
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 43, many missing
More than 850 people have been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm on Friday dumped up to 38cm of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 140km northwest of San Antonio.
Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp after river waters rapidly rose nine metres, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.
"We are kind of looking at this in two ways called the known missing, which is the 27 ... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," Rice said.
"We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said eight of the confirmed dead, including three children, had yet to be identified.
The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a 30cm of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect for the broader region.
Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river.
"We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live.
Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims.
"Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media.
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.
Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours.
The US administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad.
He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
"People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
with reuters
Some 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in Texas, as rescuers continue a frantic search for campers, holidaymakers and residents who are still missing.
More than 850 people have been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm on Friday dumped up to 38cm of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 140km northwest of San Antonio.
Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp after river waters rapidly rose nine metres, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.
"We are kind of looking at this in two ways called the known missing, which is the 27 ... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," Rice said.
"We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said eight of the confirmed dead, including three children, had yet to be identified.
The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a 30cm of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect for the broader region.
Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river.
"We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live.
Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims.
"Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media.
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.
Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours.
The US administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad.
He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
"People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
with reuters
Some 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in Texas, as rescuers continue a frantic search for campers, holidaymakers and residents who are still missing.
More than 850 people have been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm on Friday dumped up to 38cm of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 140km northwest of San Antonio.
Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp after river waters rapidly rose nine metres, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.
"We are kind of looking at this in two ways called the known missing, which is the 27 ... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," Rice said.
"We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said eight of the confirmed dead, including three children, had yet to be identified.
The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a 30cm of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect for the broader region.
Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river.
"We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live.
Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims.
"Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media.
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.
Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours.
The US administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad.
He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
"People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
with reuters
Some 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in Texas, as rescuers continue a frantic search for campers, holidaymakers and residents who are still missing.
More than 850 people have been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm on Friday dumped up to 38cm of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 140km northwest of San Antonio.
Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp after river waters rapidly rose nine metres, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that.
"We are kind of looking at this in two ways called the known missing, which is the 27 ... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," Rice said.
"We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said eight of the confirmed dead, including three children, had yet to be identified.
The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a 30cm of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect for the broader region.
Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river.
"We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live.
Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims.
"Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media.
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.
Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours.
The US administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad.
He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
"People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
with reuters

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7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
More than 100 confirmed dead in catastrophic Texas flooding as search for missing people continues
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods — among the nation's worst in decades — slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country — a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding, and which some local residents refer to as 'flash flood alley'. That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.


The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Grim milestone as rescuers search for US flood victims
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley". That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods. The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley". That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods. The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley". That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods. The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley". That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.

Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Texas flooding death toll exceeds 100
The death toll in Texas following the flash flooding has exceeded 100. While Texan officials are being scrutinised due to the lack of warnings issues, local authorities say it was too expensive to install sirens, so instead, text alerts in the middle of the night were the only feasible option. The Trump administration's cut to the National Weather Service is also being negatively viewed.