
Texas floods: Death toll reaches 78, including 28 children; Trump plans visit
Larry Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicenter of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and 41 confirmed missing. The governor did not say how many of the dead outside Kerr were children.
Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp. Sheriff Leitha said on Sunday that 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor were still missing.
"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, who said he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing.
The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said at the press conference on Sunday afternoon the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County.
"You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow," said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday.
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.
"Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told reporters.
A wall of water
Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of "an additional wall of water" flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday's rains.
He said aircraft were sent aloft to scout for additional floodwaters, while search-and-rescue personnel who might be in harm's way were alerted to pull back from the river in the meantime.
The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and advisories for central Texas that were to last until 4:15pm local time (2115 GMT) as rains fell, potentially complicating rescue efforts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
US Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, the department said.
Trump, who said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably on Friday, 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 themselves.
Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
3 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.


Dubai Eye
12 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Search teams scour Texas flood zone for dozens missing; 78 confirmed dead
Search teams plodded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day on Monday, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by predawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counselor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. CONFLUENCE OF DISASTER But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinized once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, search and rescue operations were continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin said during a news briefing on Sunday. Thomas Suelzar, adjutant general of the Texas Military Department, said airborne search assets included eight helicopters and a remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper aircraft equipped with advanced sensors for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 cm of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. In addition to the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County, according to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. SCALING BACK FEDERAL DISASTER RESPONSE Trump, who said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this coming Friday, 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 themselves. Some 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 storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Ahead of Friday's floods, the Weather Service office near San Antonio, which oversees warnings issued in Kerr County, had one key vacancy - a warning coordination meteorologist, who is responsible for working with emergency managers and the public to ensure people know what to do when a disaster strikes. The person who served in that role for decades was among hundreds of Weather Service employees who accepted early retirement offers and left the agency at the end of April, media reported. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe."