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Los Angeles Times
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
Search for those missing in Texas floods resumes in some areas after pause for rain
KERRVILLE, Texas — With rain in the forecast Monday, officials kept a wary eye on river levels as some crews resumed the search for people still missing after catastrophic flooding pummeled Texas this month, killing at least 132 people. Search-and-rescue operations along the Guadalupe River were halted Sunday after a new round of heavy rain led to more high-water rescues and prompted fears that waterways could surge again above their banks. That was the first time search efforts for victims were paused since the July Fourth floods. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County alone, and 10 more in neighboring areas. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Monday during a commissioners' meeting that it is difficult to determine exactly how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred. 'We've heard accounts of trailer after trailer after trailer being swept into the river with families in the them. Can't find the trailers,' Kelly said. 'It's what we don't know. We don't know how many of them there are.' Kelly said he'd been told of one trailer that was found 'completely covered in gravel' 27 feet below the surface of the river. He said sonar crews have been searching the river and local lakes and more are expected to arrive. Commissioner Don Harris said officials plan to drain two reservoir lakes on the river. 'Who knows how many out there are completely covered,' Harris said FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams fully resumed operations on Monday, said Obed Frometa, FEMA Blue Incident Support Team information officer. Levi Bizzell with the Ingram Fire Department said its operations and everything up the river were still suspended as of about noon Monday but they would be reconvening shortly to discuss next steps. 'Everybody here wants to be out there working,' Bizzell said. 'They literally come in in the morning whether they are tired or not, and they just want to get out there and work because they want to find closure for these families.' In Kerrville, about 100 miles west of Austin, local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising water on July 4. Authorities in Kerrville went door to door to some homes early Sunday to warn that flooding was again possible, and pushed phone alerts to area residents. Kerr County commissioners asked the public for their patience as the search and cleanup continues. Commissioner Rich Paces said during the meeting Monday morning that he has received death threats. 'They're just playing a blame game,' Paces said. During a special Kerrville City Council meeting Monday, council member Brenda Hughes also complained of threats to city officials and staff, which she did not detail, and called for increased security at City Hall. 'We're not only dealing with all of the aftermath of this tragic event, but now we have to worry about threats that are coming to staff, targeted threats that are specific to individual staff members,' she said. During the pause in search efforts, Ingram Fire Department officials ordered crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County, warning the potential for another flash flood was high. The soil is still primed for enhanced water runoff across Texas Hill Country, and a flood watch covering the region is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday, with up to 5 inches of rain possible in some spots, the National Weather Service said. Gov. Greg Abbott said on X on Sunday that the state had rescued dozens of people in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties, and that people evacuated their homes in a handful of others. The latest flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, chief executive of the Hill Country Community Action Assn., a San Saba-based nonprofit. 'Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,' she said. 'Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.' County officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate and relocate to the San Saba Civic Center, Johnson said. The weather system brought widespread slow-moving storms and multiple rounds of heavy rain Sunday, pushing rivers and streams over their banks. The rains caused waterways to swell farther north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. 'He drove into it and didn't realize how deep it was,' said Jeff Douglas, president of the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department. Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims. The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region. 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 counselors. 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. Angueira writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, N.Y.; Juan Lozano in Houston, Michael Weissenstein in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; and Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Ga., contributed to this report.
American Press
14-07-2025
- Climate
- American Press
Search for those missing in catastrophic Texas floods resumes in some areas after pause for rain
An officer prays with a family as they pick up items at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) With rain in the forecast Monday, officials kept a wary eye on river levels as some crews resumed the search for people still missing after catastrophic flooding pummeled Texas this month, killing at least 132 people. Search and rescue operations along the Guadalupe River were halted Sunday after a new round of heavy rain led to more high water rescues and prompted fears that waterways could surge again above their banks. That was the first time search efforts for victims were paused since the July Fourth floods. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County alone, and 10 more in neighboring areas. 'Trailer after trailer after trailer' swept away Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Monday during a commissioners' meeting that it is difficult to determine exactly how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred. 'We've heard accounts of trailer after trailer after trailer being swept into the river with families in the them. Can't find the trailers,' Kelly said. 'It's what we don't know. We don't know how many of them there are.' Kelly said he'd been told of one trailer that was found 'completely covered in gravel' 27 feet (8.2 meters) below the surface of the river. He said sonar crews have been searching the river and local lakes and more are expected to arrive. Commissioner Don Harris said officials plan to drain two reservoir lakes on the river. 'Who knows how many out there are completely covered,' Harris said FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams fully resumed operations on Monday, said Obed Frometa, FEMA Blue Incident Support Team information officer. Levi Bizzell with Ingram Fire Department said their operations and everything up the river were still suspended as of about noon Monday but they would be reconvening shortly to discuss next steps. 'Everybody here wants to be out there working,' Bizzell said. 'They literally come in in the morning whether they are tired or not, and they just want to get out there and work because they want to find closure for these families.' 