Latest news with #centralTexas
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Pretends Not to Hear Difficult Question on Texas Deaths
President Donald Trump was hearing reporters just fine until one of them asked him about federal cuts in the aftermath of the devastating floods in Texas. Trump spoke to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday after flash floods wreaked havoc in central Texas over the weekend, killing at least 80 people and sending over 40 others missing. Critics were quick to blame the calamitous toll on the administration's overhaul of the federal government, which included staff cuts at the National Weather Service. 'Democrats are blaming your federal cuts for the deaths over in Texas,' one reporter, who could be heard audibly projecting their voice, asked Trump. Though the president leaned in to hear better, he decided to wave off the question. 'I can't hear you,' he said, as he moved on to another reporter. Asked later on if he had plans to look into whether the cuts at the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency left key positions vacant, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shook their heads. 'They didn't,' Trump said. 'I'll tell you: You look at that water situation, that was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup. But I wouldn't blame Biden for it either; I would just say this is a hundred-year catastrophe, and it's just so horrible to watch.' Trump also appeared unsure when asked whether the federal government should hire back any of the meteorologists who were gutted in the administration's slash-and-burn approach to downsizing. 'I wouldn't know that. I really wouldn't. I would think not,' he said. 'This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it, nobody saw it. Very talented people are there and they didn't see it.' The National Weather Service, however, has said it conducted forecast briefings and issued warnings hours before the floods came. 'Flash Flood Warnings were also issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before flash flooding conditions occurred,' a spokesperson for the agency told the Daily Beast. Trump said he plans to visit Texas 'probably on Friday' to avoid getting in the way of local authorities responding to the situation. 'We're working very close with representatives from Texas,' he said. 'And it's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.'
ABC News
5 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Hundreds of girls were 'living their best life' at Texas summer camp. Then disaster struck
Nestled among large oak and cypress trees on the banks of the glistening Guadalupe River in Texas, Camp Mystic was a summer paradise. Girls aged between seven and 17 would spend days in the sun, kayaking, fishing, riding horses, and performing choreographed dance routines. At night, they would share bunks in large cabins with names such as Wiggle Inn and Chatter Box. Photos showed the idyllic scenes, as smiling campers posed for the camera with arms draped across each other's shoulders. Carrie Hanna's eight-year-old daughter Hadley was having the time of her life attending the all-girls camp for the first time. "She seemed to be loving camp," Ms Hanna told CNN. She shared a photo of her daughter leaning against a tree with a big smile, wearing a yellow dress with frilled sleeves. "She is the most joyful, happy kid," Ms Hanna said. For nearly a century, the camp had been a haven for local girls looking to gain confidence and independence. It is now the site of one of the deadliest flood disasters in recent Texas history. Hadley is among the 10 girls and a counsellor still missing. At least 79 people have been killed across central Texas, among them were 28 children. There were 750 children staying across the 725-acre camp when torrential rainstorms hit overnight on Friday, July 4, local time. The Guadalupe River rose to near-historic levels in a matter of minutes, catching local officials off guard. The raging floodwaters reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls slept, washing some of them away. Eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla was among those killed. A photo of Ms Smajstrla was sent to her family just a day before the disaster struck. "We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life, as evidenced by this picture from yesterday," her uncle Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. Parents of Eloise Peck confirmed that their eight-year-old daughter and her best friend did not survive Friday's flooding. "Eloise was literally friends with everyone. She loved spaghetti but not more than she loved dogs and animals," her mother Missy Peck told FOX 4. "She passed away with her cabin-mate and best friend Lila Bonner who also died." Heart O' the Hills, another all-girls camp that sits along the Guadalupe River, was also right in the path of Friday's flood. The camp's co-owner and director, Jane Ragsdale, who was described as the "the heart of The Heart", was killed. Videos of 68-year-old Ms Ragsdale strumming a guitar and singing to campers were posted on the camp's Facebook page alongside the words: "Life is good today. So keep singing 'til we meet, again." By Friday afternoon, Texas Game Wardens had arrived at Camp Mystic and were evacuating campers. The first responders were met with scenes of devastation. Windows in the cabins were shattered by the force of the water. