Bewildering accounts of survival revealed as death toll climbs to 80 with 11 children still missing in catastrophic Texas floods
Catastrophic flooding struck central Texas on Friday, with waters reaching between six and eight metres on the Guadalupe River, near Kerrville.
It caused widespread damage and a complete washing out of roads.
The death toll rose to 80 dead across six counties on Sunday US time, with officials in Kerr County reporting 68 deaths, including 40 adults and 28 children.
In Travis County, four people are believed dead while three others have lost their lives in Burnet County, two in Kendall Country and one death each reported in Tom Green and Williamson counties, officials have said.
Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian camp, where 11 girls and a counsellor are still missing.
The grandson of Camp Mystic's longtime director, Dick Eastland, said his grandfather had died while trying to save campers from the nightmare floodwaters.
On Friday when asked why the summer camps in the area were not evacuated, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official said: 'I can't answer that. I don't know.'
Officials on Saturday said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km north-west of San Antonio.
"It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, who toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing people.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday he had 'signed a Major Disaster Declaration' for relief for Kerr County while the region deals with heavy rains and extreme flooding.
The declaration allows first responders to have the access they need as they continue to work on search and rescue efforts.
US Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said.
'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,' Trump wrote to Truth Social.
Speaking to reporters late on Sunday, Trump vowed continued federal support for Texas and said he would 'probably' visit the state on Friday.
'We'll continue to be there. And we're working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,' Trump told reporters as he departed New Jersey after a weekend at his golf club.
'So, we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,' Trump said.
Asked about his plans to phase out the FEMA, Trump said it was a matter for another time.
'FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now, they're busy working, so we'll leave it at that,' he said.
The national weather service extended the flood watch over much of south-central Texas with several inches of rain still expected for the region on Sunday.
Two brothers, Brock and Braeden Davis, caught up in the terrifying floods described how their beds were 'tipping over' as the rapidly rising water forced them to flee for their lives.
The two young brothers had arrived at Camp La Junta earlier in the week and said they were abruptly woken up by the sound of screaming around 4am on Friday.
'I hear screaming from outside. Later on, I find out someone's cabin flooded, and they were outside in the middle of the rain,' Braeden said.
'We jumped up to another bed, a top bunk and like our beds started tipping over, and we got to the top really quick and then, one of the walls fell down,' Brock added.
The two boys waited 13 hours on the top bunk until they were found.
Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves.
Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. - With Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Scores drowned in Texas flash floods
Rescue teams are grappling with more rain as the search continues for dozens of people still missing after flash floods hit central Texas, with the death toll climbing past 80. US search teams waded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew over the flood-stricken landscape on the fourth day of the search for survivors after Friday's flash floods. The Guadalupe River that runs through Kerrville was transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging torrent in less than an hour on Friday. The dead there included 27 campers and counsellors at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the camp said in a statement. Richard "Dick" Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children at his camp during the flood, multiple media including the Austin American-Statesman reported. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy," the camp said in a statement on Monday. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing, officials said on Monday. "Texas is grieving right now," US Senator Ted Cruz said. "The pain, the shock of what has transpired these past few days has broken the heart of our state." Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as flood waters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall, even if lighter than Friday's deluge, could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. The National Weather Service said that heavy rains and thunderstorms could cause more flooding across the area on Monday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin told reporters on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this Friday. He has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Rescue teams are grappling with more rain as the search continues for dozens of people still missing after flash floods hit central Texas, with the death toll climbing past 80. US search teams waded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew over the flood-stricken landscape on the fourth day of the search for survivors after Friday's flash floods. The Guadalupe River that runs through Kerrville was transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging torrent in less than an hour on Friday. The dead there included 27 campers and counsellors at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the camp said in a statement. Richard "Dick" Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children at his camp during the flood, multiple media including the Austin American-Statesman reported. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy," the camp said in a statement on Monday. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing, officials said on Monday. "Texas is grieving right now," US Senator Ted Cruz said. "The pain, the shock of what has transpired these past few days has broken the heart of our state." Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as flood waters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall, even if lighter than Friday's deluge, could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. The National Weather Service said that heavy rains and thunderstorms could cause more flooding across the area on Monday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin told reporters on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this Friday. He has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Rescue teams are grappling with more rain as the search continues for dozens of people still missing after flash floods hit central Texas, with the death toll climbing past 80. US search teams waded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew over the flood-stricken landscape on the fourth day of the search for survivors after Friday's flash floods. The Guadalupe River that runs through Kerrville was transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging torrent in less than an hour on Friday. The dead there included 27 campers and counsellors at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the camp said in a statement. Richard "Dick" Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children at his camp during the flood, multiple media including the Austin American-Statesman reported. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy," the camp said in a statement on Monday. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing, officials said on Monday. "Texas is grieving right now," US Senator Ted Cruz said. "The pain, the shock of what has transpired these past few days has broken the heart of our state." Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as flood waters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall, even if lighter than Friday's deluge, could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. The National Weather Service said that heavy rains and thunderstorms could cause more flooding across the area on Monday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin told reporters on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this Friday. He has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Rescue teams are grappling with more rain as the search continues for dozens of people still missing after flash floods hit central Texas, with the death toll climbing past 80. US search teams waded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew over the flood-stricken landscape on the fourth day of the search for survivors after Friday's flash floods. The Guadalupe River that runs through Kerrville was transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging torrent in less than an hour on Friday. The dead there included 27 campers and counsellors at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the camp said in a statement. Richard "Dick" Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children at his camp during the flood, multiple media including the Austin American-Statesman reported. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy," the camp said in a statement on Monday. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing, officials said on Monday. "Texas is grieving right now," US Senator Ted Cruz said. "The pain, the shock of what has transpired these past few days has broken the heart of our state." Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as flood waters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall, even if lighter than Friday's deluge, could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. The National Weather Service said that heavy rains and thunderstorms could cause more flooding across the area on Monday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin told reporters on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this Friday. He has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Search teams scour Texas flood zone for dozens missing
