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Time of India
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
The places where deadly Texas floodwaters have killed at more than 80 people
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Search teams are using helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims in flash floods that have torn across central Texas since the at the start of the July Fourth weekend. More than 80 people have died and many more are still missing, including at least 10 girls from a summer the center of the tragedy is the scenic Texas Hill Country, where volunteers and some families of the missing have searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities in surrounding areas closer to Austin, the state capital, have also recovered victims from a look at the known toll of dead and Hill Country Flash floods striking with the force to rip away concrete slabs and giant trees tore across Guadalupe River banks dotted with children's camps and County authorities had confirmed at least 68 deaths as of Sunday and said they had no way to total the number of missing across the county, the hardest-hit by the Kerr County's confirmed dead are at least 28 children. The missing campers were from Camp Mystic , a riverside Christian camp for girls in the small town of Hunt Travis County Six people in Travis County died in the flooding, county spokesman Hector Nieto said Sunday evening. The flash floods along creeks carried away homes, trailers, cars and people in the northwest portion of the County Judge Andy Brown, the top executive of the county, said earlier Sunday that some 50 people have been rescued by helicopter, in boats, and on foot. They've also sent resources to Kerr County, knowing that it was harder hit. While a flood watch remains in effect, officials say they have neutralized the initial emergency."Now we're going to be moving into recovery," said Eric Carter, chief Emergency Management Coordinator for Travis County Authorities in the largely rural county, which borders Travis County, reported three dead and five people missing in floodwaters that surged out of Cow Creek and other victims Two deaths were reported in both Kendall and Williamson counties, and there was one in Tom Green Williamson County, in the north suburbs of Austin, the U.S. military at nearby Fort Hood helped evacuate 16 people people from a home for disabled children, County Judge Steve Snell said. The victim in Tom Green County was a woman whose body was found outside her submerged car in the city of San Angelo.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Khaleej Times
Texas flooding: Death toll jumps to at least 43; search for missing girls continues
At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. It was likely the casualty toll was higher, authorities said, as other counties in the area were afflicted by the flooding. Travis County Public Information Officer Hector Nieto said four people had died from the flooding there, and 13 were unaccounted for. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (137 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. "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," Rice said. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet. "We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect until 7pm for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. 'We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live. Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking local roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor that request. Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours. Noem said a "moderate" flood watch issued the previous day by the National Weather Service did not accurately predict the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Climate
- AsiaOne
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 43; many still missing, World News
At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday (July 5) as rescuers continued a frantic search for campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. It was likely the casualty toll was higher, authorities said, as other counties in the area were afflicted by the flooding. Travis County Public Information Officer Hector Nieto said four people had died from the flooding there, and 13 were unaccounted for. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (137 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said at a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. "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," Rice said. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet. "We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch remained in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. "We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live. 'Complete shock' Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking local roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. A Reuters photographer saw around 10 cars - some with smashed windshields and doors - that had been swept away by flood waters and lay abandoned near the river. "Complete shock. I'm still in shock today," said Tonia Fucci, 52, a Pennsylvanian who was in Comfort visiting her grandmother. "The devastation was such that I'm still in shock today. And with the rescues going on and helicopters, you just know there's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending. It's just not going to be. There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water." Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news briefing that he had asked President Donald Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honour that request. Earlier on Saturday, Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. [[nid:719767]] Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. Local officials said the extreme flooding struck before dawn on Friday with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours. Noem said a "moderate" flood watch issued the previous day by the National Weather Service did not accurately predict the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. "People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
NWS issues red flag warning for Central Texas, weather expected to elevate wildfire risk
The National Weather Service has issued a 'Red Flag Warning' for Central Texas all day Tuesday as inclement weather is expected to elevate wildfire risk. The arrival of a Pacific front early Tuesday will bring wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour and drive down humidity levels, creating ideal conditions for a blaze to spark and spread in the drought-stricken region, according to the weather service's Austin/San Antonio office. "Vegetation fuels over the region are already very dry, and will allow for the rapid and extreme fire spread during this period of windy and dry weather," Monte Oaks said in a forecast update on Monday afternoon. "The strength of the winds and gusts when combined with the dry air, will be at levels not seen in this area in several years." A fire danger forecast map released Monday by the Texas A&M Forest Service shows the majority of the state, including Austin, will be in "extreme" danger of wildfires on Tuesday, the most severe ranking. Most of Central Texas was in a drought as of Feb. 25, according to the latest information from the U.S. Drought Monitor. For more than 80% of Travis County, the drought is considered extreme. Travis County has not enacted a burn ban because that requires approval from Commissioners Court, which is not meeting this week, said county spokesman Hector Nieto. Instead, the county is asking residents to hold off on burning anything until after Tuesday. Nieto said the fire marshal will consider asking for a burn ban at the next commissioners court meeting on March 11, if it is warranted. The fire risk will be about the same across all South and Central Texas counties, according to the NWS office. On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott instructed the state's Division of Emergency Management to begin preparing for the extreme weather conditions, according to a news release that focused especially on the threat to the western, northern and eastern parts of the state. "As the state faces increased wildfire risks in West Texas and potential severe storms in North and East Texas, Texas stands ready to swiftly deploy additional emergency response resources to communities that may be impacted,' Abbott said in the release. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: National Weather Service issues red flag warning for Central Texas
