Authorities search for missing campers as Texas flooding kills at least 24
At least 23 Camp Mystic campers are still missing. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said authorities were able to access the camp on Friday to begin evacuating the children.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp, is the only camp where kids are unaccounted for amid the floods in the state's south-central region, according to Leitha.
The search has continued in the area known as Hill country after a rain storm pushed the Guadalupe River above its banks.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued a disaster declaration for 15 counties affected by flooding late Thursday, stating that Texas 'will stop at nothing to ensure every missing person is fully accounted for.'
The longtime director of a nearby summer camp, Heart O' The Hills, Jane Ragsdale died in the floods on Friday.
'We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful,' the camp said in a statement.
The organization added that the camp was not in session and most of the people who were at the camp have been accounted for or are currently on higher ground.
Texas officials have not provided an estimate of how many people are missing from the floods that started on Wednesday.
'The one thing I hear the most are the prayers that are being sent for those who are in harm's way,' Abbott said. 'There is an extraordinary collaboration to make sure that we address everybody's concern as quickly as possible.'
On Friday, Texas lawmakers diverted their attention from the 4th of July festivities to address the flooding in the state.
'This breaks my heart. Please join me in praying for the families who've lost their loved ones and for the speedy recovery of those missing,' Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) said. 'Special thank you to the National Guard, first responders, law enforcement officers, and volunteers working to save lives.'
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