Officials Pushed for Better Warning System Years Before Devastating Texas Floods
Then-Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer was a proponent of outdoor sirens, having responded as a deputy to the 1987 floods that killed 10 teenagers at a camp in nearby Kendall County. He made the comments in 2016, after deadly floods ravaged a different part of Texas the year before.
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Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
New Jersey Coast Guard swimmer rescues nearly 200 people in deadly Texas flash floods that killed 68
A United States Coast Guard rescue swimmer from New Jersey is being called a hero after rescuing close to 200 people following flash floods in Central Texas. Petty Officer 3rd Class Scott Ruskan, 26, was singled out by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for his efforts saving 165 victims as the only triage coordinator at the scene of the floods. "United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin (Ruskan), directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG," Noem's posted to her social media account on X. Ruskan said in an interview on "Fox and Friends" that they were in the air when they saw a huge crowd of about 200 kids at a campsite. That is how they decided to focus on Camp Mystic. "Yeah, as far as right now, we've been getting our tasks from higher above mostly from the Army as of right now. But a lot of it has just been large state triages, so we were at Mystic yesterday for a long period of time. We probably got about 200 people out of there alone, and it was just, yeah, we just saw a huge crowd, about 200 kids at a campsite. So, we're like, cool that's where we're gonna go, and we're just gonna get as many people out as we can until they're all gone," Scott told "Fox and Friends." Kerr County Sheriff's Office says that as of 1:30pm Sunday they had recovered 68 deceased in Kerr County. "Among those who are deceased, we have 40 adults and 28 children. Eighteen adults are pending identification, and 10 children also pending identification. At present, there are 10 Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, along with one counselor," they posted to Facebook. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, they said, and there is a full response from local, state, and national first responders. "We continue to have 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 sheriff's office said.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Death toll in central Texas flash floods rises to 82 as sheriff says 10 campers remain missing
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 82 people in central Texas. Rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain, high waters and snakes including water moccasins continued their desperate search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from the camp. For the first time since the storms began pounding Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon. He pledged to keep searching until 'everybody is found' from Friday's flash floods. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The death toll is certain to rise over the next few days, said Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated. As he spoke at a news conference in Austin, emergency alerts lit up mobile phones in Kerr County that warned of 'High confidence of river flooding" and a loudspeaker near Camp Mystic urged people to leave. Minutes later, however, authorities on the scene said there was no risk. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away. Searching the disaster zone While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. The president said he would likely visit Friday. 'I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way,' he told reporters before boarding Air Force One back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. 'It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.' The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours. Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. "I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,' he said in a statement. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, 'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.' The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. Harrowing escapes from floodwaters Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn't reach them. At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs. Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Two school-age sisters from Dallas were missing after their cabin was swept away. Their parents were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but the girls' grandparents were unaccounted for. Locals know the Hill Country as ' flash flood alley' but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings. Warnings came before the disaster The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday. Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said authorities are committed to a full review of the emergency response, including how the public was alerted to the storm threat. Trump, asked whether he was still planning to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said that was something 'we can talk about later, but right now we are busy working.' He has previously said he wants to overhaul if not completely eliminate FEMA and has been sharply critical of its performance. Trump also was asked whether he planned to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year as part of widespread government spending reductions. 'I would think not. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people there, and they didn't see it,' the president said. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Cedar Attanasio in New York; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Michelle Price in Morristown, N.J.; and Nicole Winfield in Rome.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Pamela Brown reports from Camp Mystic, where she went as a child
Pamela Brown reports from Camp Mystic, where she went as a child CNN anchor Pamela Brown was a camper at Camp Mystic 30 years ago, so she knows firsthand that it has been 'a magical place' for generations of girls. Today, she is back there, covering the aftermath of the flood tragedy. 00:57 - Source: CNN Mangled debris shows force of Texas flash floods Barbed wire and mangled trees among the debris scattered for miles, search and rescue workers in Texas face the grueling, slow challenge of holding out hope for any survivors or remains following Friday's flash floods. CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Center Point to give a first-hand look at the challenges volunteers are facing. 00:59 - Source: CNN Group of friends search for survivors Search efforts are underway in Hunt, Texas, to find survivors outside of Camp Mystic. Brooks Holzhausen, with the volunteer group 300 Justice, spoke to CNN detailing the collaboration with state and local law enforcement to help bring missing people home. 01:05 - Source: CNN Timelapse video shows speed of floodwater rising in Texas A timelapse video captured on Friday shows how quickly floodwaters rose along the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas – a town about 95 miles northeast of Camp Mystic. The video, which was sped up, shows the water rush in and rise along the river in the span of 30 minutes. 00:31 - Source: CNN Man describes escaping Airbnb during Texas flash flooding Ricky Gonzalez and a dozen friends were staying at an Airbnb when one of them were awoken by their dog pawing at the door. When they opened the curtain, one of their vehicles was already being swept away. 01:16 - Source: CNN See flood aftermath at Camp Mystic in Texas Authorities are still racing to find victims in central Texas, including 27 people from Camp Mystic, a girls summer camp in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours during torrential rains that triggered flash flooding in parts of the state. 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