Here is where the flash flooding has hit Texas
The Guadalupe River surged to nearly 35 feet in Comfort, Texas, on Friday, rising by 20 feet in roughly 95 minutes.
Maps revealed that nearby Kerr County was disproportionately impacted, with authorities announcing in a Monday press conference that 75 people had been killed, including 48 adults and 27 children.
In Austin, a dozen people were also killed in associated flooding, and 14 remain unaccounted for, according to My San Antonio. Three people were reported to have died in Burnett County, two in Williamson County, one in Tom Green County, and two more in Kendall County, KXAN reported.
In Kerr County, search and rescue operations were continuing but first responders were running into technical challenges. There were also power outages, and 40 downed power lines. Officials said 10 girls from Camp Mystic – a Christian girls' summer camp – and one counselor remained missing. The camp reported Monday that 27 members had been killed.
'That's every parents' nightmare,' Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters.
Responding to a question about an emergency warning system, Cruz said there had always been a risk of flooding along the river and that everyone would evacuate people if they could go back in time.
'Evacuation is a delicate balance,' said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice at the same press conference. 'Because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses or cars or vehicles or campers on roads into low-water areas trying to get them out, which then can make it even more challenging. Because these flash floods happen very quickly.'
He noted that first responders had been swept off the road while trying to help.
City leadership and local forecasters have been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding emergency response, including over the timing of alerts and how information from the National Weather Service was disseminated on Friday morning.
Forecasters had warned about a 'particularly dangerous situation,' with between five and 10 inches falling in south-central Kerr County over a period of just three to six hours.
Other meteorologists and former National Weather Service employees have defended the actions of the San Antonio, Austin, and San Angelo offices.
But, officials have repeatedly said there was more rain than had been predicted.
'The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,' Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd told reporters last week.
'The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.'
Flood watches and warnings remained in effect throughout the day on Monday near the Rio Grande River.
'There remains a threat of flash flooding from slow moving heavy rains overnight and through the day on Monday somewhere over the watch area,' the City of Kerrville warned on Facebook.
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