Between broken tree limbs and muddied cabins, a father looks for his missing child
Devastating flooding rains had swept through this place and in parts of Central Texas beginning in the early hours of Friday. Floodwaters killed at least 18 adults and 14 children, including some girls attending Camp Mystic summer camp, and the director of another camp on the bank of the Guadalupe River. As of Saturday, the search continued for the missing, which included about two dozen Camp Mystic girls who were unaccounted for — like Linnie.
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CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Live updates: Disaster response under scrutiny after catastrophic Texas floods
Update: Date: less than 1 min ago Title: NOW: Kerry County commissioners hold first meeting since catastrophic Texas flooding Content: Commissioners in Kerr County, Texas, are meeting in their first official court hearing since more than 100 people in the county, including children and counselors at a summer camp, were killed in catastrophic flooding last week. The first item on the agenda at the bimonthly meeting: the July 4 flooding. The commissioners will 'consider, discuss, and take appropriate action following update on status of recovery efforts,' according to a meeting agenda. Other agenda items will focus on authorizing overtime pay for employees who responded to the flooding and establishing a central location to assist affected citizens. The meeting is currently being livestreamed. You can watch the meeting at the top of the page. The Kerr County commissioners' court consists of County Judge Rob Kelly and four commissioners and is the main governing body for the county, responsible for budgetary, tax and revenue decisions for the population of about 50,000 people. Update: Date: 12 min ago Title: Kerrville councilmember requests "additional security," citing "targeted threats" Content: City council members in Kerrville, Texas, have requested additional security, citing 'targeted threats,' as emotions run high amid search and recovery efforts following devastating floods that have killed more than 100 people in the city and the surrounding county. During the first meeting of city officials since the floods, Councilmember Brenda Hughes requested that the city provide additional security for staff members. 'We're not only dealing with all the aftermath from this tragic event, but now we have to worry about threats that are coming to staff,' she said. 'I want it on the record that I would like additional security here and I'm not leaving here until we get it.' Hughes did not elaborate on the nature of the threats but said she wants the city to be proactive rather than reactive. City Manager Michael Hornes reassured the council that their security remains a priority as the city navigates the massive recovery effort. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. concluded the meeting by thanking the city's staff. 'This flood was impossible to accurately and precisely predict,' Herring said. 'But what (the council) could predict absolutely is that we … knew that city staff would go above and beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of our community.' Update: Date: 41 min ago Title: Power now restored to Camp Mystic site Content: Power has been restored to Camp Mystic, the nearly 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadeloupe River that lost 27 campers and counselors as well as longtime co-director Dick Eastland during flash flooding on July 4. 'We have restored power at Camp Mystic for the primary purpose of communicating with our Mystic family,' the camp said on its website. Leaders of the Christian camp cited a bible verse that said 'You are the light of the world.' 'Our Mystic girls will forever shine just like Matthew 5:14-16,' the camp message said. In a subsequent post over the weekend, the camp thanked the efforts of its counselors to save campers during the flooding. 'We want to take time as we continue to grieve the loss of our precious girls, to thank all of our counselors that embodied the Mystic Spirit and put their campers first as they guided them to safety,' camp leaders wrote. 'There are many counselors and others that we claim as heroes that night and we will be forever grateful.' Update: Date: 59 min ago Title: More rain pummels flood-ravaged central Texas as death toll climbs to 132 Content: At least 150 people are still missing 10 days after abysmal flooding devastated central Texas, claiming at least 132 lives. Heavy rain is pounding some of the same areas already devastated by the July 4 floods, including Kerr County – where more than 100 people were killed in the flooding. Now, county commissioners are set to have their first official meeting since the disaster. Here's what to know for today: Fresh flooding: 'A dangerous situation is occurring' in parts of central Texas, including southwest Kerr County, the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office said Monday morning. 