Grim milestone as rescuers search for US flood victims
The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said.
Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding.
The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters.
Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task.
With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.
The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.
The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait.
Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.
Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing.
Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley".
That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice.
Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people.
The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said.
Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding.
The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters.
Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task.
With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.
The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.
The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait.
Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.
Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing.
Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley".
That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice.
Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people.
The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said.
Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding.
The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters.
Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task.
With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.
The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.
The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait.
Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.
Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing.
Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley".
That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice.
Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people.
The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said.
Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding.
The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters.
Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task.
With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.
The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River.
The raging flash floods - among the nation's worst in decades - slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country - a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait.
Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.
Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing.
Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as "flash flood alley".
That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice.
Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.
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9 News
11 hours ago
- 9 News
US Coast Guard rescue swimmer hailed as a hero after saving 165 kids from Texas flooding
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING RBA keeps interest rates on hold It was Petty Officer Scott Ruskan's first mission as a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. The 26-year-old was new to the Coast Guard. He had left a previous career as an accountant before enlisting, and had graduated from rescue swimming school around six months ago when his team got the call from Task Force 1, a local search-and-rescue team in Texas, early Friday morning. It was Petty Officer Scott Ruskan's first mission as a US Coast Guard rescue swimmer. (CNN) They were needed urgently in central Texas where torrential flooding had struck over the July Fourth weekend. Dozens of people were dead, and more were missing. The team deployed around 7am Friday from Corpus Christi, about 200 miles south of where the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, had risen from about 3 feet to nearly 30 feet. Floodwaters in the area had swept through and battered several youth camps on the river banks — including Camp Mystic, the summer camp where they were headed. Around 200 campers at the all-girls Christian camp needed to be rescued, Ruskan said. With bridges and roadways overcome by floodwaters and the water too high for boat rescues, the only option was to airlift the girls. Counsellors and staff at Camp Mystic had been scrambling to rescue campers, pushing some through cabin windows and putting children on mattresses to help float on the rising water. More than a month's worth of rain dumped on the area, and floodwaters overtook the site. Hundreds of local, state and national first responders had surged to the Kerrville area to help find and rescue survivors. Items lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on July 5. (CNN) The ongoing urgent response includes Black Hawk helicopters deployed by the Texas National Guard and Air National Guard. What should have been a one-hour flight into the landing zone near the camp took about six or seven hours, Ruskan told CNN. The crew battled "some pretty, pretty nasty weather," he told CNN, some of the worst he had experienced in his career. It took the team four attempts and the help of the Air National Guard for the aircraft to make its way through the brutal storm, he said. From above, he could see firsthand the devastating flood and its effects on the landscape. "I've never seen anything this tragic in my life," he said. On the ground, Ruskan realised he was the only first responder around and was met with "about 200 kids, mostly all scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their life." But after arriving at Camp Mystic, Ruskan said, the crew was needed at another, more dangerous location. Officials search on the grounds of Camp Mystic on Sunday in Hunt, Texas. (CNN) The aircraft could fit more people at the next site without him onboard, and Ruskan could help where he was. The crew decided leaving him behind at Camp Mystic as a triage coordinator at the "hectic" site was the best option. They were ultimately able to airlift 15 children at the other location without Ruskan on the aircraft. At the camp, Ruskan comforted the distressed children gathered into an area above the flood zone, and heard stories from camp counsellors who rushed to push campers out the door before cabins flooded. Some kids had cuts on their feet because they were barefoot. They didn't have time to put on shoes before they scrambled to safety. For around three hours, Ruskan said, he was the only rescuer on site and had no communication due to poor radio reception and no cell service. But any fear he had, he pushed aside to focus on his young charges. "They're having probably the worst day of their life. They're missing friends. They're missing loved ones," he said. "They don't know where they are. Some of them may be unaccounted for. Some of them may be somewhere else." Flash flooding is seen at the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 5. (CNN) He did his best to reassure the shell-shocked campers, promising he would get them out and that other rescuers were looking for their missing friends. Comfort "could be something as simple as holding their hand," he added. Texas Air National Guard aircraft landed at the camp's archery field and soccer field, and Ruskan led the children, about 10 to 15 at a time, to the aircraft. He focused on getting the youngest children out first. Ruskan helped rescue approximately 165 campers with him, carrying some to the helicopter to help them avoid slipping on wet rocks or cutting their feet even more. Despite rescuers' best efforts, 27 of the girls' Camp Mystic friends and counsellors died in the catastrophic floods, and 10 campers and one counsellor are still unaccounted for. The camp's longtime director Dick Eastman also died, trying to rescue campers. At least 100 people have died from the devastating floods. A Texas DPS helicopter conducts arial searches along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville on July 4. (CNN) Ruskan says the magnitude of his effort has just started to sink in. The rescue swimmer has been hailed as an "American hero" by the Department of Homeland Security. The agency lauded the "extraordinary bravery and selfless service of Ruskan and his fellow first responders." But he said the other counsellors who helped rescue efforts and the tough kids were also heroes. Seeing how bravely they acted, he said, "it made me a better rescuer." CONTACT US Auto news: 'No simple answer': Is there a buffer for speed cameras?
