At least 27 killed in Texas floods
KERRVILLE, Texas
Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls' camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 27 people, including nine children.
The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
'People need to know today will be a hard day,' said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. 'Please pray for our community.' Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.
Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said.
'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.
Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup truck tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall.
Among those confirmed dead was the director of a camp just up the road from Camp Mystic.
The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.
'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings.
Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Rice said. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.
One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.
'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was traveling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground.
'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Trump said in a statement on his social media network.
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Texas floods killed 21 children, some still missing, say officials
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2 days ago
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At least 27 killed in Texas floods
agencies KERRVILLE, Texas Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls' camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 27 people, including nine children. The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. 'People need to know today will be a hard day,' said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. 'Please pray for our community.' Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning. Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said. Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup truck tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall. Among those confirmed dead was the director of a camp just up the road from Camp Mystic. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Rice said. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist. One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. 'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District. President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was traveling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground. 'Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,' Trump said in a statement on his social media network.
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2 days ago
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Nine children among 27 dead in Texas flooding
Agencies Texas Rescuers in the US state of Texas are scrambling to locate more than two dozen children still missing from a Christian summer camp after a powerful storm caused flash floods that authorities say have killed at least 27 people. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters on Saturday that the death toll included nine children. Leitha said around 800 people had been evacuated from the region, about 137km (85 miles) northwest of San Antonio, as flood waters receded on Saturday morning. Torrential downpour on Friday caused the fast-flowing Guadalupe River to rise nearly nine metres (29 feet) near the Camp Mystic summer camp, where around 750 children were staying. Twenty-seven attendees were still unaccounted for, according to Dalton Rice, city manager of the nearby town of Kerrville in Kerr County.. The Heart O' The Hills summer camp, located about 1.6km from Camp Mystic, confirmed on Saturday that its director, Jane Ragsdale, was among the dead. While the National Weather Service (said the flash-flood emergency had largely ended for Kerr County – the epicentre of the flooding – it warned of more heavy rain to come, maintaining its flood watch until 7pm local time (00:00 GMT on Sunday). Rice said that more than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground to help with search-and-rescue efforts. Helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. US Coast Guard helicopters had flown in to assist. page 7
