Texas sheriff names who's to blame for little girls' deaths in devastating flood
Sheriff Larry Leitha told CNN that Emergency Management Coordinator W.B. 'Dub' Thomas was was at home asleep due to working the evening before the July 4 floods that killed at least 136.
The death toll also included 27 campers and counselors who were fast asleep at Camp Mystic.
This previously unreported detail, that the key emergency official was likely not awake to receive urgent National Weather Service (NWS) warnings as they escalated, raises serious concerns about the response to the disaster.
This is a developing story... More updates to come
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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
What are the strongest earthquakes ever recorded?
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's far east early on Wednesday, causing tsunami waves to wash ashore in Japan and Alaska and prompting calls for people around the Pacific to be on alert and move to higher ground. The 8.8-magnitude temblor set off warnings in Hawaii, North and Central America and Pacific islands south towards New Zealand. Here's a glance at some of the most powerful earthquakes recorded previously, according to the US Geological Survey. 1. Biobío, Chile A 9.5-magnitude earthquake struck in a central region of Chile in 1960. Known as the Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake, the largest ever recorded temblor resulted in more than 1,600 deaths in the country and beyond, most of which were caused by the resulting large tsunami. Thousands of people were injured. 2. Alaska In 1964, a 9.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the Alaska's Prince William Sound, lasting for almost five minutes. More than 130 people were killed in the largest recorded earthquake in the US and subsequent tsunami. There were huge landslides and towering waves that caused severe flooding. The event was followed by thousands of aftershocks for weeks after the initial quake. 3. Sumatra, Indonesia A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami devastated south-east and south Asia and east Africa in 2004, killing 230,000 people. Indonesia alone recorded more than 167,000 deaths as entire communities were wiped out. 4. Tohoku, Japan A 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of north-east Japan in 2011, triggering a towering tsunami that smashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant. It knocked out power and cooling systems and triggered meltdowns in three reactors. More than 18,000 people were killed in the quake and tsunami, some of whom have never been recovered. 5. Kamchatka, Russia In 1952, a 9.0-magnitude quake caused significant damage but no reported deaths despite a tsunami that hit Hawaii with 9.1-metre (30ft) waves. 6. Biobío, Chile An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit central Chile in 2010, shaking the capital for a minute and half and setting off a tsunami. More than 500 people were killed in the disaster. 7. Esmeraldas, Ecuador In 1906, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami killed 500 to 1,500 people. Its effects were felt for miles along the Central American coast and as far away as San Francisco and Japan. 8. Alaska In 1965, an 8.7-magnitudequake struck Alaska's Rat Islands, causing a tsunami with waves 11 metres (35ft) high. There was some relatively minor damage, including cracks in buildings and in an asphalt runway. 9. Tibet At least 780 people were killed when an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck in 1950. Dozens of villages were destroyed, including at least one that slid into a river. There were also major landslides that jammed the Subansiri River in India. When the water eventually broke through, it resulted in a deadly 7-metre (23ft) wave. 10. Sumatra, Indonesia In 2012, an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, in Indonesia. Though the quake caused little damage, it increased pressure on a fault that was the source of the devastating 2004 tsunami.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Missouri dad filmed walking out his front door just as lightning struck family's yard
A Missouri father narrowly escaped disaster when a bolt of lightning violently struck his front yard as he stood just steps away. Dylon Conner, 32, of Blue Springs, was walking out his front door just before 5pm on July 24 when lightning suddenly tore through the sky, footage from his doorbell camera showed. The explosive surge split the sky with blinding light and sent a powerful jolt through the camera, barely missing Conner as he recoiled in terror. 'There's a lot of what ifs, and I try not to dwell on the what ifs right now,' the father told Fox 4 KC News. 'I'm just thankful that God protected me and my family from not being in the middle of the yard when the lightning hit our tree.' The harrowing footage captured Conner opening his front door and commenting on the downpour. 'Dude, the amount of rain - it's crazy,' he's heard saying. His toddler son, Liam, then called out to him. 'I mentioned the rain and how much rain has been falling. And he told me, "Don't worry dad, my umbrella will help,"' Conner told Fox 4. 'That was like the point in time where I turned around to acknowledge what he said to me.' The came a deafening crash as lightning struck the tree in their front yard, causing Conner to jump hack. 'We're not going anywhere now,' he's heard saying in the footage. The tree and a swing attached to it remarkably remained standing after the strike. 'It's our kids' favorite tree. I like decorating it for Christmas, and then our swing has been there for like five years now, since COVID,' he told Fox 4. 'We had that installed, and they swing on it all the time. So I don't want to lose that.' Thankfully, Conner was unharmed - thanks in part to Liam's last-minute decision to fetch an umbrella. 'It scared me, scared my son, scared my wife, even our neighbors across the street were like, "wow,"' Conner told fox 4. 'That was just surreal to have lightning hit that close to us.' The doorbell cam footage, which was shared to a Blue Springs Facebook forum by Conner's wife, has racked up tens of thousands of views. 'My husband and toddler, by the grace of God, barely missed being hit!' she wrote in the caption.
