Six reported dead, more missing including girls from a summer camp after catastrophic Texas flooding
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told The Austin American-Statesman that six people had died.
'We can confirm but we are afraid there may be more,' he said. 'They are still looking.'
It was not immediately clear who had been included in that tally, and Kelly told reporters that one person 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. Plohetski reported on social media that the camp said it had notified parents whose children were not accounted for. An image sent to KSAT showed girls in the Kerr County camp wading through water overnight.
Officers had responded to dozens of 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.
Kerr County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Clint Morris told the station that it is 'an extremely active scene, countywide.'
'This may be a once-in-a-lifetime flood' for the county, he said, noting that 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 that 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.
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Risk of further floods in Texas during desperate search for missing as death toll tops 80
With more rain on the way, the risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas on Monday even as crews search urgently for the missing following a holiday weekend deluge that killed at least 82 people, including children at summer camps. Officials said the death toll was sure to rise. Residents of Kerr County began clearing mud and salvaging what they could from their demolished properties as they recounted harrowing escapes from rapidly rising floodwaters late Friday. Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her. 'Then they were able to reach their toolshed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their toolshed, and they all rode it out together,' Brown said. A few miles away, rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain filled with snakes continued their search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp that sustained massive damage. Gov. Greg Abbott said 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. In the Hill Country area, home to several summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more dangerous flooding, especially in places already saturated. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man whose 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. One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face as they slowly drove away and she gazed through the open window at the wreckage. Searching the disaster zone Nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing came to the disaster zone and searched 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 and said he would likely visit Friday: 'I would have done it today, but we'd just be in their way.' 'It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,' he told reporters. 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. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. The first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, saying, '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.' Desperate refuge and trees and attics 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, 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. Warnings came before the disaster On Thursday the National Weather Service 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. 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. 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 said he wants to overhaul if not completely eliminate FEMA and sharply criticized 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 cuts. '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.
Sky News
30 minutes ago
- Sky News
At least 82 dead in Texas floods as search continues for 10 missing girls
Why you can trust Sky News At least 82 people have died in flash flooding in Texas as the search continues for dozens still missing. At least 41 people remain missing, including at least 10 girls and one councillor still unaccounted for from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River. At Camp Mystic at least 27 people died, the camp confirmed in a statement to Sky's US partner NBC News. It said it is working with local and state officials to try to locate those who remain missing. "This tragedy has devastated us and our entire community. Our hearts are broken alongside the families that are enduring this tragedy, and we share their hope and prayers," Camp Mystic added. The director of the camp, Dick Eastland, was among those killed in the floods. He died trying to save the campers "he so loved and cared for", his grandson George said on social media. Water burst from the banks of the Guadalupe River and began sweeping into Kerr County and other areas around 4am local time on Friday, killing at least 68 people, including at least 28 children and 40 adults. In nearby Kendall County, two people have died. At least six people were killed in Travis County, while at least four people died in Burnet County. In both Williamson and Tom Green counties, at least one person has died. US President Donald Trump has signed a "major disaster declaration" for Kerr County to ensure that rescuers get the resources they need. Rescue crews have already saved hundreds of people and would work around the clock to find those still unaccounted for, Texas governor Greg Abbott pledged, adding that there were at least 41 people confirmed to be missing. Mr Abbott asked relatives of people who may have been camping in Kerr County to contact local authorities, as it was difficult to know just who is missing due to the number of people who may have been camping in the area unofficially. "There are people who are missing who are not on the 'known confirmed missing' because we do not know who they are," he said at a news conference last night. Meanwhile, police are collecting DNA from family members to help identify those who have died in the floods. Colonel Freeman Martin, from the Texas Department of Public Safety, said there are several "unidentified" people at funeral homes, both adults and children. The DNA collected from relatives was flown to the University of North Texas in Dallas. "We will have rapid DNA in hours, not days, to get some closure and information back to those families," Colonel Freeman Martin said. He also said the death toll is certain to rise over the next few days. This comes as Mr Abbott indicated that the danger wasn't over yet either, as additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more "rapid flash flooding events", especially in places already saturated. The governor urged drivers to be "extraordinarily cautious" for the next 48 hours due to the potential floods, as some people across Texas died when they were swept away in vehicles. "Rising water on roads can occur very rapidly. You may think you can drive through it, only to find out when you're in there that it is too late and you are getting swept away," he said. "You don't need to get from point A to point B if you are going to risk your life," he added, telling people to "turn around, don't drown".
