Texas flood death toll rises to 71, campers still missing
The death toll from devastating floods in central Texas has reached 71 as a desperate search for dozens of children campers continues.
At least four girls missing from a summer camp were found dead and were among at least 21 children killed in what Texas GOP Congressman Chip Roy described as a 'once-in-a-century flood'.
There are 27 young girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp still missing.
Larry Leith, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, the epicentre of the flooding, said around 27 girls were missing from the Camp Mystic summer camp.
'We are kind of looking at this in two ways, called the known missing, which is the 27 … We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know,' Mr Leith said.
The summer camp was being held near the Guadalupe River, which broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said Camp Mystic had 700 girls on site at the time of the flood.
Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region, about 140km northwest of San Antonio.
It was unclear exactly how many people in the area were still missing.
'Everyone in the community is hurting,' Mr Leitha told reporters.
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.
United States Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, DHS said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees NOAA, said a 'moderate' flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the administration was working to upgrade the system.
More rain was expected in the area on Sunday.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County until 1pm local time.
The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as nine metres.
The 11 missing girls and the counsellor were from the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, which had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood.
A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation.
Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least 1.83 metres from the floor.
Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside.
Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.
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