More than 20 children among the dozens dead in Texas floods
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
Trump calls Texas floods ‘unimaginable tragedy' as death toll hits 80
The death toll from flash flooding in Texas reached 80 on Sunday night, including 28 children, amid fears it would rise further, as President Trump called it an 'unimaginable tragedy'. He declared a major disaster, saying he would 'probably' visit the state later this week. Rescuers are still trying to find at least ten missing girls and one counsellor from Camp Mystic, the Christian camp that was overwhelmed when the River Guadalupe burst its banks on Friday. Larry Leitha, the Kerr County sheriff, told a news conference earlier on Sunday that the 68 dead in the worst-hit county included 28 children and 40 adults. Eighteen adults and four children who died had not yet been identified. Questions were raised about whether vacancies at two local offices of the National Weather Service (NWS) made coordination with emergency responders more difficult. Despite warnings from meteorologists of possible flooding from late Thursday into Friday, the scale of the downpour in the early hours confounded expectations. Over a few hours, the Guadalupe running alongside Camp Mystic rose from 7ft to 29ft. Some wondered why camps along the river had not been evacuated given the warnings. On Sunday Trump said he had signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, which will allow it to access further emergency funds. He said he had been in touch with the Texas governor and that he 'wanted to leave a little time' before visiting the stricken region. 'I would have done it today, but we would just be in their way, probably Friday,' the president said. John Cornyn, a Republican senator from Texas, told Fox News that he expected the death toll to rise. Trump promised to provide the 'brave first responders' of Texas with all the resources they needed as rescue teams and sniffer dogs continued to search for signs of life after the devastating flash floods. But even the president could not provide better news to families who were already grieving, or fresh hope to those whose loved ones remained among the missing, as the death toll rose and the chances of finding survivors receded during the day. The Texas governor Greg Abbott said 41 people were known to be missing. Warnings of further rainfall and thunderstorms to come were issued as rescuers raced to find those who remained unaccounted for, including ten young girls and a councillor who had been at the hundred-year-old Camp Mystic, the Christian summer camp that was swept away by the torrents. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings at the camp were caked in mud, and windows in the cabins were shattered. By Saturday, Dalton Rice, the city manager in Kerrville, said officials were 'seeing bodies recovered all over, up and down'. He added: 'We broke it down into grids so we can recover those bodies.' As the search continued, questions were raised about why the worst-affected areas were not evacuated sooner. Kerr County appeared to lack a local flood warning system. Rob Kelly, the Kerr County judge and its most senior elected official, suggested that this came down to expense. 'Taxpayers won't pay for it,' he said. • Why did the floods catch Texas by surprise? But there were also questions about whether staffing shortages at the NWS had affected the quality of a forecast — or the speed of the response. Texas officials said the forecasters had not anticipated the extent of the downpour. The first evacuation warnings from the San Angelo and San Antonio weather offices arrived from midnight on Thursday and the flash floods followed very quickly. The Guadalupe River rose more than 20ft in under two hours during the torrential rain. Tom Fahy, the legislative director of the NWS's union, said the state's office in San Antonio had a number of vacancies in key roles, including a warning co-ordination meteorologist. Fahy added that the San Angelo office, which covered some of the worst-hit areas, was missing a senior hydrologist, staff forecaster and meteorologist in charge, and that the vacancy rate at both offices was roughly double what it was in January, when Trump took office. Since then, the Trump administration cut or retired almost 600 employees at the NWS as part of a drive to reduce 'waste' in federal departments. The majority of victims recorded were along the Guadalupe River in the county. Hundreds of emergency service personnel and more than a dozen dogs continued to search for those missing. Parents rushed to the reunification centre on Friday morning after reports of the flooding, as the camp was hampered in its ability to assist search operations without internet or power, while a road which had been destroyed close by was further complicating efforts. Abbott said the authorities 'won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins', as he described the camp as having been 'horrendously ravaged' by the floods. Trump thanked the emergency services searching for those who remained missing. 