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Business Insider
a day ago
- Climate
- Business Insider
At least 24 are dead, and girls are missing from a camp, in a catastrophic Texas flood
On what should have been a festive Fourth of July, disaster struck in Central Texas. Extreme flooding left at least 24 dead in Kerr County, and between 23 to 25 children missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp along the Guadalupe River. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a press conference on Friday night that there were 24 confirmed fatalities in Kerr County resulting from the torrential rains that hit in the morning. One person was confirmed dead in Kendall County, but Sheriff Leitha said it was unclear if it was related. It's unclear if the dead include any of the children from the camp. As many as 12 inches of rain have fallen in the county over the course of the day, with additional rainfall anticipated this evening, local station ABC 7 reported Friday afternoon. Kerr County and neighboring Kendall County remain under a Flash Flood Warning until Saturday. As rain continues to fall, a desperate search is underway for those who may have been swept away by the floodwaters. "There's still several people unaccounted for," Leitha added. Camp Mystic, located in Hunt, Texas, has around 750 campers; at least 20 girls were unaccounted for on Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. "That does not mean they've been lost," Patrick said on Friday afternoon at a press conference. "They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We're praying for all those missing to be found alive." Patrick said during the afternoon press conference that the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes. During the Friday night news conference, which was live-streamed on Facebook, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called upon God and the community. "It needs God, but also needs a robust response by the state and local governments, and by people who live in these communities impacted," he said. "We had a meeting with officials at the state and local level, and there is extraordinary collaboration to make sure that we are going to address everybody's concern as quickly as we possibly can." Camp Mystic welcomes girls once they've completed second grade. In the Guadalupe River camp group, girls can enroll in one of three sessions, each lasting either two or four weeks. The sessions run from May 30 to August 10, with dates divided across the summer. On Facebook, parents and community members have circulated flyers with contact numbers, urging the public to help locate the missing children. An 8-year-old from Dallas is among the missing. Her mother told WFAA News on Friday evening that she was traveling to reach the camp. Kerr County has an estimated population of 53,900 in 2024, according to the US Census Bureau. The county sits in the Hill Country region of Central Texas, including cities like San Antonio and Austin. Beyond the Guadalupe River, the region is home to several others, including the Colorado, Concho, and Blanco Rivers. The Kerr County Sheriff's Department said on Facebook that it was responding to a "catastrophic flooding event." "Our Office is working with a wide variety of local and state agencies to respond to calls and rescues," the department wrote on Facebook. "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." With the county focused on locating the missing, several local cities have canceled Independence Day events. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
A Jogger Was Crossing The Street When Everything Went Blank And Then Police Showed Video Footage of What Really Happened
A woman visiting Dallas told the cops she was randomly ambushed by a homeless man. The incident itself was shocking but the alleged motive behind the ambush was even more startling. The woman, who identified herself as Kristin, told WFAA News she was in Dallas on April 18 when the incident occurred. Considering she's described to be an elite distance runner, Kristin set her eyes on the Katy Trail which runs through the city alongside the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad. However, what was planned to be a simple morning jog to keep the muscles warm turned very quickly into a nightmare. Kristin tells the outlet around 8 a.m. she left the Adolphus Hotel. While waiting at the light on the corner of North Akard Street and Pacific Avenue, she said suddenly everything 'went dark.' She opened her eyes moments later with a bloodied chin, bruised nose and scratched elbows. Kristin immediately went back to the hotel to seek assistance. The report says police responded to the scene and managed to pull video footage to help her put the pieces together. They discovered a man was following her while her back was turned and randomly punched her in the face before fleeing down the street. The police later identified the culprit as 29-year-old Kevin DeWayne Simmons, a local unhoused individual who is allegedly a 'known offender.' Larry Gordon, the chief of public safety for Downtown Dallas Inc., told WFAA he was involved in a few assaults before this one but no one would prosecute him. We don't have all the details of his prior run-ins with the law or why he allegedly has a pattern of being violent. However, this time, he gave police a reason behind the alleged assault. 'God told him to hit the lady,' Simmons said, per an affidavit. Well, that's certainly a hard defense to prove. He was slapped with a misdemeanor of assault with bodily injury. However, Kristin and her husband want more action to be taken. 'We were shocked to learn that the assailant is currently being charged with only a Class A misdemeanor. The nature of this attack — the force, the physical disparity, the element of surprise, and the resulting loss of consciousness — clearly warrants a felony-level charge under Texas Penal Code § 22.02 for Aggravated Assault. This incident could have killed her. And if the law allows unconsciousness to qualify as serious bodily injury, then justice must reflect the gravity of what occurred,' wrote Kristin's husband in a letter, via WFAA. Simmons is currently being held in Dallas County Jail on a $1,500 bond. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