7NEWS
14 hours ago
- 7NEWS
More than 100 confirmed dead in catastrophic Texas flooding as search for missing people continues
The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people including 28 children, county officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors to the floodwaters. Search-and-rescue teams meanwhile carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods — among the nation's worst in decades — slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak on Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country — a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were eight-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding, and which some local residents refer to as 'flash flood alley'. That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor mobile phone service, said Kerrville City manager Dalton Rice. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.
Sky News AU
15 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Haunting photo shows Camp Mystic campers just days before every girl was swept away by Texas floods
The girls in the 'Bubble Inn' cabin started June 29 at Camp Mystic with great-big smiles. A photo shows all 13 girls and two counselors in spotless white dresses and skirts and white sneakers, beaming at the camera. Less than five days later every person in the photo was swept away by the Texas flash floods. Tragedy began around 4 a.m. Friday as the girls were sleeping just a few hundred feet from the Guadalupe River. The bodies of 10 of the girls, ages 8 and 9, have been recovered, along with counselor Chloe Childress, 18. Three girls and counselor Katherine Ferruzzo, 19, have not been found. The rising third and fourth graders, as the youngest campers, were housed in the flatlands — closest to the river, with some cabins just 225 feet from the bank. The older girls stayed on higher ground on 'Senior Hill.' After a freak rain storm dumped a month's worth of rain on the Texas Hill Country in just two hours, the Guadalupe rose 20 feet in a matter of minutes, cresting upstream in Hunt, Texas around 6:30 a.m. The camp with 750 girls — a storied Christian sleep-away destination for some of Texas' most elite families in Houston, Dallas and Austin — now counts 27 victims dead, with 10 girls, plus Ferruzzo, missing. Most victims are young girls from the flatlands cabins. Photos of inside a nearby cabin, the Handy Hut, shows the water rose nearly to the top of the door frame before receding. In all, more than 100 people have been confirmed dead in the flash flooding that terrorized Kerr County over the weekend, with the statewide death toll hitting 95. Among the dead at Camp Mystic is the camp's owner, Richard 'Dick' Eastland. He tried to rescue the campers at Bubble Inn, his son told the Washington Post, but waters from the river and another creek rushed in from both sides, leaving no escape for anyone. Searchers found Eastland's body along with the remains of three girls inside a black SUV. 'It made like a swirl right around those cabins like a toilet bowl,' camp employee Craig Althaus told the outlet. Camp counselor Childress also died while desperately trying to rescue the girls in her care. She upheld a 'selfless and fierce commitment to others,' Jonathan Eades, head of school at Kinkaid School in Houston, from which Chloe had just graduated, wrote in a statement. Tragedy in the Bubble Inn cabin Found dead: Margaret Bellows, 8 Lila Bonner, 9 Janie Hunt, 9 Lainey Landry Sarah Marsh, 8 Linnie McCown, 8 Wynne Naylor, 8 Eloise Peck, 9 Renee Smajstria, 9 Mary Stevens, 8 Chloe Childress, 18 Still missing: Molly DeWitt, 9 Ellen Getten, 8 Abby Pohl Katherine Ferruzzo, 19 Originally published as Haunting photo shows Camp Mystic campers just days before every girl was swept away by Texas floods
