Latest news with #KerrCountyJudge
The Independent
a day ago
- Climate
- The Independent
13 reported dead and more missing, including girls from a summer camp, after catastrophic Texas flooding
At least 13 people have been reported dead and many more are missing, including girls from a Christian summer camp, after catastrophic river flooding hit central Texas late Thursday. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 13 people have been killed in the flooding, The Associated Press reported. A search is underway for more than 20 girls missing from a nearby camp, according to the AP. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told reporters one of those killed had been found 'completely naked' and without identification. The Kerr County Sheriff's Office confirmed fatalities but declined to release further information until next of kin had been notified. Those reported missing included girls from Camp Mystic, according to The Statesman's Tony Plohetski. He wrote on social media the camp said it had notified parents whose children were not yet accounted for. An image, sent to local station KSAT, showed girls in the Kerr County camp wading through water overnight. Law enforcement has responded to dozens of emergency calls and one man told KABB his brother, sister-in-law, and their two children were lost, along with their house. Nearby, in Ingram, an RV park had been swept away. Search and rescue efforts and evacuations were underway on Friday afternoon as Kerrville residents braced for more rain. Kerr County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Clint Morris told the station it is 'an extremely active scene, countywide.' 'This may be a once-in-a-lifetime flood' for the county, he said, noting authorities have responded to multiple calls for high-water rescues. The state has called in the National Guard to assist in the efforts. Kelly later told reporters the county does 'not have a warning system.' The floods came while people were asleep. As many as 10 inches of rain fell in the area, causing the flash flooding of the Guadalupe River. The river rose to nearly 35 feet on Friday, reaching its second-highest height on record. An additional one to three inches of rain are expected to fall before they subside on Friday night. The flooding comes as residents in the Northeast were spending their Fourth of July holiday cleaning up from strong thunderstorms that swept through the region Thursday night, bringing heavy rain, wind and hail. The storms are being blamed for at least three deaths in central New Jersey, including two men in Plainfield who died after a tree fell onto a vehicle they were traveling in during the height of the storm, according to a city Facebook post. The men were ages 79 and 25, officials said. They were not immediately publicly identified. 'Our hearts are heavy today,' Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said in a statement. 'This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life.' The city canceled its planned July Fourth parade, concert and fireworks show. Mapp said the 'devastating' storms had left 'deep scars and widespread damage' in the community of more than 54,000 people and it was a time to 'regroup and focus all of our energy on recovery.' Continuing power outages and downed trees were reported Friday throughout southern New England, where some communities received large amounts of hail. There were reports of cars skidding off the road in northeastern Connecticut.
ABC News
a day ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Texas floods leave 13 dead and more than 20 girls missing at summer camp
Thunderstorms and torrential rain have triggered deadly flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in south-central Texas in the US, killing at least 13 people and leaving more than 20 girls from a summer camp missing, according to local authorities. The US National Weather Service declared a flash-flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 105 kilometres north-west of San Antonio, following heavy downpours measuring up to 300 millimetres of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders. "This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time … [and] could not be predicted, even with the radar," Mr Rice said. "This happened within less than a two-hour span." The Kerr County Sheriff's Office reported 13 people were found dead in "catastrophic flooding" in the area. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told a late-afternoon news conference that authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children who were at a summer camp when it was swept by floodwaters at about 4am, local time. Most of the campers were safe, authorities said, but they could not immediately be evacuated because roads were made impassable by high waters. "Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top elected local official, said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier. He said scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hit hardest. Mr Patrick said the Guadalupe River rose 8 metres in 45 minutes in the midst of heavy downpours deluging the region. Search teams were flying 14 helicopters and a dozen drones over the area, in addition to hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground conducting rescues from trees and swift-flowing water. "Additional rain is forecast in those areas," Mr Patrick said. "Even if the rain is light, more flooding can occur in those areas. "There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours in addition to the continued risks in west and central Texas." Personnel from the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were activated to assist local authorities in confronting the crisis, officials said. Reuters
Reuters
a day ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Texas flash flooding kills at least 13 people, leaves 20-plus young campers missing
July 4 (Reuters) - Thunderstorms and torrential rain triggered deadly flash flooding on Friday along the Guadalupe River in south-central Texas, killing at least 13 people and leaving more than 20 girls from a summer camp missing, according to local authorities. The U.S. National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of San Antonio, following heavy downpours measuring up to a foot of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders. "This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with the radar," Rice said. "This happened within less than a two-hour span." The Kerr County Sheriff's Office reported 13 people were found dead in "catastrophic flooding" in the area. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told a late-afternoon news conference that authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children who were at a summer camp when it was swept by floodwaters at around 4 a.m. local time. Most of the campers were safe, authorities said, but they could not immediately be evacuated because roads were made impassable by high waters. "Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top elected local official, said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier. He said scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hardest hit. Patrick said the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (8 m) in 45 minutes in the midst of heavy downpours deluging the region. Search teams were flying 14 helicopters and a dozen drones over the area, in addition to hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground conducting rescues from trees and swift-flowing water. "Additional rain is forecast in those areas," Patrick said. "Even if the rain is light, more flooding can occur in those areas. There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours in addition to the continued risks in west and central Texas." Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were activated to assist local authorities in confronting the crisis, officials said.