'Our incredible US Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives,' he posted. Rice said the primary focus remained the 'search and rescue of every single person involved'. He added: 'We'll continue through the night to make sure that happens.' Securing a major disaster declaration allows Texas access to federal assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that this help 'can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programmes' for individuals, while funding was available for eligible government agencies and non-profit organisations helping with the response. RJ Harber, father of Blair, 13, and Brooke, 11, confirmed the deaths of his two daughters this weekend. The sisters were staying with their grandparents Charlene and Mike Harber in a cabin by the Guadalupe River. Harber believes his parents, who are still missing, have also died. He and his wife had been staying in a separate cabin nearby, when the catastrophic floods struck. They were unharmed. Lila Bonner, nine, was at Camp Mystic with her best friend, eight-year-old Eloise Peck, who is still missing. The pair had recently finished second grade at Bradfield elementary school. Renee Smajstrla, eight, also at Camp Mystic, was confirmed dead by her uncle. He told The Washington Post that the family were thankful Renee 'was with her friends and having the time of her life'. The family of Sarah Marsh, eight, who had been attending Camp Mystic, said they were 'blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives'. Janie Hunt's mother, Anne Hunt, confirmed that her nine-year-old daughter, who had been staying at Camp Mystic, died on Saturday. Julian Ryan's fiancée said the 27-year-old died a 'hero' saving his family. Punching through a window pane to allow his fiancée, children and her mother to escape, the father of three lacerated his arm in the process and bled to death before rescuers arrived. Jane Ragsdale was director and co-owner of the Heart O' the Hills all-girls' camp located slightly upriver from Camp Mystic. Ragsdale was described as its 'heart and soul'. Richard Eastland, Camp Mystic's co-owner since 1974, died in a helicopter on the way to a Houston Hospital, according to the Kerr County judge Rob Kelly. Eastland was the third generation of his family to manage the summer camp and had 11 grandchildren, many of whom helped with running it. Reece and Paula Zunker were found dead on Saturday morning. The Zunkers' two young children are unaccounted for.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
The places where deadly Texas floodwaters have killed at least 79 people
Search teams are using helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims in flash floods that have torn across central Texas since the at the start of the July Fourth weekend. At least 79 people have died and many more are still missing, including at least 10 girls from a summer camp. At the center of the tragedy is the scenic Texas Hill Country, where volunteers and some families of the missing have searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities in surrounding areas closer to Austin, the state capital, have also recovered victims from floodwaters. Here's a look at the known toll of dead and missing. Texas Hill Country Flash floods striking with the force to rip away concrete slabs and giant trees tore across Guadalupe River banks dotted with children's camps and campgrounds. Kerr County authorities had confirmed at least 68 deaths as of Sunday and said they had no way to total the number of missing across the county, the hardest-hit by the floods. Among Kerr County's confirmed dead are at least 28 children. The missing campers were from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian camp for girls in Hunt, Texas. Travis County Four people were confirmed killed, as flash floods along creeks carried away homes, trailers, cars and people in the northwest portion of the county. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the top executive of the county, said Sunday that some 50 people have been rescued by helicopter, in boats, and on foot. They've also sent resources to Kerr County, knowing that it was harder hit. While a flood watch remains in effect, officials say they have neutralized the initial emergency. 'Now we're going to be moving into recovery,' said Eric Carter, chief Emergency Management Coordinator for Travis County. Authorities in the largely rural county, which borders Travis County, reported three dead and five people missing in floodwaters that surged out of Cow Creek and other waterways. Other victims Two deaths were reported in Kendall County, and there was one death each in Tom Green and Williamson counties. In Williamson County, in the north suburbs of Austin, the U.S. military at nearby Fort Hood helped evacuate 16 people people from a home for disabled children, County Judge Steve Snell said. The victim in Tom Green County was a woman whose body was found outside her submerged car in the city of San Angelo.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Photos of the flooding aftermath along the Guadalupe River in Texas
News Photos of the flooding aftermath along the Guadalupe River in Texas Show all 16
