Texas floods: Death toll rises to 91 as ‘significant' downpours forecast
The White House has confirmed 91 total fatalitiesA Christian summer camp said 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disasterIn Hill Country, where the worst flooding occurred, up to four more inches of rain is expected to fallDozens more people remain missing as the search for survivors enters a fourth dayWhite House dismisses suggestions that Trump administration cuts may have affected authorities' response to the flooding
©Associated Press
More 'significant' downpours are likely across parts of Texas hill country later today after catastrophic flash flooding last week left dozens of people dead.
A Christian summer camp has confirmed that 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disaster along the Guadalupe River in central Texas. The White House confirmed 91 total fatalities.
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Irish Examiner
20 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Emergency crews suspend search for Texas flooding victims amid new rain warnings
Emergency crews suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding in Texas amid new warnings that additional rain would again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather has paused the search since the flooding earlier this month. Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice on Sunday, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search and rescue teams comb the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Kerrville, Texas (Eric Gay/AP) Search-and-rescue teams have been searching for missing victims of the July 4 weekend flooding. Search and rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte said. 'We're working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,' Mr Lochte said. As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15 feet (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about five feet above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge near Hunt under water. 'Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,' a weather service warning said. The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (eight meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak on July 4, washing away homes and vehicles. A visitor views a memorial wall for flood victims in Kerrville, Texas (Eric Gay/AP) Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp. Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counsellors as well as owner Dick Eastland. The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Trump arrives in Texas to assess flood damage
US President Donald Trump has arrived in Texas as questions swirled over the authorities' response to devastating flash floods that have left at least 120 people dead, including dozens of children. The Republican leader and First Lady Melania Trump flew by helicopter to the Hill Country of central Texas to meet with first responders, families and local officials, a week after a rain-swollen river swept away houses, camp cabins, recreational vehicles and people. As they touched down in Kerrville, a city in the worst-affected Kerr County, where at least 96 people are confirmed dead from the historic flooding, they were greeted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. "We're going to be there with some of the great families" of flood victims, Mr Trump told reporters before leaving the White House, calling the disaster a "terrible thing". The search for more than 170 missing people, including five girls who were at summer camp, entered the eighth day as rescue teams combed through mounds of debris and mud. But with no live rescues reported this week, worries have swelled that the death toll could still rise. Trump responds to criticism on funding cuts Mr Trump has brushed off questions about the impact of his cuts to federal agencies on the response to the flood, which he described as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected". Yesterday, Homeland Security Department head Kristi Noem defended the immediate response as "swift and efficient". Later that day, with Texas officials facing questions about why emergency evacuation messages to residents and visitors along the flooding Guadalupe River reportedly were delayed, in some cases by several hours, Trump expressed support for a flood warning system. "After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you'd put alarms up in some form, where alarms would go up if they see any large amounts of water or whatever it is," Mr Trump told NBC News. "But the local officials were hit by this just like everybody else," he said. Questions on FEMA The floods, among America's deadliest in recent years, have also reopened questions about Mr Trump's plans to phase out federal disaster response agency FEMA in lieu of greater state-based responsibility. FEMA began its response to the Texas flash floods over the weekend after Mr Trump signed a major disaster declaration to release federal resources. But the president has so far avoided addressing questions about its future. Ms Noem insisted FEMA should be "eliminated" in its current form at a government review meeting Wednesday. Officials in Kerr County, which sits astride the Guadalupe River in an area nicknamed "Flash Flood Alley," said at least 36 children were killed in the disaster at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Reports of delayed alerts Details have surfaced about reported delays of early alerts at a local level that could have saved lives. Experts say forecasters did their best and sent out timely and accurate warnings despite the sudden weather change. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said it was between 4am or 5am when he got notified of incoming emergency calls. ABC News reported yesterday that at 4.22am on 4 July, a firefighter in Ingram, upstream of Kerrville, had asked the Kerr County Sheriff's Office to alert residents of nearby Hunt to the coming flood. The network said its affiliate KSAT obtained audio of the call, and that the first alert did not reach Kerr County's CodeRED system for a full 90 minutes. In some cases, it said, the warning messages did not arrive until after 10am, when hundreds of people had already been swept away. The flooding of the Guadalupe River was particularly devastating for summer camps on its banks, including Camp Mystic, where 27 girls and counselors died.
The Journal
5 days ago
- The Journal
In pictures: Scale of damage from floods in Texas as more than 160 people still unaccounted for
MORE THAN 160 people are still missing amid ongoing search and rescue efforts in Texas, after devastating floods that have so far killed 109 people. The flash floods erupted before daybreak on Friday after massive rains sent water speeding down hills into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26ft in less than an hour. Searchers in Kerry Country have so far recovered 90 bodies. The bodies of 30 children are among those that have been recovered in the county, which is home to several youth camps, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counsellors died. Officials said that five campers and one counsellor have still not been found. The flood is the deadliest from inland flooding in the US since Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon flood on 31 July 1976 killed 144 people, with public officials now facing intensifying questions about who was in charge of monitoring the weather and warning that floodwaters were heading toward camps and homes. Here are some images from Texas showing the impact the floods have had: Many images taken from above depict damaged and destroyed buildings near the banks of the Guadalupe River following the flooding. Damage is seen next to the Guadalupe River near Ingram, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The devastation spread across several hundred miles in central Texas all the way to just outside the capital of Austin. Damage at Guadalupe Keys Resort, an RV park in Center Point, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Outside the cabins at Camp Mystic where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered on a grassy hill that slopes toward the river. Advertisement Campers' belongings sit outside one of Camp Mystic's cabins near the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Pink, purple and blue luggage decorated with stickers was also in the debris. Lost items sit at a bridge as a volunteer cleans up debris in Kerrville, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Some campers had to swim out of cabin windows to safety while others held onto a rope as they made their way to higher ground. A broken heart sign is displayed near Camp Mystic. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Volunteers have been helping people to clean up their homes and retrieve their belongings throughout the county. Edward Jackson stands at his door as volunteers help clean up his house in Kerrville. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Volunteers have also been donating essentials for those who have lost their homes. Sonia Govea helps to organise donations for victims of the flash flooding inside the gym at Center Point Elementary School in Center Point, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Most of the bodies of victims of the flooding have been recovered in the lowlands of Kerr County. Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said the county did not have a warning system. Search and rescue teams from Kerrville Fire Department walk past debris in Kerrville. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo State officials have warned that unaccounted for victims could still be found amid the massive piles of debris that stretch for miles. A Virgin of Guadalupe icon is seen amongst the damaged property of a home in Hunt, Texas. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Texas governor Greg Abbott has promised that the search for victims will not stop until everyone was found. Law enforcement officials block a road along the Guadalupe River as they load an extricated body into the back of a pickup truck in Hunt. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo With reporting from Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