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Texas flash flooding: 28 children among at least 82 killed; DNA being collected to identify the dead
Death toll rises to at least 82 The number of those killed in the floods is 82, but officials have repeatedly warned that this figure is likely to change, as rescuers work night and day to find survivors and recover bodies. Here are the deaths per county: Kerr: 68 Williamson: 1 Burnet: 4 Tom Green: 1 Travis County: 6 Kendall: 2 George W. Bush and Barack Obama send prayers to Texas Two former presidents have offered prayers for the families in Texas. George W. Bush, who served as governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000, said he and his wife are "holding up our fellow Texans who are hurting." Laura Bush, his wife, used to be a counsellor at Camp Mystic, where 27 people died in the floods. President Barack Obama also shared heartfelt condolences, writing in a post on X that the flash flooding is "absolutely heartbreaking." Watch: US Coast Guard rescues people stuck in flooded mobile home The Coast Guard helped rescue people in flood-affected areas of Texas, including assisting four people from a mobile home community in Leander. White House hit backs at 'disgusting' claims about weather service staffing The White House has hit back at criticism that the National Weather Service was not properly staffed. Officials have said forecasts underestimated the amount of rain, with questions being asked about what warnings were sent out to residents. Critics blamed cuts by the Trump administration. Donald Trump's administration has already ordered 800 job cuts at the science and climate organisation NOAA, the parent organisation of the National Weather Service, which predicts and warns about extreme weather like the Texas floods. A 30% cut to its budget is also in the pipeline, subject to approval by Congress. But Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, told Sky's US partner NBC News the accusations were "disgusting" lies to target political opponents. "False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts, and other public reporting," Jackson said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance." Texas National Guard rescues 520 people It conducted 361 air evacuations with UH-60 Black Hawks and 159 ground rescues employing various vehicles and assets, the Texas military department said on X. New flash flood warning for Kerr County The flash flood warning is in place until 6.30pm local time (00.30am UK time). This comes after the governor urged drivers to be "extraordinarily cautious" for the next 48 hours due to more rainfall potentially causing further "rapid flash flooding events" - see our post at 21.03 for more. President says he will 'probably' visit Texas on Friday Donald Trump has said he will "probably" visit Texas on Friday, following the flash flooding that killed 79 people in the state. "We want to leave a little time," he told reporters this afternoon. "I would have done it today, but we would just be in their way, probably Friday." He said he has been in touch with the Texas governor. The president was also asked if he plans to continue with cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The US government agency coordinates the disaster response when state and local authorities are overwhelmed in the wake of a situation like the flooding in Texas. But last month, Trump said he intended to phase out FEMA after the 2025 hurricane season, saying states should be able to handle emergency resources on a local level. "We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level," he told reporters in June. "A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can't handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn't be governor." Today, when asked about the planned cuts, he simply said: "FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now they are busy working, so we will leave it at that." Mayor shares aerial images of flooding damage Joe Herring Jr., the Mayor of Kerrville, has shared images from a helicopter trip he took yesterday to survey the damage. Number of dead is now 79 - but that figure is still likely to change There are now 79 people dead across Texas following the flash flooding on 4 July. Below are the numbers in each county - Kerr county remains the worst affected, with 27 dead at Camp Mystic alone. Kerr: 68 Williamson: 1 Burnet: 4 Tom Green: 1 Kendall: 1 Travis: 4 Officials have repeatedly warned that this figure is likely to change (and it has changed throughout the day), as rescuers work night and day to find survivors and recover bodies. 'We know questions are being asked about emergency notifications' There are still ten children and one camp counsellor missing from Camp Mystic, the county's sheriff has said. Sheriff Larry Leitha says there have been 68 deaths in Kerr County, including 40 adults and 28 children. Of those, eighteen adults and ten children have yet to be identified. Officials will undertake a full review of warning systems in place. "We know questions are being asked about the emergency notifications," city manager Dalton Rice adds. "We will take clear steps to strengthen future preparedness," he said. The next update from Kerr County officials will take place at 4pm tomorrow UK time (10am local time), unless there is a "major update" before then, officials said as they drew the press conference to a close.