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
How one of the world's most powerful earthquakes caused millions to flee
One of the most powerful earthquakes in history triggered a tsunami that made landfall in Russia, Japan and the US. Millions of people on both sides of the Pacific were told to evacuate to higher ground after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula caused waves of up to 16ft. While threat-to-life warnings were issued in Hawaii, a state of emergency was declared in parts of Russia, California residents were told to stay away from the coastline and much of Japan's Eastern seaboard was evacuated, the damage appeared to be limited. Buildings were shaken in Russia and Japan, and flooding was reported in Hawaii. On the Kamchatka peninsula, near the epicentre, some people hurt themselves while rushing to leave their homes, and a hospital patient injured themselves while jumping out of a window. In Japan, it was reported that a 58-year-old woman died when her car fell off a cliff while she was evacuating in the central Mie prefecture. The tsunami threat has now been downgraded, but cautions to stay away from beaches were issued by officials in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. Russia The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake is believed to be the sixth strongest in history. It struck just off Russia's far eastern coast at around 11.25am local time (12.25am in the UK), triggering tsunami alerts in Japan, the US west coast, parts of Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. In Severo-Kurilsk in the northern Kuril islands, south of Kamchatka, tsunami waves exceeded 9ft, with the largest reaching up to 16ft, Russia's RIA news agency reported. Tsunamis form when an undersea earthquake displaces a large volume of water, creating low waves, often 1-2ft high, in the open ocean. These waves race across deep water at speeds rivalling a jet plane, up to 600 mph. As they near shallower coasts, the slowing base of the wave compresses its energy, pushing water upward into towering waves or powerful surges that flood the shore. Tsunami waves struck parts of Kamchatka in the Russian region, partially flooding the port and a fish processing plant in the town of Severo-Kurilsk and sweeping vessels from their moorings. Drone footage showed the town's entire shoreline was submerged, with taller buildings and some storage facilities surrounded by water. 'Today's earthquake was serious and the strongest in decades of tremors,' Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Kamchatka, said in a statement. Russian scientists said it was the most powerful to hit the region since 1952, and was the largest since 2011 when one of magnitude 9.1 off Japan and a subsequent tsunami killed more than 15,000 people. A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped. Officials said the doctors will receive decorations. Another video showed terrified residents screaming inside an apartment building as it shook from side to side, with cutlery and pictures crashing onto the floor. Russian emergency services said that a kindergarten was damaged, but most buildings withstood the quake, with no serious injuries or fatalities reported. Kamchatka and Russia's Far East sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region that is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Japan Following the earthquake, tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns across Japan's Pacific coast, and evacuation orders were issued for 1.9 million people. Footage broadcast by NHK showed scores of people on the northern island of Hokkaido on the roof of a building, sheltering as waves of up to 2ft crashed down below. Three tsunami waves were recorded in Japan, the largest of 4.3ft, officials said. Tsunami waves of 3-9ft can be fatal for people who are swept away, according to experts. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly two million residents were under evacuation advisories in more than 220 municipalities along the Pacific coast as of midday on Wednesday. Workers were forced to evacuate the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, where a meltdown following the 2011 tsunami caused a radioactive disaster. Broadcaster Asahi TV reported that a 58-year-old woman died when her car fell off a cliff while she was evacuating in central Japan's Mie prefecture. Carmaker Nissan suspended operations at some factories in Japan to ensure employee safety, Kyodo news agency reported. Four whales washed up on a beach south of Tokyo in the aftermath of the earthquake. Footage filmed in Tateyama, Chiba, shows the huge whales lying within a few feet of one another along the shore after parts of the coastline were hit by 5ft waves. Professor Peter Evans, director of the sea watch foundation, told the Mail: 'I imagine that the earthquake off Russia has caused major tremors initiating the tsunami and that all of that has had impacts on whales.' Hawaii and mainland US Across the Pacific, Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, urged residents to evacuate ahead of what was expected to be 'life-threatening' tsunami waves. 'God willing, these waves will not hurt us,' Mr Green said before the waves made landfall. 'But you have to assume, assume, they will be life-threatening.' Waves of up to 5.5ft impacted the islands before the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reduced its warning level for the state at around 9.50am BST. Coastal residents in Hawaii had been told to get to high ground or the fourth floor or above of buildings. Tourists were seen sprinting back to their cruise ships in Hawaii as warning sirens blared before tsunami waves hit the island. Rachael Burrows, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, was on a tour around the Big Island when she was forced to rush back to her ship. 'We got off the tour bus and everyone was running trying to get on the cruise ship, because we needed to get out to sea,' she told BBC Breakfast. 'We were luckily some of the last ones to get on the cruise ship. Then we could see a lot of other people getting dropped off and lining up, but they didn't make it.' Oprah Winfrey, the popular TV host who has a home on the island state, was forced to clarify that she had opened her private road in Maui to make way for residents who were evacuating after social media posts suggested otherwise. 'As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,' her spokesman told CNN. 'Local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone's safety. The road will remain open as long as necessary.' Tsunami waves also reached the US west coast, where waves in Crescent City, northern California, were recorded at 3.6ft. In Port San Luis, there was a 'rapid and damaging surge, going from low to high tide in just a few minutes', with the Los Angeles weather service warning people to evacuate the area. Less than 12 hours after the initial powerful earthquake, emergency authorities in Japan and Hawaii began to downgrade their tsunami warnings to advisories. Mr Green, Hawaii governor, held an optimistic briefing, saying the state 'had not seen a wave of consequence'. One tourist on the island told the BBC that 'the disaster we were expecting did not come'. 'It was super nerve-wracking waiting and waiting – you could hear a pin drop,' said Farrell Monaco in Makaha, Ohau in Hawaii. 'The disaster we were expecting did not come. They were so well prepared, they had air raid sirens and alerts. 'Everyone was on the roads and it was busy but it was all very civilised.'
