Devastation after widespread flooding hits Texas
Latest on search and rescue that's underway in Texas following widespread flooding that killed at least 24 people.
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CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Get used to it': Toronto set for another sweltering summer day
People eat lunch on a hot day in Toronto on Thursday, June 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Toronto is once again sweltering under extreme summer heat, with Environment Canada issuing a heat warning for the second time in as many weeks. Humidex values could reach 40 on Sunday, with daytime highs of 31 to 33 C and overnight lows between 21 and 25 C. The weather agency warns that the heat, combined with deteriorating air quality, could pose a serious health risk. 'Extreme heat can affect everyone's health,' the advisory reads. 'Watch for early signs of heat exhaustion… heat stroke is a medical emergency.' How is the city responding? To help residents stay cool, the City of Toronto has activated Metro Hall as a 24/7 cooling centre starting at noon. In addition, five other civic buildings will remain open with extended hours, while eight outdoor pools will operate until 11:45 p.m. throughout the weekend. Mayor Olivia Chow said the city has added 100 shelter beds and is distributing bottled water at major public locations including Sankofa Square and Nathan Phillips Square. Olivia Chow Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow speaking to reporters on Saturday July 5, 2025 (CP24 photo). 'Since the last heat wave, what we did was we now opened up all the civic centres, community centres, libraries … all air conditioned,' Chow told CP24. 'All the pools are open … and there are some that are open till midnight.' We're still under a Heat Warning today ☀️ Reminder: We've deployed three HTO To Go water trailers, located at the following sites to provide drinking water free of charge 24/7 until the heat warning ends. 💦 Nathan Phillips Square 💦 Trinity Bellwoods Park 💦 Sankofa Square — City of Toronto 🇨🇦 (@cityoftoronto) July 6, 2025 'Get used to it', experts say Environment Canada's Senior Climatologist David Phillips noted that while this weekend's event is shorter than the four-day stretch in late June, it's still part of a broader trend only bound to ramp up. 'We've had several bouts of it but none really as unhealthy as that bout on the third week of June,' he said. 'If you're not used to it, get used to it because it's going to be the summer of heat.' The city has also increased staffing by 30 per cent this weekend to ensure all 54 outdoor pools remain open. Environment Canada is urging residents to check in on vulnerable individuals, avoid direct sun exposure, and to never leave children or pets in parked vehicles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Search for Texas flood victims enters third day, with more rain forecast
Social Sharing The search for more than two dozen children missing from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered a third day on Sunday, as rescuers faced the threat of more flooding and the death toll in the region reached at least 43. Local officials warned the number of dead will likely rise and were due to give an update Sunday morning, as search and rescue teams raced to find 27 girls missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River, which broke its banks after torrential rain fell in central Texas on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38 centimetres of rain across Texas Hill Country, about 140 kilometres northwest of San Antonio. It was unclear how many people in the area were still missing. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Many U.S. weather offices understaffed U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have overseen thousands of job cuts at the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees NOAA, said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. More rain was expected in the area on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County, the epicentre of the disaster, until 1 p.m. local time. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as nine metres. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told a press conference on Saturday he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Noem said Trump would honour that request. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden. WATCH | Search operations continue after Texas floods: Search continues for Texas flood victims as death toll rises 17 hours ago Duration 3:49 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expanded the state's disaster declaration to include more counties on Saturday in the wake of catastrophic flash floods that have killed dozens. Rescuers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for the missing, including more than two dozen children from a girls camp. At least 15 of the confirmed dead are children, local officials said. The 27 missing girls were from the Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' camp, which had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood. A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least 1.83 metres from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, and one had a missing wall.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
At least 51 dead in Texas floods as search for missing girls reaches third day
The grueling, desperate search for 27 missing girls stretched into a third day on Sunday after raging floodwaters surged into a summer camp as rescuers maneuvered through challenging terrain, while Texans were asked to pray that any survivors would be found. At least 51 people, including 15 children, were killed, with most of the deaths coming in Kerr County in the state's Hill Country. Besides the 43 dead in Kerr County, four deaths were reported in Travis, three in Burnet and 1 in Kendall. Rescuers dealt with broken trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in a difficult task to find survivors. Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered. The destructive, fast-moving waters rose eight metres on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as at least one flash flood warning remained in effect 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. Governor 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. 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.' Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. 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. 'We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,' Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said earlier. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.' The raging storm, fueled by massive amounts of moisture, woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said. Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement. It called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings. 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. U.S. Representative Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, called it a once-in-a-century flood and acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame. Search crews faced harsh conditions while 'looking in every possible location,' Rice said. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the last 36 hours, with heroic efforts at the camps to save children. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were assisting to ensure operations continued even in darkness. One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. 'We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much,' said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District. In Ingram, Erin Burgess awoke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Only 20 minutes later, water poured into her home, she said, describing an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teen son. 'My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,' she said. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. 'I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,' he said. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. 'It rushes down the hill.' The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. 'We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,' said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official. The county had considered a flood warning system on the river similar to a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, but Kelly said the idea never got off the ground and the cost would have been an issue. Kelly said he was heartbroken seeing body bags at the funeral home and the devastation on the ground during a helicopter tour. 'The rescue has gone as well as can be expected. It's getting time now for the recovery,' he said. 'And that's going to be a long, toilsome task for us.'
