UAE embassy offers condolences over Texas flash floods
Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said "our thoughts are with those in Texas impacted by the devastating floods."
At least 59 people died in the flash flooding in Texas, and casualties could be even higher, a state official said Sunday as rescuers searched frantically for missing people.
US President Donald Trump on July 6 formally declared a 'major disaster' for the state of Texas under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (137 km) northwest of San Antonio.
Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.
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The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Camp grieves loss of 27 girls and counsellors in Texas floods that killed nearly 90 people
Crews picked through mountains of debris and waded into swollen rivers on Monday in the search for victims of catastrophic flooding that killed nearly 90 people over the long weekend in Texas, including more than two dozen campers and counsellors from an all-girls Christian camp. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise as crews looked for many people who were missing. Operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, said they lost 27 campers and counsellors, confirming their worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. Authorities said that 10 girls and a counsellor from the camp remain missing. The raging flash floods – among the nation's worst in decades – slammed into riverside camps and homes before dawn on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. In the Hill Country area, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, rescuers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Fourteen other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. Slow-moving thunderstorms were expected to bring rain and the risk of more flooding today to already saturated parts of central Texas, the National Weather Service said. A flood watch has been put in effect in several areas until the evening. Search-and-rescue operations were continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with debris, mud and other challenges. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and sent resources to Texas after US President Donald Trump declared it a major disaster, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search-and-rescue efforts. M Trump said he may visit Texas on Friday. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps will be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in areas known to be vulnerable to flooding. Local, state and federal officials face have faced criticism in the aftermath of the tragedy, including questions about why the flood-prone county lacked warning sirens and whether forecasts accurately conveyed the risk of a catastrophic deluge. Mr Trump 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. Some experts have questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration – including thousands of positions at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – made it harder for officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm.
UAE Moments
9 hours ago
- UAE Moments
Texas Floods Kill 78, Search Ongoing as More Rain Looms
Texas is reeling from deadly flash floods that hit hard over the holiday weekend, leaving at least 78 people dead and dozens still missing. And the bad news? More heavy rain is on the way. Kerr County in Texas Hill Country took the worst hit, where the local sheriff confirmed 68 deaths, including 28 children. Governor Greg Abbott said 10 more people died across the state, and 41 are still missing. Search for Missing Kids at Summer Camp Rescuers are in a race against time searching for 11 girls and a camp counselor missing near the Guadalupe River, which surged to about 8 meters, bursting its banks after intense storms. The US National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood emergency for the area, reporting up to 38 cm of rainfall over the weekend. Federal Aid and Investigations U.S. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County and said he may visit the area this Friday. He described the situation as " absolutely horrible" and pledged support to the victims and their families. Meanwhile, questions are being raised about the accuracy of weather warnings. Officials admitted that initial flood watches didn't capture the storm's full intensity. Some are blaming budget cuts and staff shortages at the National Weather Service for the lack of timely warnings. Thousands Rescued, but Danger Isn't Over Over 850 people have been rescued so far, some literally hanging onto trees to survive. But with more rain expected, flood watches remain in place across the region. In a message of solidarity, the UAE extended condolences to the US, expressing sympathy for the victims and their families.
Gulf Today
10 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Desperate search for the missing as more than 80 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. Trump 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 on 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." A Chinook helicopter flies over Camp Mystic after picking up troops that aided in search and recovery efforts in Hunt, Texas, US, on Sunday. "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. Missing girls Around 17 helicopters joined the search in central Texas for missing people, including 10 girls and a counsellor 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. A baseball cap is seen on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Center Point, 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 metres) -- more than a two-story building -- in just 45 minutes. 'Washed away' 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. Search and recovery workers paddle a boat on the Guadalupe River looking for any survivors. 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 the media. "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 the media. "Help give some of those families closure. That's why we're out here." Agence France-Presse