Search teams are plodding through mud-laden riverbanks and flying aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counsellor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, before the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced possible heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. But twice as much rain as predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream from where they converge, sending all that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinised once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, the land and air search continues around the clock. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region. As well as the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration. Trump, who is expected to visit the disaster area this week, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving more of the burden to the states. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden set-up," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe." Search teams are plodding through mud-laden riverbanks and flying aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counsellor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, before the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced possible heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. But twice as much rain as predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream from where they converge, sending all that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinised once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, the land and air search continues around the clock. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region. As well as the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration. Trump, who is expected to visit the disaster area this week, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving more of the burden to the states. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden set-up," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe." Search teams are plodding through mud-laden riverbanks and flying aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counsellor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, before the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced possible heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. But twice as much rain as predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream from where they converge, sending all that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinised once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, the land and air search continues around the clock. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region. As well as the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration. Trump, who is expected to visit the disaster area this week, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving more of the burden to the states. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden set-up," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe." Search teams are plodding through mud-laden riverbanks and flying aircraft over the flood-stricken landscape of central Texas for a fourth day, looking for dozens of people still missing from a disaster that has claimed at least 78 lives. The bulk of the death toll from Friday's flash floods was concentrated in the riverfront Hill Country Texas town of Kerrville, accounting for 68 of the dead, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. The Guadalupe River, transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging, killer torrent in less than hour, runs directly through Kerrville. The loss of life there included an unspecified number of fatalities at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a Christian girls retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe where authorities reported two dozen children unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath of the flooding on Friday. On Sunday, Leitha said search teams were still looking for 10 girls and one camp counsellor, but he did not specify the fate of others initially counted as missing. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities were confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for in the disaster beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as floodwaters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall - even if lighter than Friday's deluge - could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, before the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced possible heavy showers and flash floods based on National Weather Service Forecasts. But twice as much rain as predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream from where they converge, sending all that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, according to City Manager Dalton Rice. Rice and other public officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, vowed that the circumstances of the flooding, and the adequacy for weather forecasts and warning systems would be scrutinised once the immediate situation was brought under control. In the meantime, the land and air search continues around the clock. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region. As well as the 68 lives lost in Kerr County, three died in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration. Trump, who is expected to visit the disaster area this week, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving more of the burden to the states. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden set-up," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe."
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Scores drowned in Texas flash floods
Rescue teams are grappling with more rain as the search continues for dozens of people still missing after flash floods hit central Texas, killing at least 78 people. US search teams waded through mud-laden riverbanks and flew over the flood-stricken landscape on the fourth day of the search for survivors after Friday's flash floods. The bulk of the dead were in the riverfront Hill Country, Texas town of Kerrville, where 68 were killed including the 28 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. The Guadalupe River that runs through Kerrville was transformed by pre-dawn torrential downpours into a raging torrent in less than an hour on Friday. The dead there included 27 campers and counsellors at the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the camp said in a statement. As of late Sunday afternoon, state officials said 10 other flood-related fatalities had been confirmed across four neighbouring south-central Texas counties, and that 41 other people were still listed as unaccounted for beyond Kerr County. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, predicted the death toll would rise further as flood waters receded and the search gained momentum. Authorities also warned that continued rainfall, even if lighter than Friday's deluge, could unleash additional flash floods because the landscape was so saturated. The National Weather Service said that heavy rains and thunderstorms could cause more flooding across the area on Monday. State emergency management officials had warned on Thursday, ahead of the July Fourth holiday, that parts of central Texas faced the possibility of heavy showers and flash floods. But twice as much rain as was predicted ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single river channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice said. Search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock, with hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground contending with a myriad of challenges. "It's hot, there's mud, they're moving debris, there's snakes," Martin told reporters on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across the region, about 140 km northwest of San Antonio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and was deploying resources to Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Trump said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably this Friday. He has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.
