Pakistan flood sweeps away children and relatives trying to save them
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Parents of kids swept away in Texas floods beg lawmakers to protect future campers
When floodwaters rushed through a girl's summer camp nestled in the Texas Hill County, Michael McCown's 8-year-old daughter was among 27 campers and counselors swept to their deaths. On Wednesday, McCown joined other Camp Mystic parents, some wearing buttons memorializing 'Heaven's 27,' in demanding that Texas lawmakers pass a bill that would boost camp safety, including generally keeping cabins out of floodplains, instituting new requirements for emergency plans and mandating weather radios. 'It will hurt my family forever that, for reasons I still do not know, these protections were not in place nor thought out thoroughly for my daughter and the rest of the girls here,' he said. "Please pass this bill, protect our kids and do not let their deaths be in vain.' His middle child, Linnie, was sandwiched between two brothers. She was sometimes a pest to her 11-year-old brother. But to the youngest, just 3, she was mother figure, making him cereal on weekends so her parents could catch a few minutes of sleep. 'To everyone else she was a joy," her father told lawmakers. "She hugged her teachers, was a friend to everybody, and spread an infectious giggle everywhere she went.' Then came the floods. Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. All told, at least 136 people died, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong. County leaders were asleep and out of town. The head of Camp Mystic had been tracking the weather beforehand, but it's now unclear whether he saw an urgent warning from the National Weather Service that had triggered an emergency alert to phones in the area, a spokesman for camp's operators said in the immediate aftermath. Some of the camp's buildings — which flooded — were in what the Federal Emergency Management Agency considered a 100-year flood plain. But in response to an appeal, FEMA in 2013 amended the county's flood map to remove 15 of the camp's buildings from the hazard area. Upon learning of the flooding, McCown rushed to the town of Kerrville to pick up Linnie, receiving an email en route that if parents hadn't been personally contacted, then their daughters are accounted for. 'I felt a wave of relief, which was quickly shattered about 30 minutes later when my wife called incredibly distraught to say that Linnie is missing,' he recalled. He joined the search downstream from the camp and found the body of a deceased girl. He also made two trips to a funeral home to identify bodies. One was not Linnie; the other, he believed, was. He later provided authorities with a DNA swab. He's haunted by questions. 'How," he asked, "could these girls vanish into the night without anyone having eyes on them while cabins literally just 20 yards away had no casualties? So what went wrong?' Texas State Sen. Charles Perry described the proposed legislation as a 'legacy to the loss' and an answer to what has been learned during hours of public testimony. He said it's dubbed the 'Heaven's 27 Camp Safety Act.' 'It's only appropriate," Perry said, "to memorialize the 27 little girls that lost their lives at Camp Mystic in this way.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Australia's east coast lashed by mega rain bomb: Urgent hunt begins for two men swept into flooded river
Emergency crews are searching for two men still missing after a car plunged into the swollen McDonald River at St Albans, about 20km north of Wisemans Ferry, overnight. The vehicle, carrying three men, left the road late last night and was swept into the raging river. One man in his 20s managed to escape, swimming to shore. He was treated by paramedics but did not need to be taken to hospital. A large-scale search was launched immediately but had to be suspended due to dangerous conditions. Crews will resume the operation at first light. The incident comes as the east coast braces for more wild weather. Sydney recorded 70mm of rain in the past 24 hours, while Port Macquarie has been drenched with 95mm - a region still recovering from devastating floods earlier this year. The SES has responded to 176 calls for help across NSW, including 95 in Sydney's CBD and others in Gosford and Wyong, mostly for fallen trees damaging homes and blocking roads. Authorities are warning residents to stay safe with more heavy rain on the way.
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Reuters
Pakistan's financial capital Karachi hit by torrential rain and flooding
KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan declared a public holiday in Karachi as the financial capital braced for more rain on Wednesday, after the arrival of the annual monsoon season left at least seven people dead and caused widespread flooding, officials said. The monsoon has brought havoc across Pakistan in recent days with the death toll from flash floods that struck the mountainous northwest on Friday rising to 377. In Karachi, at least seven people have died since the rains began in the southern port city on Tuesday, said Abdul Wahid Halepoto, a provincial government spokesperson. Rainfall reached levels not seen in years in some parts of the city, Pakistan's largest, with a population of more than 20 million. Deaths were caused by drowning, road accidents, building collapse and electrocution, Halepoto said. Authorities ordered educational institutions and offices to shut. "We are expecting more intense rains," said Anjum Nazir, a spokesperson for the provincial meteorological department. Tuesday's rain was recorded between 80 mm (3.15 inches) and 178 mm (7.01 inches) in different parts of the city, he said. Nazir said the area around the airport received 163.5 mm of rain, the highest recorded there since 1979. Some 178 mm of rain was recorded in the northeast of the city, the highest since the weather station there was set up five years ago. The rain also disrupted power, mobile phone services and flights, officials said. Local television footage showed cars and other vehicles floating down streets, with houses submerged in water. Karachi Electric said the sudden downpour had caused some disruption to its distribution network. Restoration efforts faced significant challenges due to waterlogging, access and overall traffic congestion in the city, its spokesperson said. He said KE teams would be able to restore the majority of electricity feeders within eight to 12 hours. Rescue workers, police, volunteers and government agencies were helping relief efforts, the city's Mayor Murtaza Wahab told a press conference. "We are using all our resources to clear roads and restore utilities," he said. Wahab said the rain had overwhelmed the city's infrastructure, adding that the city's drainage system has the capacity to handle 40 mm rain, and that anything above that would spill over into flooding. There have also been heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai, India's financial capital, with some parts of the city drenched with as much as 875.1 mm of rain in the five days leading up to August 20, the local weather department said. Many schools in the city were closed for a second straight day on Wednesday, while train services were disrupted. Authorities requested residents avoid venturing out as more rain was predicted.
