Texas floods killed 21 children, some still missing, say officials
Washington
Officials in Texas have confirmed that at least 21 children died when severe flash floods hit the US state early on Friday.
Local authorities said on Sunday they were still searching for missing children from a Christian summer camp. Located near the Guadalupe River, the camp was accommodating more than 750 children when the floods struck after heavy rainfall.
'It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote on X after visiting the aftermath at Camp Mystic.
In addition, 38 adults died state-wide in the flash floods, bringing the total death toll to at least 59, with some bodies yet to be identified, US officials said on Sunday.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said earlier that the river had risen by almost 8 metres in a very short span of time in the early hours of the morning, while many victims were still asleep.
US President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration to enable additional federal aid for the affected area.
Local officials say more than 850 people were rescued unharmed from the area near the summer camp, while eight people were injured. Some people climbed trees to save themselves from being swept away by the floods, state authorities said.
Over the weekend, surrounding areas were left without electricity and internet.
Footage on US media showed cars being swept away, trees uprooted and houses under water. Some bodies were found in cars that had been washed away.
The heavy flooding since Friday morning took many people by surprise, as holidaymakers were using local rural areas to camp out by rivers over the July 4 long
weekend.
Local authorities say it is not unusual for rivers to burst their banks in the area, which is popular for summer camps. However, the scale of these floods was exceptional.
The Guadalupe River is a confluence of two headwater streams, the Kerrville city manager, Dalton Rice, explained at a press conference on Saturday evening. It had rained heavily on both.
Before Kerrville, the waters then merged in the Guadalupe River, which led to the rapid rise in water levels.
Extreme rainfall has increased in Texas in recent decades due to climate change, Kristina Dahl, vice president of science at the non-profit US organization Climate Central, told CNN.
'As our climate warms, the atmosphere can hold more moisture, which makes it more likely to experience extreme rains like this that are occurring in these short periods of time,' Dahl told the broadcaster.
The many deaths in Texas now underline 'how unprepared we are as a nation for disasters of this scale,' she said.
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The hope of finding survivors of the catastrophic flooding in the US state of Texas continues to dim a day after the death toll surpassed 100, and crews kept up the search for people missing in the aftermath. As the storms that had battered the Hill Country for the past four days began to subside, more attention was being paid to the government's response. Questions are mounting about what, if any, actions local officials took to warn campers and residents who were spending the July Fourth holiday weekend in the scenic area long known to locals as 'flash flood alley'. At public briefings, officials in hard-hit Kerr County have deflected questions about what preparations and warnings were made as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. 'We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Monday. 'We're looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.' 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July 4 1:14am (06:14 GMT) – A flash flood watch is issued for Bandera and Kerr counties. More than a dozen flash flood warnings for counties across the affected areas will be issued by mid-morning. A mobile alert goes out to all mobile phones with reception in the area. Three more warnings are sent in the next few hours, according to the New York Times. 3:30am (08:30 GMT) – The level of the Guadalupe River at Hunt in Kerr County has grown from 2.3 to 5.1 metres (7.7 to 16.8 feet), according to the New York Times. With the water so high, the gauge goes offline for an estimated three hours. 4:35am (09:35 GMT) – The river level hits 8.8m (29 feet) in Hunt County, according to meteorologists at San Antonio TV station KSAT. The water makes its way rapidly downriver. Ten minutes later, it crests at 7m (23 feet) in Kerrville. 5-7am (10-12:00 GMT)- According to CBS, NWS sends out three mobile phone messages in Kerr County reading: 'This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!' News reports have noted that mobile service can be patchy in the more rural parts of Kerr County, and that some residents, accustomed to seeing flood warnings, were inclined to ignore them. 5:15am (10:15 GMT) – NWS reports 'record high' water in Hunt. 6:29am (11:29 GMT) – The City of Kerrville Police Department (KPD) urges all residents who live near the Guadalupe to evacuate. 'This is a life threatening event,' the KPD writes in a Facebook post. 'Do not wait.' 7am (12:00 GMT) – The KPD and firefighters begin evacuating residents. Reunification sites and shelters are set up across town, including at a church and Walmart. 9:30am (14:30 GMT) – The Kerr County Sheriff's Office announces fatalities, saying it will not release details until the next of kin have been notified. 'This is a catastrophic flooding event,' reads a Facebook post. 'The entire county is an extremely active scene. Residents are encouraged to shelter in place and not attempt travel. Those near creeks, streams, and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground.' Throughout the morning and afternoon, news of fatalities trickles out. Officials announce that around 20 children are unaccounted for at Camp Mystic. The camp later confirmed that 27 campers and counsellors died. 3:45pm (20:45 GMT) – The river gauge begins recording again, according to the New York Times. By now, the level at Hunt has dipped back to 9 feet. Although rains continue to lash the region, the river reaches extreme heights as it moves further downstream.
