
Heartbreaking photo of dead & missing girls in Texas floods emerges as death toll reaches 105 – & MORE floods are feared
The entire group from the Bubble Inn cabin — 13 girls and two counselors — were swept away when a wall of water slammed through the summer camp.
5
5
5
5
5
Camp Mystic confirmed 27 campers and counselors have died in the disaster, with four still missing.
Among the lost are some of the camp's youngest attendees, aged just eight and ten.
The Bubble Inn cabin sat just 500 feet from the Guadalupe River, where the floodwaters hit hardest over the July Fourth weekend.
So far, 10 girls and 18-year-old counselor Chloe Childress have been found dead.
The camp's director, Richard 'Dick' Eastland, died trying to save the children.
Katherine Ferruzzo, another counselor, and campers Molly DeWitt, Ellen Getten, and Abby Pohl remain missing.
Among the victims were eight-year-olds Renee Smajstrla and Sarah Marsh, nine-year-olds Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner, and 13- and 11-year-old sisters Blair and Brooke Harber, whose bodies were found 'with their hands locked together' 15 miles downstream.
'We are beyond devastated and so heartbroken,' their aunt, Jennifer Harber, said.
A desperate search is still underway in Texas as rescuers scour the wreckage for the dozens still missing.
The Guadalupe River, swollen by torrential rains, burst its banks early Friday, sweeping through camps, homes, and entire communities across Central Texas.
At least 28 children are among the dead, and 41 people remain unaccounted for, with frantic families clinging to hope.
As rescuers enter their fifth day of searches, brave crews refuse to give up hope that survivors are waiting to be saved.
What we know so far...
Torrential rain sparked deadly flash flooding around the Guadalupe River
At least 105 people lost their lives, mostly in Kerr County, and rescue teams continue to search for survivors
Families of some Camp Mystic girls have confirmed their deaths
A woman was rescued after being washed 20 miles downstream
Two brothers told of their brave escape from a flooded cabin
The victims include the niece of the Kansas City Chiefs' owners, a dad who died while saving his wife and kids, and a beloved high school coach
"We will never presume they're dead," Jake Stovall, the founder of Gulf Search and Rescue, told CNN and vowed to keep working the scene for up to 15 days.
It comes as five million people across Central Texas remain under flood watch as more floods are feared.
Governor Greg Abbott said more flooding is likely, though not expected to match the devastation seen in Kerrville.
President Trump is set to visit Texas on Friday, though his administration has come under fire amid claims that National Weather Service staffing cuts may have delayed warnings.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding an investigation into whether vacancies and outdated systems contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, called the accusations 'a depraved lie,' insisting the NWS 'did its job' and the floods were 'an act of God.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Explainer: How prepared are U.S. grid operators for extreme heat this summer?
Aug 1 (Reuters) - Grid operators across the U.S. are revamping their forecasting methods, introducing reforms to power markets and streamlining interconnection processes to quickly connect more energy to the grid, as a potent combination of extreme weather and data center growth elevate power demand this summer. High temperatures and the expansion of power-hungry data centers are set to push 2025 summer power consumption to higher levels than the past four summers, federal regulators said earlier this year. Heat waves have already strained the power grid in parts of the country in recent weeks. 'Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and we are adjusting our planning for that,' said Dan Lockwood, PJM Interconnection spokesperson. Here's how grid operators are positioned to meet demand this summer, and longer-term measures they are taking to shore up the system. Heading into the summer, PJM had forecast power consumption to peak at just over 154,000 MW. The company, which is the largest grid operator in the U.S. and serves one in five Americans, said it is prepared to meet that demand, but warned that it could touch an all-time high of 166,000 MW in an extreme scenario. In that case, it would call on customers to reduce their power use in exchange for compensation. PJM has been streamlining its interconnection process to bring new power onto the grid. It has also fast-tracked projects that do not require extensive grid upgrades to connect to the system to get them online quicker. California Independent System Operator estimated it has a power surplus of 1,451 MW this summer, measured against the industry-standard, one in 10 year emergency event. That marks a reversal from three years ago, when it estimated a shortfall of 1,700 MW. CAISO has also been moving to quickly add new power to its grid, with around 25 GW added over the last five years, said Dede Subakti, vice president of system operations. Much of this has been battery storage, which helps balance supply and demand, bringing CAISO's total pool of battery storage to 11 GW. 'With all this additional capacity, we're sitting pretty good with 2025 summer,' Subakti said. However, the grid could still see shortfalls if a prolonged heat-wave affects the entire West, or if potential wildfires damage power transmission lines, CAISO said. ISO New England anticipates electricity demand will touch 24,803 MW this summer under normal weather conditions - and potentially 25,886 MW in case of extended heat waves - but expects to have adequate power to meet that. ISO-NE is one of the grid operators that is evaluating changes to its capacity auction to bolster grid reliability. This includes transitioning to a 'prompt' auction, held shortly before the power is needed, compared with the current practice of holding them three years in advance. In addition, it is looking to move to two seasonal commitment periods per year for the auction, to tackle the distinct risks that summer and winter demand pose to the grid. It intends to file an initial proposal for this new market structure with federal regulators before year end. Midcontinent Independent System Operator predicted that peak demand in its footprint could reach nearly 123 GW this summer, with roughly 138 GW of available power generation to meet that. Like other grid operators, however, it warned that extreme weather events still present a risk to the grid. MISO, which has been operating near its minimum reserve margin requirement since 2022, has also been making changes to its wholesale markets as grid risks grow, including assessing the reliability of its infrastructure on a seasonal basis. It implemented a 'reliability-based demand curve' in its latest auction, under which the price of electricity resources increases as the grid approaches its minimum requirements. MISO has added around 31 GW of nameplate power to its grid from 2020 through mid-2025, with another 10.9 GW estimated for this year. Meanwhile, nearly 11 GW of power resources have or are set to retire between 2020 through early 2026.


