Georgia Congressman says granddaughters safe after being at Texas camp that flooded
Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter said early Sunday morning that the massive floods have impacted his family directly.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
In a post to X, Carter said that his two granddaughters were at Camp Mystic, near the Guadalupe River in Kerry County, TX.
Carter said the two girls were safe, but their cousin Janie was one of the growing list of fatalities due to the floods.
TRENDING STORIES:
Another boat explosion in north Georgia leaves 7 injured
Death toll in Central Texas flash floods nears 70 as sheriff says 11 campers remain missing
Several spectators injured watching race at Senoia Raceway
Carter, who has served 6 terms as a Congressman from Georgia's first district on Georgia's coast announced in May that he would be running for the Senate against incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
8 minutes ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: More Flooding Looms as Searchers Scramble to Find Missing
Surveying the damage along the Guadalupe River on Saturday. The river surged to nearly 30 feet. Several more inches of rain were expected on Sunday in areas of Central Texas devastated by flooding over the weekend, forecasters said. Up to four inches could fall, with isolated areas potentially receiving up to 10 inches through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Jason Runyen, a meteorologist at the Weather Service's office for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, said that while river levels across the region had receded, more rain could exacerbate flooding in the area. Flash flooding in the region killed more than 50 people over the weekend, with dozens more missing. 'We're kind of saturated now,' he said. 'So any additional amounts, even if we don't get up to 10 inches, could cause flooding.' The Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center placed a Level 2 out of 4 risk for flash floods over portions of North and Central Texas and the Hill Country through Monday afternoon. Further rounds of heavy rain were expected at the beginning of the week before drier conditions develop. 'There's still chances of daily precipitation in the forecast on Monday and Tuesday,' Mr. Runyen said. 'It trends drier and warmer beyond Tuesday.' The flooding that began on Friday was triggered by a combination of a moist tropical air mass — the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry — and a slow-moving storm system, which together fueled powerful thunderstorms. Forecast risk of excessive rain for Sunday Risk Some Moderate High Mr. Runyen said that the storms occurred in two separate waves: one Thursday night into Friday morning, and the other Friday night into Sunday morning. Ahead of the storms, the Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for parts of south-central Texas, including Kerr County, specifying the possibility of rainfall totals up to three inches and isolated amounts of five to seven inches. But for some areas, the actual totals far exceeded those projections. 'Most areas were between five to 10 inches,' Mr. Runyen said. 'But there was a little pocket of eight to 12 inches, that exceeded our values in our flood watch,' he added, referring to areas near the Guadalupe River where many people were killed. Texas officials appeared to blame the Weather Service for forecasts on Wednesday that underestimated the amount of rain that was coming. Former Weather Service officials have said that the forecasts were as good as could be expected, given the way the storms escalated and the remarkable levels of rainfall. Some experts questioned whether staffing shortages at the Weather Service also made it harder for the forecasting agency to coordinate with local emergency managers as floodwaters rose. In the early hours of Friday morning, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning was issued for Kerr County, highlighting communities along the Guadalupe River as high-risk areas. Rainfall estimates in this swath were for five to 10 inches. Other counties, such as Tom Green County, were also placed under similar warnings Friday morning as heavy rain fell. Later on Friday, another intense round of rain battered the region. A new flood watch was issued, including portions of the Hill Country, warning of isolated rainfall totals up to 10 inches. Again, this amount was exceeded. Up to 16 inches of rain fell in Kirby, southwest of Austin, from Friday into Saturday, Mr. Runyen said. The deluge caused rivers in the region to rise to major flood stages. The Guadalupe River reached 29.45 feet — its second highest level on record, surpassing the levels that led to the devastating flood of 1987 in the same area, according to the Weather Service. The actual river levels this weekend might have been even higher than recorded, however, according to Mr. Runyen, who said that the river gauge was 'washed out' during the storm. 'We think that may have been a record,' he said. Flooding also occurred north of Kerrville, in San Angelo, where a National Weather Service office had issued river flood warnings on Friday for all parts of the San Saba, Concho and Colorado rivers. A flash flood emergency was declared for the Llano River in Mason County early Friday afternoon due to rapid rise. The warning urged residents, 'If you live along or near the river in this area, take action immediately as this is a life-threatening situation!' The San Gabriel River also experienced flooding.
Wall Street Journal
22 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
A Texas Dad Tried to Kayak to His Daughters. The Girls Texted ‘I Love You.'
The search for survivors continues two days after a flash flood killed dozens of people across central Texas, but some of the stories of the families caught in the July Fourth weekend storms are starting to be told. The Harber family was spending the holiday at a cabin they owned in the Casa Bonita cabin community near Hunt, Texas. Around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4, RJ Harber was awakened by pounding rain, thunder and lightning. Hours earlier, he had received flash-flood warnings for other areas but not where he was staying.
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
Rescuers Race Against Time in Search for Texas Flood Survivors
They used helicopters and drones, arrived on horseback and in trucks, and searched from boats and golf carts. Sometimes, they muscled through brush and devastation on foot. Emergency responders, family members, bystanders and others have saved hundreds of people from the devastation of the flooding in Central Texas, holding onto hope as national crews extend their search-and-rescue operations into a third day. Many stories over the past 48 hours have been harrowing. A 22-year-old woman was rescued after clinging to a tree overnight. A young girl was found after floating on a mattress for hours. A mother and her 19-year-old son survived by clinging onto each other and a tree. Two young girls were found 27 feet off the ground in a tree near Comfort, Texas. A counselor at Camp Mystic helped evacuate her 14 young campers to safety. One man, Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, has been credited with saving 165 people. This was his first rescue operation, said Rachel Ault, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. There were 12 rescue helicopters, including ones from the National Guard and the Army, on site at Camp Mystic, the Christian summer camp for girls on the Guadalupe River that was devastated by flooding. Mr. Ruskan 'was the main person on the scene triaging everyone,' Ms. Ault said. More than 850 people had been rescued as of Saturday night, and more than 1,700 people have been involved in the operations, officials said. Eleven girls from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for. 'We will be relentless in going after and assuring that we locate every single person who has been a victim of this flooding event,' Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said on Saturday at a news conference. 'We are not going to stop today or tomorrow. We will stop when the job is completed.' Mr. Abbott also requested a federal disaster declaration, a move that would direct federal assistance to the affected area. President Trump granted the declaration on Sunday morning. Searches continued on Sunday even as forecasters warned of more rain and possible flash flooding. City officials in Kerrville, the seat of Kerr County, have urged people not to go out to conduct search-and-rescue operations and have asked people not to use personal drones over affected areas.