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud and strewn throughout twisted metal bed-frames. A pick-up truck balanced precariously on two wheels, its side lodged halfway up a tree. A wall was torn entirely off one building, the interior empty except for a Texas flag and paintings hanging high along one side. "It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick recounted how some campers were able to escape. He said a counsellor smashed a window so girls could climb out of their cabin, swimming through floodwaters in their pyjamas to safety. "These little girls, they swam for about 10 or 15 minutes," Mr Patrick told Fox News. "Can you imagine, in the darkness and the rushing waters, and trees coming by you, and rocks come on you?" Camp Mystic co-owner Richard Eastland was killed while trying to rescue campers, according to Texas Public Radio. The 70-year-old, whose death was confirmed by his nephew on Facebook, had been involved with the camp since 1974. Rescuers scoured the riverbanks in hopes of finding survivors. A rope was tied so girls could hang on as they walked across a bridge, the floodwaters rushing around their knees. Elinor Lester, 13, said she was evacuated with her cabin-mates by helicopter after wading through floodwaters. She remembered startling awake about 1:30am as thunder crackled and water pelted the cabin windows. Ms Lester was among the older girls housed on elevated ground known as Senior Hill. Cabins housing the younger campers are situated along the riverbanks and were the first to flood, she said. Katharine Somerville was a counsellor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, where cabins were on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side. She said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins were damaged and lost power in the middle of the night. "Our cabins at the tippity-top of hills were completely flooded with water," Ms Somerville told Fox News. "I mean, y'all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen." Ms Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe. Camp Mystic officials told parents that if they had not been directly contacted to assume their daughters were accounted for and safe. But officials cautioned parents not to assume the worst. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced. The National Weather Service warned on Sunday that slow-moving thunderstorms threatened more flash floods over the saturated ground of central Texas. The governor said additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated. But he vowed to continue the search. "We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins," Mr Abbott posted on social media platform X after a visit to the site. Amid the frantic search for his daughter, Ty Badon said he had come across the body of a young boy. He was still holding out hope for his 21-year-old daughter Joyce, who had spent the weekend at a home along the Guadalupe River with three friends. His daughter had been on the phone and said "they just got washed away," and then a few seconds later, the phone went dead, Mr Baden told CNN. "We pray that all four of them are still alive."
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Texas flooding latest: Desperate search for survivors continues after 82 die as officials prepare for ‘wall of water' storm
A desperate search for at least 10 children campers continued into Sunday, after devastating floods killed at least 82 people in central Texas. The group of girls and one counselor are missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River that was ravaged by the floods, officials said. At least four girls missing from the summer camp were found dead. At least 28 children were killed in what Texas GOP Congressman Chip Roy called a 'once-in-a-century flood.' Two girls — 13-year-old Blair and 11-year-old Brooke — were among those killed by the floods, their father told CNN on Saturday night. Harber said Blair 'was a gifted student and had a generous, kind heart,' and described Brooke as 'like a light in any room, people gravitated to her'. The unexpected flash flooding struck on Friday after torrential rain along the Guadalupe River. The destructive force of the fast-rising waters just before dawn on Friday washed out homes and swept away vehicles. Former Camp Mystic camper is now covering the flood aftermath CNN anchor Pamela Brown attended Camp Mystic 30 years ago — now she's covering the tragedy. 'That river was the source of so much joy and fun for us,' Brown said on the job. 'To think that that same river is the source of this devastation,' she added. 'It's just hard to wrap my head around.' Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 04:00 Updated death toll The Associated Press has reported that 82 people have now died after flash floods in central Texas. 