
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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The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
‘Only a very evil person would ask': Trump lashes out at reporter while visiting Texas flood zone
'I'll tell you some other time,' Trump said on Tuesday, when asked by a reporter about FEMA. Before the most recent flooding, Kerr County declined to install an early-warning system after failing to secure state money to cover the cost. Lawrence Walker, 67, and a nearly three-decade veteran resident of Kerrville, said the county and state had not spent enough on disaster prevention, including an early-warning system. Asked about the quality of the government response, he said, 'It's been fine since the water was at 8 feet.' The Texas state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster relief funding. Abbott has dismissed questions about whether anyone was to blame, calling that the 'word choice of losers.' Dozens still unaccounted for Search teams on Friday were still combing through muddy debris littering parts of the Hill Country in central Texas, looking for the dozens still listed as missing, but no survivors have been found since the day of the floods. Heavy rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River early on July 4, causing the deadliest disaster of the Republican president's nearly six-month term in office. As sun poked through dark clouds on Friday morning, search crews in hard hats painstakingly walked inch-by-inch along the ruined banks of the river, marking damage and looking through wreckage. After the president arrived in Kerr County in the early afternoon, Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott drove to an area near the river, where Trump received a briefing from first responders amid debris left in the wake of the flood. The county is located in what is known as 'flash flood alley,' a region that has seen some of the country's deadliest floods. More than a foot of rain fell in less than an hour on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about a foot to 34 feet (10.4 meters) in a matter of hours, cascading over its banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path. Kerr County officials say more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, although experts say that the number of people reported missing in the wake of disasters is often inflated. The dead include at least 36 children, many of whom were campers at the nearly century-old Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river. Jon Moreno, 71, a longtime Kerrville resident whose property on high ground was spared, praised the government response - local and federal. He has heard the debate about what more could have been done - including sirens - but said he did not think it would have made much difference, given people's desire to build along the flood-prone riverbanks. Loading 'It's unavoidable,' he said. 'All those people along the river - I wouldn't want to live there ... It's too dangerous.' At Stripes, a gas station in Kerrville, the building was tagged in large white letters, accusing 'Trump's Big Beautiful Bill' of cutting 'our emergency funding.' The president's massive legislative package, which cut taxes and spending, won approval from the Republican-controlled Congress last week and was signed into law by Trump on the same day that the flooding hit Texas.

Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Only a very evil person would ask': Trump lashes out at reporter while visiting Texas flood zone
'I'll tell you some other time,' Trump said on Tuesday, when asked by a reporter about FEMA. Before the most recent flooding, Kerr County declined to install an early-warning system after failing to secure state money to cover the cost. Lawrence Walker, 67, and a nearly three-decade veteran resident of Kerrville, said the county and state had not spent enough on disaster prevention, including an early-warning system. Asked about the quality of the government response, he said, 'It's been fine since the water was at 8 feet.' The Texas state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster relief funding. Abbott has dismissed questions about whether anyone was to blame, calling that the 'word choice of losers.' Dozens still unaccounted for Search teams on Friday were still combing through muddy debris littering parts of the Hill Country in central Texas, looking for the dozens still listed as missing, but no survivors have been found since the day of the floods. Heavy rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River early on July 4, causing the deadliest disaster of the Republican president's nearly six-month term in office. As sun poked through dark clouds on Friday morning, search crews in hard hats painstakingly walked inch-by-inch along the ruined banks of the river, marking damage and looking through wreckage. After the president arrived in Kerr County in the early afternoon, Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott drove to an area near the river, where Trump received a briefing from first responders amid debris left in the wake of the flood. The county is located in what is known as 'flash flood alley,' a region that has seen some of the country's deadliest floods. More than a foot of rain fell in less than an hour on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about a foot to 34 feet (10.4 meters) in a matter of hours, cascading over its banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path. Kerr County officials say more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, although experts say that the number of people reported missing in the wake of disasters is often inflated. The dead include at least 36 children, many of whom were campers at the nearly century-old Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river. Jon Moreno, 71, a longtime Kerrville resident whose property on high ground was spared, praised the government response - local and federal. He has heard the debate about what more could have been done - including sirens - but said he did not think it would have made much difference, given people's desire to build along the flood-prone riverbanks. Loading 'It's unavoidable,' he said. 'All those people along the river - I wouldn't want to live there ... It's too dangerous.' At Stripes, a gas station in Kerrville, the building was tagged in large white letters, accusing 'Trump's Big Beautiful Bill' of cutting 'our emergency funding.' The president's massive legislative package, which cut taxes and spending, won approval from the Republican-controlled Congress last week and was signed into law by Trump on the same day that the flooding hit Texas.


West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
Trump arrives in Texas to survey flood damage
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Texas to survey the damage caused by flash flooding and to meet with local officials, first responders and relatives of some of the 120 people killed in the July 4 disaster. His visit comes at the end of a week of mounting questions about the government response to the deadly deluge and hopes of finding any more survivors nearly extinguished. Search teams have combed through muddy debris littering parts of the Texas Hill Country, looking for the dozens still listed as missing, but no survivors have been found since the day of flooding. Last Friday, torrential rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River in the pre-dawn hours of the US Independence Day holiday. The disaster is the deadliest of the Republican president's nearly six-month term in office. As sun poked through dark clouds on Friday, search crews in hard hats painstakingly walked inch-by-inch along the ruined banks of the river, marking damage and looking through wreckage. "It's a horrible thing," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House with First Lady Melania Trump. "Nobody can even believe it, such a thing - that much water that fast." Air Force One touched down at Kelly Field air base in San Antonio at about noon. Trump travelled by helicopter to Kerrville, the epicentre of the flooding in south-central Texas, where he spoke with relatives of the victims and emergency responders, according to a White House official. He was set to listen to a briefing from local officials and tour sites in Kerr County. The county is located in what is known as "flash flood alley," a region that has been the scene of some of the deadliest floods in the United States. More than 30cm of rain fell in less than an hour on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about 30cm to 10.4 metres in a matter of hours, cascading over its banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path. Kerr County officials say more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, although experts say that the number of people reported missing after disasters is often inflated. The dead include at least 36 children, many of whom were campers at the nearly century-old Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river. Local and federal officials have faced scrutiny for their response, including questions about whether they could have done more to warn people of the rising floodwaters. Before the most recent flooding, the county declined to install an early-warning system after failing to secure state money to cover the cost. In an interview with NBC on Thursday ahead of the trip, Trump appeared to support any fresh initiative to install such alarms. "After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you'd put alarms up in some form," Trump said. The Texas state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster relief funding. The US Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, on Monday asked a government watchdog to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected the forecasting agency's response. The NWS has defended its forecasting and emergency management, noting it assigned extra forecasters to two Texas offices over the holiday weekend. Trump's administration has said the agency was sufficiently staffed and responded adequately. On NBC, Trump described the flooding as a "once-in-every-200-year event".