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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania officials report they have fixed the statewide 911 disruption
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency reported that 911 services have been restored in the commonwealth, though the cause is still under investigation. The statewide NextGen 911, which provides the network services for the commonwealth, detected a situation around 2 p.m. Friday where calls were intermittently failing to be delivered, according to Randy Padfield, director of Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. This was originally detected with calls going into the Delaware County 911 call center. PEMA officials said they worked late into the night with county 911 offices and tech experts "to restore this critical emergency service to its full capacity." "We worked with counties to fully test that the system is operational," PEMA officials said on its Facebook page. "Please do not call 911 for testing purposes; leave lines open for true emergencies." Bob Dowd, director of the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services, said that all 911 call delivery services to Lebanon County have been restored as of 11 p.m. Friday evening. Padfield said the issue was "an anomaly" for officials that work with the NextGen 911 system, which he described as working flawlessly through issues that include severe weather events. "It could be a software issue, it could be a hardware issue," he said in a press conference Friday. "What we know is that it doesn't appear to be the result of a software update that was pushed, based on our communications with the Next Gen 911 service provider." PEMA reported that officials were still identifying the root cause of the issues with the system, and said they would update residents to a cause "as soon as we can." This is an ongoing story. Please check back for updates. Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Pa officials restored 911 services after statewide intermittent outage
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
List of missing in Texas floods adds uncertainty to search for survivors
By Jane Ross and Rich McKay KERRVILLE, Texas (Reuters) -Six days after flash floods swept through parts of Texas Hill Country and killed at least 120, authorities say there are still more than 160 people unaccounted for, as thousands of searchers combed through piles of mud-covered debris for survivors on Thursday. But that figure may not reflect the true number of missing people, according to disaster response experts. The number of people reported missing in the aftermath of a natural disaster often turns out to be far greater than the eventual death toll. Worried members of the public, unable to reach a relative or friend, report the name to local authorities and to crowd-sourced online databases, and it gets added to a list that can grow distressingly long. In the first days after the devastating wildfire in the California mountain town of Paradise in 2018, the number of people missing briefly exceeded 1,200. It took two weeks for local officials to recover all the victims, and many months more for them to account for every person reported missing. In total, the fire killed 85 people, still the deadliest wildfire in the state's history. More than two weeks after a wildfire destroyed Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui in 2023, the FBI said there were still more than 1,000 names on its list of the missing. The following summer, officials put the final death toll at 102. Josh Dozor, a former deputy assistant administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and now an executive at the disaster response company International SOS, said the list of missing people could still change significantly. "There could be people listed as missing who don't even know they're on the list," he said. "There are power issues, someone might not have a cell phone charged. People are at shelters. It could take time to reassemble with loved ones." Kerr County, home to the vast majority of victims and missing people, is a sprawling, rural county with areas that have spotty cell phone service. More than 2,100 first responders were continuing a painstaking, mile-by-mile search across the country, hoping against long odds to find survivors six days after torrential rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River in the predawn hours of July 4. Authorities have not found anyone alive since the day of the floods. At least 96 people, including 36 children, died in Kerr County, officials said at a briefing on Thursday morning. The death toll includes 27 campers and staff members from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river. Five girls and one counselor from the camp remain missing, officials said. "The length of time to find someone still alive after a summertime flash flood is a lot longer than, say, a winter storm or an earthquake, but the chances here are diminishing," Dozor said on Thursday. 'FLASH FLOOD ALLEY' Kerr County sits at the heart of what is known as Flash Flood Alley in central Texas, a region where some of the country's deadliest floods have occurred. More than a foot of rain fell in less than an hour early on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about a foot to 34 feet (10.4 meters) in a matter of hours, cascading over the river's banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path. Hundreds of community members gathered at a worship service at Tivy High School in Kerrville on Wednesday to remember the victims. Students and adults prayed and sang, with some hugging and holding back their tears during the memorial. The school's soccer coach, Reece Zunker, and his wife, Paula, a former teacher there, were among the victims. Their two children were missing as of Sunday, according to the school district. "Zunker was a really tough guy," said art teacher Marti Garcia, who attended Wednesday's event. "I just had faith that he was going to pull it out." Authorities in Kerr County have faced questions about whether more could have been done in the early hours of July 4 to alert residents about the rising floodwaters and get some of them to higher ground. The state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster-relief funding. Meanwhile, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told reporters on Thursday that after talks with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, federal authorities had pledged $15 million in disaster relief for the mountain village of Ruidoso, where flash flooding on Tuesday killed three people, including two children, and damaged hundreds of homes. Some $12 million of the federal disaster funding is money previously pledged, but never paid, to build levees to protect the community from flash floods after wildfires last year, Lujan Grisham said.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
