Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods
Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region.
The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91-year-old grandmother known for her sharp wit.
More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.
Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past. Photos and videos captured their ordeal.
More than 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims. Stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult.
At a small shopping center damaged in the floods, people piled debris gathered from the rivers. Officials hope to eventually set aside personal items so residents find their possessions.
On Wednesday, hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.
'Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,' said Wyatt Wentrcek, a youth minister.
David Garza drove more than an hour to support his loved ones.
'I'm from here, and I was here in the '78 flood and the '87 flood,' Garza said. 'I just wanted to be a part of this.'
Some at the service wore green ribbons for the girls from Camp Mystic, the century-old Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died.
Parents of children who were at the many summer camps in Hill Country have credited the teenage counselors with ushering campers to safety and helping keep them calm during the chaos.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas when the Legislature meets later this month. Abbott also asked for financial relief for the response and recovery efforts.
'We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,' he said in a statement Wednesday.
Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered after the victims are recovered.
Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens.
President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover and is planning to visit the state Friday.
Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, which are becoming a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people.
The devastation in Texas stretched from Hill Country all the way to just outside the state's capital. At least 15 people died in the Austin area and adjacent counties.
Just north of Austin, floodwaters from the San Gabriel River swamped two RV parks in Georgetown.
Teri Hoffman watched the water lift up her camper with her two dogs inside.
'The camper just kind of goes over on its side and starts floating. And then all the other campers just started crashing into it,' she said.
Rescuers were able to save the dogs and she managed to dig out the last picture she has of her late mother. Everything else from the RV where she lived with her husband and children is gone, she said.
'I couldn't look at it,' Hoffman said. 'I had to walk away.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Emergency crews suspend search for flooding victims in central Texas amid new flood warnings
Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in central Texas on Sunday morning 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, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding that killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 missing. As heavy rain fell 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.
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan's death toll from heavy rains since June 26 surges past 100
ISLAMABAD: The death toll from heavy rains and flash floods in Pakistan since June 26 has climbed to 104, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in its latest report this week, as the country braces for more monsoon downpours and possible floods. As per the NDMA's latest situation report, Punjab has reported the highest number of deaths from rain-related incidents, 39, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 31, Sindh with 17, Balochistan with 16, while Azad Kashmir also reported one death since June 26. 'The total number of 104 deceased include 49 children, 37 men and 18 women,' the NDMA report said, adding that 200 people were injured, among them 76 children, 78 men and 46 women. The report further said 413 houses have been damaged since June 26 due to rain-related incidents across the country, with the most houses damaged in KP, 146, Sindh 86, Punjab 54, Balochistan 52, Azad Kashmir 45 and 30 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Sindh reported the highest number of livestock that perished due to rains, 58, followed by KP with 43, Punjab with seven and Azad Kashmir with three. The NDMA, meanwhile, issued a fresh alert for heavy rains on Saturday. It warned of potential flood and flash flood risks in various regions of Punjab, KP and Balochistan provinces from July 12 to July 17 in its latest advisory. The authority advised administrations to ensure the readiness of emergency teams, the availability of machinery and ensure clearance of drainage systems. It also called on tourists to avoid high-altitude areas, saying that residents in vulnerable zones must secure valuables, vehicles and livestock, and keep essential supplies. Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacier melt triggered catastrophic floods that affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Texas floodwaters damaged crops and endangered livestock. Now farmers and ranchers are cleaning up
