logo
Emergency crews suspend search for Texas flooding victims amid new rain warnings

Emergency crews suspend search for Texas flooding victims amid new rain warnings

Irish Examiner13-07-2025
Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in Texas amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge.
It was the first time a new round of severe weather has paused the search since the flooding earlier this month.
Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice on Sunday, warning the potential for a flash flood is high.
Search and rescue teams comb the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Kerrville, Texas (Eric Gay/AP)
Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding.
Search and rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte said.
'We're working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,' Mr Lochte said.
As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15 feet (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about five feet above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge near Hunt under water.
'Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,' a weather service warning said.
The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak on July 4, washing away homes and vehicles.
A visitor views a memorial wall for flood victims in Kerrville, Texas (Eric Gay/AP)
Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas.
The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp.
Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counsellors as well as owner Dick Eastland.
The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wildfire burns through Athens suburb as residents told to evacuate
Wildfire burns through Athens suburb as residents told to evacuate

Irish Examiner

timea day ago

  • Irish Examiner

Wildfire burns through Athens suburb as residents told to evacuate

A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital Athens on Saturday, and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country's fire service reported. Residents of Kryoneri, 12.5 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said 'there have been reports of damage. We will take stock when the fires have been put out'. 'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' Mr Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's civil protection mechanism. A house burns in Kryoneri (Yorgos Karahalis/AP) On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, the origin of which is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five people, most of them elderly, for respiratory problems. Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. Under such conditions wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days', Mr Vathrakoyannis said. The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece's two largest islands, Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens, and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. Fifty-two wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said. Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.

Dozens killed as flash floods and landslides rip through the Philippines after fierce tropical storms
Dozens killed as flash floods and landslides rip through the Philippines after fierce tropical storms

The Irish Sun

time2 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Dozens killed as flash floods and landslides rip through the Philippines after fierce tropical storms

AT least 25 people have been killed and nearly 300,000 evacuated as storms batter the Philippines. A new tropical storm struck on Thursday night, unleashing winds up to 74 miles per hour and triggering devastating floods and landslides. Advertisement 4 People wade through a flooded road in Malabon city in northern Philippines Credit: AP 4 Homes in Calumpit left underwater after monsoon rains and Typhoon Co-may struck the Philippines Credit: Reuters 4 A woman carries a baby as they wade through floods in Manila Credit: Reuters Typhoon Co-may struck the mountainous northern town of Agno, in Pangasinan province, as it swept through the Philippines on Thursday night. At least 25 people have died from flash floods, landslides and electrocution since last weekend, officials say, with eight more reported missing. Seasonal monsoon rains have pounded a vast stretch of the country for over a week. And more than a dozen tropical storms are forecast to hit the Southeast Asian country before the end of the year. Advertisement Read more world news Schools in the capital, Manila, were closed on Friday for the third day in a row. Classes were also suspended in 35 provinces across Luzon - the northern part of the country - where most of the 80 towns and cities that have declared a state of calamity are located. 278,000 people have been forced to seek refuge in emergency shelters or with relatives. Nearly 3,000 homes have been damaged, according to the government's disaster response agency. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Thousands of troops, police officers, coast guards, firefighters and volunteers have been rushed in to rescue stranded residents. The US has pledged to provide military aircraft to help transport food and other aid if weather conditions worsen. Heartbreaking vids show kids having fun at Camp Mystic - before singing through sobs & tears as they flee deadly floods Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited emergency shelters in Rizal province on Thursday to help distribute food. He called an emergency meeting with disaster-response chiefs, warning that both the government and public must brace for more frequent and unpredictable natural disasters thanks to climate change. Advertisement The Philippines faces about 20 typhoons and storms every year - most hitting the poorest regions of the country. By Friday afternoon, the typhoon had moved northeast and weakened slightly. It comes as flash floods tore through central Texas in early July, killing 135 people in a tragedy that shook Texas to its core. Among the victims were children as young as eight, attending a summer camp. Advertisement At least 27 campers and members of staff from Camp Mystic died. The floods claimed more lives than Hurricane Harvey - the Category 4 storm that devastated Texas in 2017 and killed 107 people. 4 A pedicab driver cycles through a flooded street in Manila Credit: Reuters

Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'
Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'

The Irish Sun

time2 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Huge wildfires rage across Turkey as 13 dead & ‘disaster zones' declared – as president warns of ‘truly great disaster'

DEVASTATING wildfires have once again erupted in Turkey with hundreds of people evacuated as massive blazes continue to rip through the country. The president of the country has warned of a "truly great disaster" after at least Advertisement 10 A view of smoke rising from a forest fire burning in the mountainous area in Turkey Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Ridvan Bostanci/IHA via AP) Credit: AP 10 Turkish General Directorate of Forestry teams and firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forested areas in Alanya and Gazipasa Credit: Getty 10 Smoke and flames rise among the trees as villagers are being evacuated after a forest fire Credit: Getty New wildfires broke out on Turkey's Mediterranean coast on Friday, as the government declared two western provinces in the country to be "disaster zones". East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days. Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months. Advertisement read more world news Homes were evacuated in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu as the fire advanced, news agency DHA reported. Firefighters struggled to extinguish the blazes before strong winds could spread the fire, which closed a major coastal road. Further along the coast, homes in the city of Manavgat were also threatened. Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in the firefighting efforts. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the country faced "a truly great disaster" after 25,000 people got involved in the emergency effort. Two burned alive in Cyprus & another 10 killed in Turkey in horror wildfires On Thursday, at least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey. Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Advertisement He said that ten firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, Yumakli said late on Wednesday, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three Turkish provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. Advertisement 10 Smoke rises from the burnt area as firefighting efforts continue on the third day of forest fires in Turkish city of Karabuk on July 25 Credit: Getty 10 A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey Credit: AP 10 Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey Credit: Reuters 10 Advertisement Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. Antalya Gov. Hulusi Sahin said that the fires were under control apart from one in Aksu, which was showing a tendency to grow, and another in Gazipasa, east of Manavgat. "The fires were truly disturbing and dangerous, because they occurred in city centres, among houses," he said. "We evacuated some of our homes ... There are no deaths or injuries." Advertisement At 46.1°C, July temperatures in Antalya city were the highest for the month since records began in 1930. Turkey has faced Firefighters were Residents watched in Advertisement Aftermath photos showed scorched cars and buildings while firefighters worked desperately to fight the Meanwhile, Cyprus has been hit with its heatwave will fuel the blaze even further. The country has plunged into chaos after two people were burnt alive and more than 70 houses were destroyed. 10 Smoke fills the air as firefighters battle a forest fire the Cypriot village of Omodos Credit: AFP Advertisement 10 Residents try to extinguish the blazes in Cyprus Credit: AP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store