Death toll rises in Texas floods, Trump plans visit

Yahoo

5 hours ago

STORY: The death toll from devastating floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including 28 children.
Among the worst impacts were felt at Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, where around 700 children were in residence at the time of the flooding.
Reuters visited the site on Saturday.
Mud lines inside this cabin indicated that water there just a day prior had risen at least six feet from the floor.
As of Sunday, the search for 10 missing campers and one counselor was ongoing.
That's according to the sheriff of Kerr County, the location of the camp and where the worst flooding occurred.
:: July 4, 2025
:: City of Kerrville, TX
The inundation came when the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday.
Heavier-than-forecast downpours dumped up to 15 inches of rain across the region, and rapidly drove the river as high as 29 feet.
Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees.
Hundreds of volunteers flocked to central Texas on Sunday to help with the search and rescue effort.
'Seeing all the devastation and the trees and the clothing, the random bits of flotsam floating around the river really hits home. You know how many people are affected by this. The depth of the tragedy and the destruction that we're all going through right now. So that gives quite a somber feeling to just be out here, seeing it in person rather than just on the news.'
:: File
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall.
She said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system.
:: July 4, 2025
:: Patrick Keely
Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning.
But he said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if the cuts had played a role.
Reporter: 'Are you investigating whether some of the cuts to the federal government left key vacancies at the National Weather Service or the emergency coordination?
Trump: 'They didn't. I'll tell you, if you look at that, that…what a situation that all is and that was really the Biden set up. That was not our set up. But I wouldn't blame Biden for it either. I would just say this is a 100 year catastrophe and it's just so horrible to watch.'
Trump also sent his condolences to the victims and said he would likely visit the area on Friday.