Latest news with #CampWaldemar
CBS News
a day ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Survivors describe devastation after Central Texas flooding: "There's nothing left"
In less than an hour, paradise turned to wreckage. "This was our paradise," said Lorena Guillen. "But now it's all gone. I mean, it's gone. There's—there's nothing left." RV park destroyed in under an hour The RV park Guillen owns with her husband in Kerrville was wiped away in less than an hour. "Within 20 minutes after the water had came all the way up here, it was all the way up there where the patio is," she said. "I mean, that is a 500-year flood." RVs were wrapped around trees. A kayak was found hanging 20 feet in the air. Cars were buried under rocks and mud. "The force of nature" was overwhelming "It was just incredible, the force of nature of that moment," Guillen said. People were swept away by the floodwaters. "Just here with me I have six people missing. We don't know their whereabouts. A family of five that I'm praying someone is going to rescue down below," she said. Families wait for word from camps Across town, hundreds of family members waited anxiously to be reunited with girls from Camp Waldemar. "As reports came in, we saw images of the Camp La Junta cabin floating downstream, started hearing about a cabin at Camp Mystic that floated downstream—it was an emotional day," said Rob Sell, a parent of three campers. Campers recall the terrifying night Sell and his wife drove down from Fort Worth and were there when buses arrived with their daughters. "There was a little hole that you could see through my window, because I was on the top bunk, and I looked out and I saw water," said Alice Sell, a camper at Camp Waldemar. "When I slept I heard this loud thunder, and it was silent, but I knew—I didn't want to be worried, so I just thought God was with me and I can sleep the night," said Martha Sell, also a camper. A moment of relief amid the chaos "I had to wait a minute for them to hug their mom first," said Rob Sell. "I'm kind of chopped liver, but ultimately when I did get the hugs, they were really sweet." 'What now?': Survivors face uncertainty A really sweet moment, on an incredibly hard day. "The only thing that's going through my mind right now is like, what now? How — how are we going to move forward? You know, who is going to help?" Guillen said.
Sky News
a day ago
- Climate
- Sky News
Texas flash flooding: At least 50 people killed; girl, eight, 'living her best life' named among victims
In pictures: Campers reunited with their families Campers and staff from one of the camps on the Guadalupe River, Camp Waldemar, have been reunited with their families. People were seen embracing their loved ones, with some shedding tears, at a reunification area. Unknown number of people missing Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said there could be more people missing in the region than the 27 girls unaccounted for from Camp Mystic. "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," he said at a news conference. He said "hundreds" have been rescued from campsites around the Guadalupe River so far and searches are ongoing. Authorities in Travis County said at least 13 people are missing. In Burnet County, a firefighter was among the missing after he was swept away by floodwaters while responding to a rescue, county Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio said. Some of the deadliest floods to hit the US in the last 25 years Flooding causes an average of more than 125 deaths a year, according to the National Weather Service. Here's some of the most deadly flooding to have occurred in the last 25 years... Hurricane Helene, 2024 Helene struck Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia in September 2024. The storm caused about 250 deaths, according to the National Weather Service. Kentucky, 2022 Raging floodwaters in eastern Kentucky led to 45 deaths in late July. The floods destroyed homes and businesses and caused significant damage to schools, roads, bridges and water systems. Tennessee, 2021 Twenty people were killed when creeks near the small Middle Tennessee town of Waverly overflowed, following 43cm of rainfall in less than 24 hours. Hurricane Harvey, 2017 Harvey killed at least 68 people when it swept into Texas in August 2017. All but three of the Harvey deaths were directly attributed to freshwater flooding, which damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage. West Virginia, 2016 It began as a rainstorm that seemed minor, but turned into a catastrophe that trapped dozens of people, ultimately killing 23 in the state. Superstorm Sandy, 2012 Sandy was a freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and the surrounding areas in October 2012. It killed 147 people. Hurricane Katrina, 2005 This was the deadliest flood event in the past 25 years. Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages, with people having to be rescued by boat and helicopter from rooftops. Death toll rises to 50 At least 43 people have been killed in the flash flooding in Kerr County, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference. This includes at least 15 children and 28 adults, with five children and 12 adults pending identification. More than two dozen girls remain missing from Camp Mystic, but authorities have not said how many people were missing beyond the 27 children. In nearby Kendall County, one person has died. At least four people were killed in Travis County, while at least two people died in Burnet County. Congressman 'reunited' with daughters evacuated from Camp Mystic Rep. August Pfluger said his daughters Caroline and Juliana were evacuated from Camp Mystic and "reunited" with his family. In pictures: It is now 12 hours since flash floods swept across Kerr County This is what it looks like on the ground. What we learned from the latest news conference There wasn't a huge amount of news to come out of this evening's press conference, apart from an update on the number of people who have died. Gov. Greg Abbott was accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as well as a number of Texas officials. The group spent most of the news conference praising the response of the local community, as well as reiterating promises to continue searching for victims. There was clear frustration from viewers watching the live link at the lack of information coming through. It was only confirmed at the end, in response to a reporter's question, that 32 people have died, with eight of the recovered bodies currently unidentified. Some 850 people have been rescued. But officials warned these numbers will continue to change. More than 1,300 people have been brought in to help deal with the emergency disaster response. Secretary Noem also answered questions about whether the flash flood warnings came through promptly: "We know that everyone wants more warning time and that is why we are working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long." Gov. Abbott also talked about the importance of prayer. "Prayer does work," he said, adding that they "could have been the reason why water stopped rising into a home or a cabin, or something that would have caused an entire building to float away." 32 dead in Texas flooding More bodies have been recovered from the flash flooding. Thirty-two bodies have been recovered, 14 of which are children. Of those, five adults and three children remain unidentified. "The numbers are going to continue to change until we are done," says Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. Chief Nim Kidd says there is still an active search for live victims. "That will turn into recovery at some point, and none of us wants to put a timeframe on that," he adds. It is still not known exactly how many people are currently missing. More than 850 people saved so far, 'some clinging to trees' Rescuers have saved more than 850 people, Gov. Abbott says. "Some clinging to trees to save their lives," he adds. Senator John Cornyn is speaking next. He also praises the first responders. Watch Gov. Abbott sign the disaster declaration below... President Trump 'absolutely heartbroken' by flash flooding "President Trump loves Texas," Gov. Abbott says, adding that the president is "deeply concerned" by the flash flooding. He then hands over to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who says Trump is "absolutely heartbroken by what has happened here in Texas". "This morning I talked with him several times and he wanted to make sure that all of you know how much he loves Texas, how much he's grieving for your families that have lost someone and the beautiful children that we are still looking for and hoping to return to their families," she says. "He is absolutely committed to using all the resources of the federal government to help unify families." She then praises the state of Texas. "I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters," she says. "Not every state is like that. Many states do not do what the people of Texas do. And you are an example to the nation of getting through these difficult times." She says she will be visiting Camp Mystic later today, where 27 girls are currently missing.