‘River of Angels' memorial rises in Kerrville as flood victims remembered
KERR COUNTY, TEXAS – A growing wall of flowers and photographs honoring the victims of last weekend's deadly floods has been taking shape in Kerrville over the last 72 hours — a powerful expression of collective grief as locals struggle to come to terms with the immense scale of the tragedy. While search and rescue operations continue and helicopters buzz overhead, this roadside memorial has become a solemn gathering point for reflection, remembrance and shared sorrow. The photographs put a face to each victim and the flowers represent their lives. A sign reading "River of Angels" pinned to the rail has given the memorial its unofficial title, a name that gently captures the weight of loss that has transpired here. Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 100 deaths and more than 160 still missing. The memorial was started by Leo Soto, who traveled from Miami to lay the first flowers. His Wall of Hope non-profit has been erecting memorials since the Surfside condo building collapse in Miami in 2021. "It's a place that has become really special... I let the community know that this was taking place and within hours there were dozens and dozens of people helping us to attach the flowers surrounding the pictures of the victims," Soto said of the Kerrville memorial. "Since then, people have been bringing teddy bears, children have been bringing drawings, people have been bringing balloons, they're bringing their own flowers. It's become a really powerful place for the community to begin to heal and to just spread some love in the air — in a place that badly needs it." The River of Angels sign, he added, was placed later by someone he doesn't know — a reflection of how the memorial has taken on a life of its own after Soto laid its foundations. The scene was at times overwhelming. In one particularly raw moment, a woman studying the photographs let out a sudden shriek. She had apparently recognized a face on the display but had not realized the person was among the deceased. Visibly shaken, she stumbled away from the fence, crouched down near the curb and made a call on her cell phone, tears streaming down her face that were etched in pain. Carolyn Miller, a longtime Texas resident, was overcome with emotion too as she spoke of her immense sorrow. "The grief, it's devastating, and not just now," Miller said. "It will be devastating for years. Some people may never be found. There's just so much debris, silt in the water, it's unbearable." "What's happened is absolutely heartbreaking to everyone here. I mean, the outpouring of support is unbelievable. I went out to find a place to help clean up — but there were so many volunteers already so I brought cleaning supplies. I brought flowers. And I've cried way too many tears." She said the resilience of Texans and people across the country has been unshakable. "Texas Strong. Hill Country Proud," Miller said. Some were too upset to speak. Anne Lowery, a lifelong Kerrville resident who experienced previous flooding disasters in the area, said nothing compares to last week's deluge of rain. "This is way worse than the 1987 flood. The amount of water — and just the people it wiped out. It's tragic," Lowery said. "It's just overwhelming sadness. I have a home and everything's okay in it. And when I get up and go to the kitchen and wash the dishes or something, I just feel like I did nothing. And it's like… I want to do something. I want to help." Lowery, like many others, spoke fondly of Kervillle Tivy coach Reece Zunker, who died along with his wife. Their two sons are reportedly still missing. "I knew the coach — he taught both my grandsons in soccer. Everybody loved him. His whole family." Madison Boner, a local high school student, said Zunker helped her overcome her lack of confidence. "He was a great teacher. I had him for construction but he also taught robotics and soccer," Boner said. "He was super encouraging and nice. I was always real shy, so sometimes he would have to make me speak my mind." "Like he would say, 'Hey, can you tell the other students what to do today?' because he wanted me to find my voice. He wanted the best future for all of his students." Boner said Zunker was supposed to teach her for another three years but instead wouldn't make it to the new school year, like other victims. "These people… these are our community. Some kids are gonna go back to school and just have to sit there like, 'She's not here.' It's heartbreaking. This took people. You can't reverse it." For many, turning to faith brings some comfort. Bishop Julian Dobbs of the St. Michael and All Angels Church in Kerrville was at the memorial too and said his church has been offering prayer and presence to first responders and victims. He, along with Bishop Marc Steele, encouraged people to gather for worship and to find hope in the power of faith in tragedy. "How can you not look at those photographs and realize that every single human being — every life, young and old — is precious and sacred?" Dobbs said. "These were beautiful people, just living their lives, serving one another and in one moment, their lives were snuffed out. Their families changed forever." Dobbs said that one of his pastors was lucky to get out with his life as his rector was completely destroyed, while other members of the church had a family member who was killed. "There are still considerable numbers of people who are yet to be found, who are missing, so this community has changed forever," Dobbs said. "This is a time to gather around what is the focus of the Christian faith — the hope that Jesus brings us — gather to worship Him and receive the support of each other."
