Search for missing girls as Texas flood death toll rises to 43
"We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Kerr Country Sheriff Larry Leitha.
Leitha earlier put the number of evacuated people at 850, including eight reported injured.
Addressing a press conference, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from US President Donald Trump.
Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead.
"We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he said.
The flooding began Friday -- the start of the fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, causing the Guadalupe River to rise by 26 feet (eight meters) in 45 minutes.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."
In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris.
"The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said local resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.
But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events like floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense.
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India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
59, including 21 children, dead in Texas flooding; 850 rescued so far
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached 59 on Sunday, including 21 children, law enforcement said, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, the epicenter of the flooding, said 11 girls and a counsellor remained missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River, which broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day said there were 18 adults and four children still pending identification. He did not say if those 22 individuals were included in the death count of 59. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. It was unclear exactly how many people in the area were still missing."Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the Donald Trump and his administration have overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees NOAA, said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the White House did not immediately respond to a request for Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas, told CNN's 'State of the Union' that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous."When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro RAINMore rain was expected in the area on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County until 1 pm local disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters).Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, told a press conference on Saturday he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Noem said Trump would honour that has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden 11 missing girls and the counsellor were from the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' camp, which had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood.A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 m) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.- EndsMust Watch
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Texas floods: Donald Trump vows to upgrade outdated warning system even as weather service defends its forecasts
US President Donald Trump is pledging to modernize America's outdated weather warning systems after catastrophic floods killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, across Central Texas early Friday morning. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration was committed to fixing what she described as 'ancient' forecasting technology that failed to provide timely warnings before the deadly flooding. 'That is one of the reasons that, when President Trump took office, he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology,' Noem said at a Saturday news conference alongside state officials. 'We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long,' she added. However, she did not announce a timeline for completing the improvements. The calls for modernisation come even as the Trump administration has dramatically reduced staffing at the agencies responsible for forecasting and climate research. Earlier this year, Senator Maria Cantwell revealed that at least 880 employees were cut from NOAA, which oversees the National Weather Service and the critical observational networks that feed data to forecasters. Officials are now facing mounting criticism over the late warnings that left families little time to escape the rising waters. Noem acknowledged that the flood exposed glaring weaknesses in federal weather alerts. 'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years, and that is the reforms that are ongoing there,' she said. She cited her time as a governor and congresswoman to underscore how unpredictable weather can be, but emphasized that communities deserve better notice. 'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' Noem insisted. 'But also … the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning.' Although a flood watch was issued before the disaster, Noem described it as a 'moderate' alert that did not anticipate the system stalling over the area and dumping historic rainfall. 'When the [weather] system came over the area, it stalled,' she explained. 'It was much more water, much like [what] we experienced during [Hurricane] Harvey… it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this.' In Kerr County alone, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, sweeping away homes, cars, and entire camps. One of the hardest-hit locations was Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. Floodwaters destroyed cabins and left dozens of children missing. As of Sunday afternoon, 27 girls still had not been located. Search teams using helicopters, boats, and drones continued combing debris fields and overturned vehicles stretching for miles. 'I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members,' Noem told reporters. Authorities warned that the danger was not over, as additional rain continued to pound the region and flash flood watches remained in effect. 'Searchers are working tirelessly to find survivors,' officials said in a statement Saturday. 'This is a historic disaster, and recovery will take time.' Noem concluded by stressing the urgency of updating early warning systems to protect families. 'We are shattered by this loss, and we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure it never happens again,' she said. The National Weather Service (NWS) defended its response, saying forecasters provided ample warning before the deadly surge. The comments came amid mounting criticism of outdated alert systems and staffing shortages linked to federal cuts and early retirements under the Trump administration. Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the NWS employees' union, told CNN that while he believes the offices had 'adequate staffing and resources,' the Austin-San Antonio forecast office lacked a critical position. 'The Austin-San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist — a role that serves as a crucial, direct link between forecasters and emergency managers,' Fahy said. A NOAA official told CNN that this and other vacancies were the result of early retirement incentives introduced by the Trump administration to reduce the federal workforce. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster rejected suggestions that warnings were too late, saying the Weather Service issued alerts well before the Guadalupe River overwhelmed communities. 'The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County,' Doster said in a statement to CNN. 'On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon.' Doster added that multiple Flash Flood Warnings were issued during the night and early hours of July 4.
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First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
Officials defend response as flash flood devastates Texas camps and communities
As officials undertake one of the greatest search-and-rescue operations in recent Texas history, they are facing more criticism over preparations and why people and youth summer camps near the river were not notified sooner or advised to evacuate read more Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs and holds up an disaster declaration proclamation as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, left, looks on during a press conference about recent flooding along the Guadalupe River, Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. AP Before going to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather at a friend's house on the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast concerned him. Hours later, he rushed to safety: He awoke in the dark to electrical plugs popping and water up to his ankles. His family quickly packed nine people into the attic. Flowers claimed that phones buzzed with warnings on Saturday, but he couldn't remember when the mayhem began. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,' Flowers, 44, said. The deadly fast-moving waters that began before daylight on Friday in Texas Hill Country killed at least 43 people in Kerr County, authorities reported Saturday, with an unknown number of people still missing. In Kerr County, where the majority of the bodies were found, 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river, were among those still missing. However, as officials undertake one of the greatest search-and-rescue operations in recent Texas history, they are facing more criticism over preparations and why people and youth summer camps near the river were not notified sooner or advised to evacuate. In the early hours of Friday, the National Weather Service had sent out a number of flash flood warnings before declaring flash flood emergencies, which is a rare alert of impending danger. The local officials have stated that no one foresaw the impending flood and have justified their conduct. 'There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,' said Republican US Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. 'There's a lot of people saying 'why' and 'how,' and I understand that.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When the warnings began An initial flood watch, which generally urges residents to be weather-aware, was issued by the local National Weather Service office at 1:18 p.m. Thursday. It predicted between 5 to 7 inches (12.7 to 17.8 cm) of rain. Weather messaging from the office, including automated alerts delivered to mobile phones to people in threatened areas, grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday, urging people to move to higher ground and evacuate flood-prone areas, said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office. At 4:03 a.m., the office issued an urgent warning that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities. 'People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,' Porter said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Officials say they didn't expect this Local officials have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. 'We know we get rains. We know the river rises,' said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official. 'But nobody saw this coming.' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said he was jogging along the river early in the morning and didn't notice any problems at 4 a.m. A little over an hour later, at 5:20 a.m., the water level had risen dramatically and 'we almost weren't able to get out of the park,' he said. Rice also noted that the public can become desensitized to too many weather warnings. No county flood warning system Kelly said the county considered a flood warning system along the river that would have functioned like a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, before he was elected, but that the idea never got off the ground because of the expense. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We've looked into it before … The public reeled at the cost,' Kelly said. He said he didn't know what kind of safety and evacuation plans the camps may have had. 'What I do know is the flood hit the camp first, and it came in the middle of the night. I don't know where the kids were,' he said. 'I don't know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time.' US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday it was difficult for forecasters to predict just how much rain would fall. She said the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings. 'We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technology that's been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible,' Noem said during a press conference with state and federal leaders. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Weather service had extra staffers The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms, Runyen said. Where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather, they had up to five on staff. 'There were extra people in here that night, and that's typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,' Runyen said.