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic remains missing. Andrew Georgeson7 July 2025 03:03 Everything we know about Texas flooding victims The identities of the 79 flood victims are still being determined and released to the public. Here's what we know about the victims so far. Ariana Baio and Katie Hawkinson have the story. Texas flood victims: Everything we know The devastating Texas floods have killed at least 43 people, including 15 children and 28 adults Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 03:00 WATCH: Pope Leo offers prayers and condolences to victims of Texas floods Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 02:00 The latest from Kerr County Search and rescue operations, according to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office. The crews include 'hundreds of officers, deputies, and support staff working every aspect of this emergency, along with air, water, K9, and other assets conducting search and rescue,' the office said. As of Sunday early afternoon, the sheriff's office said it had recovered 68 deceased in Kerr County: 40 adults and 28 children. Eighteen adults are pending identification, and 10 children also pending identification, the office said. Ten Camp Mystic campers and one counselor are still missing. 'We continue to offer our condolences to those affected, and we are working tirelessly to reunite families,' the sheriff's office said. Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 01:30 WATCH: Timelapse video shows Texas flash floods turn dry river into deadly rapids in 20 minutes Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 01:00 Central Texas braces for more rainfall after devastating floods The San Antonio area is now bracing for more heavy rainfall. 'Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches are possible with isolated pockets of 10 inches somewhere in the watch area. It is very difficult to pinpoint where exactly the isolated heavy amounts will occur in this pattern,' according to the National Weather Service. Earlier in the day, Nim Kidd, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, warned of a potential 'wall of water' heading to the area. He warned: 'Because the ground is already saturated, any rain that falls can be perceived as life-threatening rain.' Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 00:40 President Trump plans to visit Texas 'probably' on Friday The president said he plans to visit Texas 'probably on Friday.' Asked about visiting the flood-ravaged state, Trump told reporters on Sunday: 'Probably on Friday. We wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way.' Earlier on Sunday, the president announced he had signed a major disaster declaration for the state. 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,' he wrote on Truth Social Sunday morning. Kelly Rissman7 July 2025 00:20 Flood survivor says he clung to a meter box Christian Fell, 25, was staying at his grandmother's home in Hunt when flood waters began quickly rushing in early Friday morning, forcing him to flee through a broken window and cling to a meter box for several hours. Fell told NBC News that he awoke around 3:00 a.m. local time to water filling the home. In the five minutes Fell took to look around the home for a way out, flood waters from the Guadalupe River had reached his waist. Fell is six feet tall. 'I had to go underwater and swim through the broken window,' Fell explained. After swimming out, Fell stood on top of a narrow meter box for several hours, waiting for the water to recede while trying to avoid touching electrical wires. Ariana Baio
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Monday Briefing: Floods in Texas Killed nearly 80
Floods in Texas have killed 79 people, including 21 children Hundreds of searchers were combing wide swaths of central Texas yesterday after severe rainfall caused flash flooding on the Guadalupe River. As the death toll climbed to 79, forecasters warned of more rain and possible flash flooding in hard-hit areas. At least 21 of the victims were children. The county sheriff said that 22 of those found dead had not yet been identified, including four children. We have live updates. Eleven campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp, remained missing. About 750 girls were attending the camp this past week. Among the victims were 8-year-old and 9-year-old campers. Here's what we know about some of them. How it unfolded: The first flash-flood warning from torrential rain went out just before midnight on Thursday. At about 4 a.m. Friday, county authorities advised residents and campers to 'seek higher ground now!' after the Guadalupe River had risen 22 feet, or 6 meters, in three hours. Here's why the flooding was so intense. Questions: Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were vacant, prompting some experts to question whether staffing shortages made it harder for the agency to coordinate with local emergency managers. Climate: Colossal bursts of rain like the ones that caused the deadly flooding in Texas are becoming more frequent and intense around the globe as the burning of fossil fuels heats the planet, scientists say. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
The places where deadly Texas floodwaters have killed at least 70 people
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. At least 70 people have died and many more are still missing, including at least 11 girls from a summer camp .