The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Two wildfires in US west spur ‘fire clouds' with erratic weather systems
Two wildfires burning in the western United States – including one that has become a 'megafire' on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon – are so hot that they are spurring the formation of 'fire clouds' that can create their own erratic weather systems. In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 sq miles (424 sq km) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental US and one of the top 10 largest in recorded Arizona history. Getting around it would be roughly like driving from New York City to Washington DC. Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 sq miles (194 sq km) since 13 July and is 11% contained, officials said on Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued on Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah. Spencer Cox, Utah's governor, declared an emergency on Thursday as wildfires grew around the state and planned to visit Monroe on Friday. Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes superheated and rises in a large smoke column. The giant billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and can resemble an anvil. Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, fire team information officer Jess Clark said. 'If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts, and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,' Jennings said. Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat on Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety, officials said. Fire crews in both Utah and Arizona had better control of the blazes, but containment has been slipping as the fires grow rapidly. The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the 'fire-breathing dragon of clouds', recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles per hour. 'Think of the fire as kind of like a hot-air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result,' said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. 'You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the west, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.' These clouds, he said, may appear more frequently as the climate crisis causes a longer fire season, drought conditions and extreme weather events. A megafire, although not a formal scientific term, generally is a fire that has burned at least 156 sq miles, or about half the size of New York City. The Dragon Bravo fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon national park surpassed that mark in the latest update on Thursday. It was sparked by lightning on 4 July and being managed by the park to benefit the landscape. About a week later, officials switched to suppressing it as conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather pushing the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand. Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour. The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25,000ft (7,620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher. The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo fire. Although they have been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety. Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burned 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and south-west Utah this week. In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power on Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week. The power company, Garkane Energy Cooperative, said it is working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators. Marnie Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications. 'We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,' she said. In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads. The National Interagency Fire Center said on Thursday that even with fewer square miles having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames.


The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Maryland boy dies after being trapped in storm drain as rains drench east coast
A 13-year-old boy has died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the east coast, officials said. Kids were playing in the rain on Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48km) west of Baltimore, but flood waters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy volunteer fire company spokesperson Doug Alexander. People tried to rescue the boy, but the water pressure was too strong and kept pushing him further into the pipe, he said. After the rain slowed, they were able to free him, but it was too late, Alexander said. More storms might bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England region through Friday night, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5-4in (6-10cm) of rain on Thursday, according to the NWS, but isolated areas received more, including 5in (nearly 13cm) in Mount Airy and 6in (15cm) in Joppatowne north-east of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3in (nearly 8cm) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4in (10cm), according to the NWS. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by flood waters. The city's department of transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water on Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions on Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the eastern seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped on Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the railway. New York City's mayor, Eric Adams, and other local officials pleaded with people on Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion In New York, flash flooding briefly closed sections of major roadways and inundated train stations across the metropolitan region as the evening rush hour approached. Commuters captured video of water pouring over a train on a platform in Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal and water pooling on the floor of a city bus as it pushed through a flooded Brooklyn street. Riders of one Long Island-bound commuter train were evacuated by firefighters as flood waters rose. Other commuter rail lines on Long Island and New Jersey were suspended or severely delayed. Traffic cameras and social media posts on a highway in the New York City borough of Queens showed motorists at one point standing on the roofs of stranded vehicles and a tractor-trailer nearly fully submerged in water. Police said they pulled cars carrying two people from the flooded stretch before the waters receded and traffic slowly resumed. The NWS warned that flooding was possible in small creeks and streams and along highways, streets, underpasses and places with poor drainage. Some areas could also see high wind gusts and hail.