'More heavy rain is on the way. Flooding is already happening.' An important meeting: The Kerr County commissioners' court will have its first bimonthly meeting Monday since more than 100 people died in the county and officials came under scrutiny over flood preparations. The commissioners' court is the main governing body for the county of about 50,000 people. Presidential visit: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Kerrville, Texas, on Friday and met with families affected by the flooding. The president commended first responders and expressed condolences for the lives lost. Major disaster declaration: The federal government added additional counties to Trump's major disaster declaration in central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said. That allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses. Support and charity: The governor also announced the launch of the Texas Flooding Emotional Support Line, a new crisis support service for affected residents. And the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said it has received more than $30 million in donations that will be distributed as grants. Update: Date: 1 hr 16 min ago Title: Kerr County officials will assess flood recovery at a meeting today Content: The Kerr County commissioners will hold a regularly scheduled meeting this morning in the wake of the deadly floods that swept through the central Texas community. The meeting comes as scrutiny intensifies over the disaster response at all levels of government. The commissioners will 'consider, discuss, and take appropriate action following update on status of recovery efforts,' according to the meeting agenda. Local officials are facing questions over their actions in the hours — and even the years — leading up to the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 100 people in the county earlier this month. We will have live coverage starting this morning. Update: Date: 1 hr 2 min ago Title: Ground searches were temporarily suspended Sunday in Kerrville due to new flood threat Content: Ground search operations were suspended for several hours in Kerrville, Texas, Sunday due to flood danger brought on by another round of storms, authorities said. 'All search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice,' the Kerrville Police Department wrote in a Facebook post that morning. 'Any volunteer search parties in the Guadalupe River corridor need to heed this warning. The potential for a flash flood is high.' Several hours later, the department wrote on its page that the flash flood warning had been lifted. A Kerrville government spokesperson told CNN search operations had resumed. Slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rain, flash flooding and rapid river rises across parts of central Texas on Sunday, complicating the recovery from the devastating floods that killed more than 120 people ahead of Fourth of July weekend. The storms prompted evacuations in San Saba County, which is about 2 hours north of Kerrville by car. Update: Date: 1 hr 4 min ago Title: Slow-moving storms on Sunday trigger more flooding and evacuations in Central Texas Content: Just over a week after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas, slow-moving thunderstorms brought heavy rain, and a potential for flash flooding and rapid river rises to the region Sunday. While the most significant rain happened Sunday morning, more thunderstorms are continuing this morning and rivers are forecast to continue to remain swollen early this week. A flash flood emergency was issued for southeastern San Saba County, including Colorado Bend State Park, where six to eight inches of rain fell in six hours. In Sutton, Texas, flooding caused cars to stall on Interstate 10 and water was approaching some homes, according to the National Weather Service. San Saba County is about three hours north of Kerr County where officials have reported 106 deaths and at least 140 people still missing following flooding on July 4. The state conducted water rescues in San Saba County and nearby Lampasas and Schleicher counties Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on X. Read more here. Update: Date: 1 hr 7 min ago Title: FEMA search and rescue teams took days to reach Texas as agency navigates overhaul Content: Multiple urban search and rescue teams from across the country that responded to the deadly floods in central Texas told CNN they were not deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until at least Monday evening — days after any victim had been found alive. CNN has previously reported that the decision to authorize deployments from a federal network of Urban Search and Rescue teams more than 72 hours after the calamity frustrated FEMA officials. In the past, the agency would have quickly staged these teams near disaster zones in anticipation of urgent requests for assistance, they said. Multiple officials also said a new rule requiring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to sign off on relatively small expenditures from her agency, which oversees FEMA, created bureaucratic hurdles during a critical time. That meant the response was slowed down at a time when quick action was most needed, officials inside FEMA told CNN. What DHS is saying: 'Secretary Noem is leading a historic, first-of-its-kind approach to disaster funding: putting states first by providing upfront recovery support — moving money faster than ever and jump-starting recovery,' a spokesperson for the department said. Noem has defended her handling of the disaster, and the response by FEMA appears consistent with the Trump administration's view for how emergencies should be handled under their vision of a restructured FEMA: States take the lead in the response, and the federal government provides support when necessary.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
DeSoto police arrest man after chase, find illegal device on corvette
