Texas flash flooding: At least 51 people killed; girl, eight, 'living her best life' named among victims

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a day ago

Two sisters died in Kerr County flooding, with grandparents still missing - reports
Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, have died after going missing during the flash floods in Kerr County, their father told CNN.
RJ Harber said his parents, Charlene and Mike Harber, are still missing, but he believes that they are also dead.
Blair was a "gifted student and had a generous kind heart", while her sister Brooke "was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment", their father said.
In pictures: Campers reunited with their families
Campers and staff from one of the camps on the Guadalupe River, Camp Waldemar, have been reunited with their families.
People were seen embracing their loved ones, with some shedding tears, at a reunification area.
Unknown number of people missing
Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said there could be more people missing in the region than the 27 girls unaccounted for from Camp Mystic.
"We are kind of looking at this in two ways, called the known missing, which is the 27... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," he said at a news conference.
He said "hundreds" have been rescued from campsites around the Guadalupe River so far, and searches are ongoing.
Authorities in Travis County said at least 13 people are missing.
In Burnet County, a firefighter was among the missing after he was swept away by floodwaters while responding to a rescue, county Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio said.
Some of the deadliest floods to hit the US in the last 25 years
Flooding causes an average of more than 125 deaths a year, according to the National Weather Service.
Here's some of the most deadly flooding to have occurred in the last 25 years...
Hurricane Helene, 2024
Helene struck Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia in September 2024. The storm caused about 250 deaths, according to the National Weather Service.
Kentucky, 2022
Raging floodwaters in eastern Kentucky led to 45 deaths in late July.
The floods destroyed homes and businesses and caused significant damage to schools, roads, bridges and water systems.
Tennessee, 2021
Twenty people were killed when creeks near the small Middle Tennessee town of Waverly overflowed, following 43cm of rainfall in less than 24 hours.
Hurricane Harvey, 2017
Harvey killed at least 68 people when it swept into Texas in August 2017.
All but three of the Harvey deaths were directly attributed to freshwater flooding, which damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.
West Virginia, 2016
It began as a rainstorm that seemed minor, but turned into a catastrophe that trapped dozens of people, ultimately killing 23 in the state.
Superstorm Sandy, 2012
Sandy was a freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and the surrounding areas in October 2012. It killed 147 people.
Hurricane Katrina, 2005
This was the deadliest flood event in the past 25 years.
Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages, with people having to be rescued by boat and helicopter from rooftops.
Death toll rises to 51
At least 43 people have been killed in the flash flooding in Kerr County, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference.
This includes at least 15 children and 28 adults, with five children and 12 adults pending identification.
In nearby Kendall County, one person has died.
At least four people were killed in Travis County, while at least two people died in Burnet County.
A 62-year-old woman died in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County. Tanya Burwick's body was found "several blocks" from her flooded car, local police said in a statement.
Congressman 'reunited' with daughters evacuated from Camp Mystic
Rep. August Pfluger said his daughters Caroline and Juliana were evacuated from Camp Mystic and "reunited" with his family.
In pictures: It is now 12 hours since flash floods swept across Kerr County
This is what it looks like on the ground.
What we learned from the latest news conference
There wasn't a huge amount of news to come out of this evening's press conference, apart from an update on the number of people who have died.
Gov. Greg Abbott was accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as well as a number of Texas officials.
The group spent most of the news conference praising the response of the local community, as well as reiterating promises to continue searching for victims.
There was clear frustration from viewers watching the live link at the lack of information coming through.
It was only confirmed at the end, in response to a reporter's question, that 32 people have died, with eight of the recovered bodies currently unidentified. Some 850 people have been rescued. But officials warned these numbers will continue to change.
More than 1,300 people have been brought in to help deal with the emergency disaster response.
Secretary Noem also answered questions about whether the flash flood warnings came through promptly: "We know that everyone wants more warning time and that is why we are working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected for far too long."
Gov. Abbott also talked about the importance of prayer.
"Prayer does work," he said, adding that they "could have been the reason why water stopped rising into a home or a cabin, or something that would have caused an entire building to float away."
32 dead in Texas flooding
More bodies have been recovered from the flash flooding.
Thirty-two bodies have been recovered, 14 of which are children.
Of those, five adults and three children remain unidentified.
"The numbers are going to continue to change until we are done," says Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
Chief Nim Kidd says there is still an active search for live victims.
"That will turn into recovery at some point, and none of us wants to put a timeframe on that," he adds.
It is still not known exactly how many people are currently missing.
More than 850 people saved so far, 'some clinging to trees'
Rescuers have saved more than 850 people, Gov. Abbott says.
"Some clinging to trees to save their lives," he adds.
Senator John Cornyn is speaking next. He also praises the first responders.
Watch Gov. Abbott sign the disaster declaration below...