Rescuers search for missing girls as Texas flood death toll hits 50
(AFP)Rescuers searched on Saturday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed 50 people in the US state.Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rise by 26 feet in just 45 minutes.The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud."We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region.Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50.Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead."We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he said.Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from President Donald Trump.The flooding began on Friday -- the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours.The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris. "The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
Devastation at Camp Mystic On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County were still missing. Around 750 girls were attending the camp along the banks of the Guadalupe.US media reported that four of the missing girls were dead, citing their families. The windows of camp cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.The obituary section of the Kerrville community news site was dotted with tributes to victims, including Camp Mystic's owner and director Dick Eastland.The director of Heart O' The Hills summer camp located about a mile from Camp Mystic, Jane Ragsdale, was also confirmed dead.Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP. Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50.
'Catastrophic' Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)."We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press conference.Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticized Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS.When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning of the floods, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government."Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding."We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday."The predictions were definitely off," and the rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said.
Rice added that rescuers were facing "very difficult" conditions, and declined to give an overall figure for how many were missing.
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Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
21 children among 70 dead in Texas floods amid ongoing summer camp rescue effort
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 70 on Sunday, including 21 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third day. Larry Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, the epicentre of the flooding, said the death toll in Kerr County had reached 59, including the 21 children. Leitha said 11 girls and a counsellor remained missing from a summer camp near the Guadalupe River, which broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday. A girl reacts while looking at the belongings outside sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt on Sunday. AFP A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County. The Burnet County Sheriff's office reported two fatalities. A woman was found dead in her submerged car in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, the police chief said. A search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding in Hunt, Texas. AFP Leitha said there were 18 adults and four children still pending identification in Kerr County. He did not say if those 22 individuals were included in the death count of 59. Houses and cars are partially submerged in flood waters in an aerial view near Kerrville. Reuters 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. It was unclear exactly how many people in the area were still missing. "Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told reporters. Choppers and planes roped in for search and rescue operations 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. A volunteer looks for missing people, following severe flash flooding in Hunt,Texas. AFP 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. Weather offices understaffed 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, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. 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. A girl speaks on the phone in an area where families were being reunited with campers after deadly flooding in Kerville. Reuters Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from Texas, told CNN's 'State of the Union' that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. "When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro said. More rain More rain was expected in the area on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County until 1 p.m. local time. Vehicles sit submerged as a search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or remains of people in Hunt, Texas. AFP The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, told a press conference on Saturday he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Noem said Trump would honour that request. Officials search on the grounds of Camp Mystic after a flash flood swept through the area on Sunday. AP 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 themselves. 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 six feet (1.83 m) 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. Reuters
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Texas flash-flood death toll rises to at least 69 with more bad weather forecast
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Khaleej Times
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Texas floods: Death toll reaches 78, including 28 children; Trump plans visit
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