The Brief A man with an active felony warrant was arrested after a high-speed police chase in DeSoto, Texas, on Saturday night. The suspect, Dario Franco Ramirez, 20, fled from police in a black Chevrolet Corvette, deactivating his lights to evade them. Officers used spike strips to end the pursuit and discovered the vehicle was equipped with an illegal license plate-flipping device. On Saturday, July 12, around 9:45 P.M., DeSoto Police received a notification from the Flock Camera System about a black Chevrolet Corvette in the area. What we know The black Chevrolet Corvette was associated with a registered owner, 20-year-old Dario Franco Ramirez, a resident of Cedar Hill. The vehicle's owner had an active warrant out of Grand Prairie for evading while in a vehicle. A third-degree felony. Officers located the Corvette at a bowling alley in the 100 block of Northgate Drive. When attempts were made to contact the driver, Ramirez sped away, initiating a high-speed pursuit through the city. During the chase, Ramirez attempted to evade detection by deactivating the vehicle's headlamps and tail lamps, but officers coordinated efforts and successfully deployed spike strips on N. Hampton Road near the Pleasant Run Road intersection, puncturing the Corvette's tires. Following the spike strip deployment, Ramirez drove into a residential neighborhood in the 700 block of Hilltop Circle and attempted to park on a resident's property. The resident called the police, which led to Ramirez's arrest and the impoundment of the vehicle. During the investigation, officers discovered that the Corvette was equipped with a device that unlawfully flipped the license plates. This offense is classified as a Class B Misdemeanor. The Source Information in this article was provided by the DeSoto Police Department.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Betrayal of duty': US Army soldiers get prison in West Texas migrant smuggling case
Three now-former U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Hood are heading to federal prison after pleading guilty to a migrant smuggling attempt involving a high-speed chase in West Texas last fall, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas said. Former Pfc. Enrique Jauregui, 26, who recruited two other soldiers in a smuggling attempt he organized, was sentenced to two years plus nine months (33 months) in prison in federal court in Pecos, Texas, last week on June 16, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. He also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. More: Drug cartels: Bodies hanged from bridge outside Juárez. Armored vehicles seized. Jauregui recruited Spc. Angel Palma, 21, and Pfc. Emilio Mendoza Lopez, 22, to drive from Fort Hood (then named Fort Cavazos) to pick up a group of undocumented migrants at the border near Presidio, Texas, on Nov. 27, 2024. All three soldiers pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. In May, Palma and Mendoza Lopez were each sentenced to two years (24 months) in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "The sentencing of these individuals underscores the serious consequences of engaging in human smuggling," Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens said in a statement. "Recruiting fellow soldiers to participate in illegal activities, culminating in a reckless high-speed chase with law enforcement, is a blatant betrayal of duty and public trust." The soldiers were to be paid an undisclosed amount of money for transporting three undocumented migrants — one from Mexico and two from Guatemala — from Presidio to Odessa on a route bypassing the Marfa Border Patrol checkpoint, according to federal criminal complaint documents. Presidio is on the border with Ojinaga, Chihuahua. On the evening of Nov. 27, a Border Patrol agent saw a black GMC SUV at a smuggling hot spot on a road within 100 feet of the Rio Grande between Lajitas and Presidio, the complaint stated. When the Border Patrol agent attempted to pull it over, the SUV fled, sparking a high-speed chase were an agent was injured when the SUV hit a marked Border Patrol vehicle, authorities said. Presidio County sheriff's deputies and Presidio police stopped the SUV in Presidio as people ran from the vehicle. Mendoza Lopez and the three undocumented migrants were arrested. Palma fled but HSI agents found him the next day in a hotel in Odessa, the complaint stated. A search warrant by HSI retrieved cellphone WhatsApp audio and text messages between the soldiers with Jauregui instructing them to be on "full criminal mode ... full I'm a thug mode," the complaint stated. The case was investigated by HSI, Border Patrol, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division. "These three turned their backs on their values in a way that put our nation at risk, and put at risk the lives of others, including the lives of law enforcement officers," U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. "Everyone in this district, regardless of whether you wear the uniform or not, should take note: if you seek to enrich yourself by moving illegal aliens into or through this country, you will face the consequences of federal prosecution and will likely find yourself in federal prison," Simmons said. Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@ and @BorundaDaniel on X. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: US Army soldiers get prison in West Texas migrant smuggling case
