people, including at least 28 children and 40 adults. In nearby Kendall County, two people have died. At least six people were killed in Travis County, while at least four people died in Burnet County. In both Williamson and Tom Green counties, at least one person has died. US President Donald Trump has signed a "major disaster declaration" for Kerr County to ensure that rescuers get the resources they need. Rescue crews have already saved hundreds of people and would work around the clock to find those still unaccounted for, Texas governor Greg Abbott pledged, adding that there were at least 41 people confirmed to be missing. Mr Abbott asked relatives of people who may have been camping in Kerr County to contact local authorities, as it was difficult to know just who is missing due to the number of people who may have been camping in the area unofficially. "There are people who are missing who are not on the 'known confirmed missing' because we do not know who they are," he said at a news conference last night. Meanwhile, police are collecting DNA from family members to help identify those who have died in the floods. Colonel Freeman Martin, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, said there are several "unidentified" people at funeral homes, both adults and children. The DNA collected from relatives was flown to the University of North Texas in Dallas. "We will have rapid DNA in hours, not days, to get some closure and information back to those families," Colonel Freeman Martin said. He also said the death toll is certain to rise over the next few days. This comes as Mr Abbott indicated that the danger wasn't over yet either, as additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more "rapid flash flooding events", especially in places already saturated. The governor urged drivers to be "extraordinarily cautious" for the next 48 hours due to the potential floods, as some people across Texas died when they were swept away in vehicles. "Rising water on roads can occur very rapidly. You may think you can drive through it, only to find out when you're in there that it is too late and you are getting swept away," he said. "You don't need to get from point A to point B if you are going to risk your life," he added, telling people to "turn around, don't drown".