Across a wide swath of Texas, the inundated rivers that ravaged communities also tore through farms and ranches. In the town of Bend, about two hours north of Austin, Boyd Clark waded into rising waters to help one of his stranded ostrich hens. Matthew Ketterman spent several agonizing hours trapped on top of his truck amid coursing rapids after driving out to check the fences on his exotic game ranch outside Burnet, about an hour south of Bend. And the overflowing San Gabriel River knocked Christmas trees sideways, and staff had to get petting zoo animals into a temporary pen at Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, about 65 miles east of Ketterman's ranch. As authorities work to understand the extent of the loss of human life–as of Friday, at least 120 people were killed, more than 160 missing–farmers and ranchers are working to assess damage to their properties, crops, and animals. Many are facing the task of caring for livestock while salvaging what crops they can and cleaning up the wreckage. While many farmers lean on a relentless optimism to get through the uncertainty of relying on the weather for a living, extreme weather disasters like catastrophic floods, droughts, and wildfires can take a toll. The weather events also pose unique challenges to those who rely on seasonal tourist rushes or who might not have crop insurance. It's a double-edged sword: as some farmers turn to agritourism or niche crops to weather unpredictable markets, climate change is also intensifying many of the natural disasters that can make it more difficult for those experiments to succeed. Even the larger operations are not immune; farmers who produce all kinds of crops must plan for emergencies. 'We expect it to happen again. It's never a question of if but when,' said Jon Meredith, co-owner of Sweet Eats, an agritourism outfit that mainly grows Christmas trees. 'And so we just continue to try to mitigate our losses and reduce our risk around events like this.' Still surveying the damage and starting repairs, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said there has been so much rain so quickly that some farmers are seeing complete loss or severe damage to their crops and infrastructure in several counties and beyond the banks of overflowing rivers. 'We've had farm equipment washed down the river. We've had tractors underwater, so they're totaled, won't be able to use those. Irrigation equipment wadded up like a bowl of spaghetti,' Miller told The Associated Press. 'We're finding cattle dead on top of trees downriver. So it's pretty devastating.' Miller said there are resources available for farmers. Those include the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, which helps farmers access disaster funding; the Hay and Feed Hotline, which donates animal feed; and the AgriStress Helpline that provides 24/7 mental health support. Now comes the task of cleanup: repair miles of destroyed fence line, tally lost livestock, and move debris from foliage and mud to piled-up picnic tables. After a harrowing night waiting for hours to be rescued, Ketterman, who had gotten stuck on his vehicle, felt lucky to be alive. But he and his team were also grieving the loss of a member who died in the flooding on his way to work. They lost some animals to the churning water as well. 'We're in the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage, but you know at the end of the day that's just monetary and we'll recover from that,' he said. Disasters like floods can be tough for specialty farmers. Small farms that offer experiences to visitors, don't sell to wholesalers, or don't have crop insurance are especially vulnerable, said Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the entomology department at Michigan State University, who has worked with fruit farmers in the aftermath of floods. Clark said ostrich growers can access some US Department of Agriculture programs that cover the loss of grass that birds graze on, but otherwise there isn't much assistance. Ostriches also get too cold in heavy rain, and it cuts down egg production; the hens almost stop laying eggs, and mud and water can ruin what few they do. 'It does definitely affect our production this year and our profitability,' Clark said. Burrack said that other crops for consumption, like fruits and vegetables, that get submerged can no longer be sold. Unharvested plants in fields can build up, causing pest issues or creating an unpleasant experience for visitors. And once submerged, long-term echoes of these short-term stressors can make trees more vulnerable to disease. Meredith said Sweet Eats was lucky; the Christmas season is still months away, and they still had a chance to put the trees back up. They would've had a harder time if they were still doing peach trees like they used to. 'Because so much of our stuff is pick-your-own, so if we can't be open for customers, then it magnifies the challenges that we face because of cash flow issues,' he said. All farms need to plan for emergencies and climate change. It's not just floods: farms across the country have taken hits due to extreme weather in recent years. Wildfires have damped farm-based businesses in California, including pick-your-own apple orchards in the southern part of the state and wineries in the north. An unusually warm winter had Midwestern maple syrup producers scrambling in 2024, while pinching drought has hit pumpkins along with many other crops across the West. 'It's good business sense to observe how climate change might affect your operation and make adjustments accordingly,' said Rob Leeds, an extension educator at Ohio State University who works with farmers, especially those interested in agritourism. He described how, after watching a barrage of tornadoes and high winds in recent years, some cattle producers in Ohio have been building tougher barns that more typically would be seen in windswept areas of the West. Some fall-themed agritourism operators have started installing fans and misters, anticipating more hot days later into the fall. It will take a while for Texas farmers to fully recover, but some are already building back stronger. Ketterman said he thinks they're going to put up sturdier fence posts in the coming weeks as they secure the fence line. They'll lean on each other too. Many farmers described the tight-knit sense of community as they weathered the storm. 'We all started calling each other to make sure we could get our animals out and anything else that we needed to save,' said John Meredith, owner of Sweet Eats, 'just because this is a fact of life. When you live on a river, it's beautiful and enjoyable, but there are occasionally times where things can go south very quickly.'