'Playing a blame game' In Kerrville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Austin, local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising water on July 4. Authorities in Kerrville went door-to-door to some homes early Sunday to warn that flooding was again possible, and pushed phone alerts to area residents. Kerr County commissioners asked the public for their patience as the search and cleanup continues. Commissioner Rich Paces said during the meeting Monday morning that he has received death threats. 'They're just playing a blame game,' Paces said. During a special Kerrville City Council meeting Monday, council member Brenda Hughes also complained of threats to city officials and staff, which she did not detail, and called for increased security at City Hall. 'We're not only dealing with all of the aftermath of this tragic event, but now we have to worry about threats that are coming to staff, targeted threats that are specific to individual staff members,' she said. Bad weather forces a halt to search efforts During the pause in search efforts, Ingram Fire Department officials ordered crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County, warning the potential for another flash flood was high. The soil is still primed for enhanced water runoff across Texas Hill Country, and a flood watch covering the region is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday, with up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain possible in some spots, the National Weather Service said. Gov. Greg Abbott said on X on Sunday that the state had rescued dozens of people in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties, and that people evacuated their homes in a handful of others. The latest flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association, a San Saba-based nonprofit. 'Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,' she said. 'Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.' County officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate and relocate to the San Saba Civic Center, Johnson said. A wide-ranging weather system brings heavy rains The weather system brought widespread slow-moving storms and multiple rounds of heavy rain Sunday, pushing rivers and streams over their banks. The rains caused waterways to swell further north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. 'He drove into it and didn't realize how deep it was,' said Jeff Douglas, president of the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department. Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims. The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region. 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 counselors. 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.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Out of grief and devastation came caring, sharing and the Oklahoma Standard
Few lives pass without disappointment, heartache and despair. Marriages crash. Children, friends and loved ones are injured or killed. Dreams are not realized. Sickness and physical and mental decline strangle happiness and crush the expectation of a better tomorrow. Natural and man-made tragedies can be unexpected nightmares. They can also be calamities to our sense of order, goodness and our confidence in tomorrow's sunrise. April 19, 1995, dawned happily for most. Springtime embraced Oklahoma City. The weather was cool and crisp. A chance for rain and the satisfaction of Oklahoma's near universal appetite for moisture was the message from the local media. And then it happened. An explosion of unknown origin thundered from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The face of the structure was blasted in half. I had just attended the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast in the Civic Center. First reports suggested that it was a natural gas explosion. Smoke rose. Sirens wailed. One of my earliest calls was from my college schoolmate, President Bill Clinton. He said that he hoped that the explosion was not a Middle East terrorist event. I responded that I had no clue as to the origin but that the building was filled with tenants and visitors. There had to be casualties. More: Heartland Chapel near memorial gets restoration ahead of OKC bombing anniversary Clinton promised FEMA Urban Search and Rescue personnel. That promise was fulfilled within hours. Minutes later, I visited the broken, smoking wreckage of what before was an office and the business center of Oklahoma City's economy. More than 100 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The streets were filled with emergency vehicles and rescue personnel. The area was alive with the frantic, the helpful and those official many who would heal, recover, comfort and identify the cause of what we had just experienced. The next morning, my wife, Cathy, and I went to the site. It was chilly and drizzly. Searchlights illuminated the face of the broken building. Fire trucks and ladders enveloped the scene. A firefighter whose uniform I did not recognize was walking up the street. He must have been a FEMA worker from another state. I stepped off the curb to greet him. 'Thank you for being here,' I said. He asked who I was. I told him that I was the governor of Oklahoma. He let my answer brush past him and sharply pushed his finger into my chest. 'Then you find out who did this, because all that I pulled from this place was a child's finger and an American flag.' He stormed on up the street. In the next several days, the agony began to take shape. We moved from a rescue to a recovery operation. Broken cars from the destroyed landscape dotted the scene. The large nearby elm tree was without leaves. The dead began to be counted. 168 of our neighbors and friends were gone. More than 400 were injured. Nineteen children, some barely beyond infancy, were gone, and 102 nearby buildings were damaged or destroyed. The worst death day for the U.S. Secret Service had just passed. HUD. U.S. Customs. Recruiter offices. Civilian federal employers. A credit union. All suffered injury or death. Horror close up. Personal. And evil. Who could have done such a thing? Cathy scheduled and presented to the city and the world, a moving prayer service to remind all of us of God's role in holding us together at a time of man's worst misbehavior. The worst day of domestic terrorism in the history of the United States had just been recorded. That record remains to this day. I am proud of the FBI, my former employer, for its skill and competency as lead in the investigation. I am equally proud of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, whose trooper stopped the car and arrested the two-legged Satan who later was tried, convicted and executed for his unfathomable crimes. Oklahoma showed itself to be a place of competency and caring professionalism in the aftermath of the tragedy. A case in point. Cathy and I thanked the FEMA teams as they were returning home. One firefighter waived a dollar bill in the air as they left. He asked if I knew what an Oklahoma dollar bill looked like. He said that his was an Oklahoma dollar because it was the same dollar that he came with and left with. His fellows said the same thing. They were never charged for anything. Everything was given them by Oklahoma strangers. They had never seen anything like it. These sharing and caring and generous people were incredible. Thus came: 'The Oklahoma Standard.' Frank Keating was governor of Oklahoma from 1995-2003. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: During one of the worst of times, Oklahoma was at its best | Opinion
