Children's camp confirms 27 dead, with Texas flood toll over 80
US President Donald Trump said he may visit Texas later this week, but brushed off concerns his cuts to weather forecasting and related federal agencies had weakened warning systems. Instead, he described the floods in the early hours of Friday as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected." At least 40 adults and 28 children were killed in the worst-hit Kerr County in central Texas, Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday, while at least 13 more people were killed by flooding in nearby areas. The death toll is expected to rise.
Trump, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh funds and freeing up resources. About 20 helicopters were taking part in the search for missing people in an area popular with campers that also hosted several summer camps for children. Camp Mystic, one of the worst-hit, was an all-girl Christian camp where about 750 people had been staying with the floodwaters struck.
In a terrifying display of nature's power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls at the camp slept. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned that more heavy rainfall could bring further flooding in Kerrville and surrounding areas, as officials cautioned people against going near still-raging rivers.
Months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and rain has continued in bouts since then. The Guadalupe surged around eight meters — more than a two-story building — in just 45 minutes. Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual in this region of south and central Texas, known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley."
Human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense in recent years. "There's debris all over the place that makes roads impassable, that makes reconstruction projects unachievable," Abbott said. People from elsewhere in the state converged on Kerr County to help look for the missing. Some residents also flew personal drones to help look, but officials urged them to stop, citing a danger to rescue aircraft.
Texans also started flying personal drones to help look but local officials urged them to stop, citing a danger for rescue aircraft. One of the searches focused on four young women who were staying in a house that was washed away by the river. Adam Durda and his wife Amber, both 45, drove three hours to help. "There was a group of 20-year-olds that were in a house that had gotten washed away," Durda said. "That's who the family requested help for, but of course, we're looking for anybody."
Justin Morales, 36, was part of a search team that found three bodies, including that of a Camp Mystic girl caught up in a tree. "We're happy to give a family closure and hopefully we can keep looking and find some of the... you know, whoever," he said. "Help give some of those families closure. That's why we're out here." — AFP
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Desperate search for the missing as more than 80 people dead in Texas floods
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