Central Texas floodwaters recede as rescuers continue search for victims
Vehicles partially submerged in flood water following torrential rains along the Guadalupe River in San Angelo, Texas.
- A frantic search continued on July 5 for about two dozen people still missing from a century-old Christian girls' camp in central Texas after flash floods in the area killed at least 24 at the start of the US Independence Day weekend and prompted the rescue of hundreds of others.
In a break for rescue crews, authorities said floodwaters on July 5 were receding in the area around the Guadalupe River, about 137 km north-west of San Antonio, where at least 237 people were rescued, with more than 100 by helicopters.
Another 23 to 25 people from the Camp Mystic summer camp were missing, most of them reported to be young girls. The river waters rose 8.8m rapidly near the camp.
The US National Weather Service said that the flash flood emergency has largely ended for parts of Kerr County in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 105 km north-west of San Antonio, following thunderstorms that dumped as much as a foot of rain early on July 4.
A flood watch, however, remains in effect until 7pm local time on July 5 (8am on July 6, Singapore time) from the San Antonio-Austin, Texas, region, with scattered showers expected throughout the day, said Ms Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
'In terms of the Guadalupe River, the extreme floodwaters have receded,' she said. 'It's no longer at extreme flood stages. And we're not expecting additional impacts.'
At a news conference late on July 4, almost 18 hours after the July Fourth crisis began, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said search-and-rescue operations would press on through the night and into July 5.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in more fragmented global economy: PM Wong
Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform
Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee
Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted
Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten
Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan'
Singapore Rock climbing fan suddenly could not jump, get up from squats
Life Japanese food in Singapore under $20: 5 hawker stalls serving restaurant-quality sashimi and donburi
Mr Abbott said resources devoted to the effort would be 'limitless'.
President Donald Trump said on July 4 that 'we'll take care of them,' when asked about federal aid for the disaster.
Mr Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters on July 4 that the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage.
'This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with radar,' Mr Rice said. 'This happened within less than a two-hour span.'
State emergency management officials had warned as early as July 3 that west and central Texas faced heavy rains and flash flood threats 'over the next couple of days,' citing National Weather Service forecasts ahead of the holiday weekend.
The weather forecasts, however, 'did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' Mr W. Nim Kidd , director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told a news conference on the night of July 4. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
3 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit, World News
HUNT, Texas — The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday (July 6), including 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continued and fears of more flooding prompted evacuations of volunteer responders. Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicentre of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and confirmed 41 were missing. President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added. "It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas," he told reporters as he left New Jersey. Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp where 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor were still missing, according to Leitha. "It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, who noted he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing. The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday. Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. "You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow," said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (3cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140km) northwest of San Antonio. Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of "an additional wall of water" flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday's rains. "We're evacuating parts of the river right now because we are worried about another wall of river coming down in those areas," he said, referencing volunteers from outside the area seeking to help locate victims. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts. Scaling back federal disaster response 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 themselves. 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. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the National Weather Service under Trump's oversight. "That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup," he said referencing his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe." He declined to answer a question about FEMA, saying only "They're busy working, so we'll leave it at that," Trump said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA and 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. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic US congressman from Texas, told CNN's "State of the Union" programme that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. "When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro said. 'Complete devastation' Katharine Somerville, a counsellor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night. "Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y'all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen," Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday. Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 metres). A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 m) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. [[nid:719874]]
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Texas flood victims: What we know
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The death toll is expected to rise, and forecasters warn of more rain on July 6 in areas that were already hard hit. The flash flooding on the Guadalupe River in central Texas has killed at least 79 people. Local officials in Kerr County said on July 6 that 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls' Christian summer camp, are still missing. On July 6, near the bank of the Guadalupe River in Ingram, the search for survivors grew more desperate as volunteers prepared horses to help search and rescue efforts. Flood damage made it difficult for vehicles to reach many areas. The death toll is expected to rise, and forecasters warn of more rain on July 6 in areas that were already hard hit. Here's what we know about those who were killed. Chloe Childress Ms Chloe Childress, 18, a counselor at Camp Mystic, died when floodwaters swept through the camp, according to the school she had recently graduated from. Mr Jonathan Eades, head of school at the Kinkaid School in Houston, wrote in a statement that Ms Childress lost her life upholding a 'selfless and fierce commitment to others'. 'She was wise beyond her years, with a steady compassion that settled a room,' he wrote. 'Whether it was sharing her own challenges to ease someone's burden or quietly cheering a teammate or classmate through a tough day, Chloe made space for others to feel safe, valued, and brave.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Business Beyond the 9 to 5: Why side hustles are becoming a way of life for more full-time workers Singapore Changkat Primary School turns 2,000 old uniforms into new creations for 60th anniversary Life Star Awards 2025: 11 looks that shocked and charmed on the red carpet Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch World Tariffs will kick in on Aug 1 barring trade deals: US Treasury Secretary According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Childress had been working as a counselor at Camp Mystic since June, shortly after graduation. Dick Eastland The longtime director of Camp Mystic, Mr Dick Eastland, was among the dead, elected officials and family members confirmed. Mr Eastland and his wife Tweety have run the nearly century-old Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe for decades. He was reportedly swept away while trying to rescue children from rising floodwaters. 'If he wasn't going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,' Mr Eastland's grandson George wrote on Instagram. 'That's the man my grandfather was. A husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to thousands of young women, he no longer walks this earth, but his impact will never leave the lives he touched.' Julian Ryan Exhausted from a long night working as a dishwasher at a local restaurant, Mr Julian Ryan, 27, was asleep in his trailer home in Ingram, Texas, when the river reached his front door on July 4 before dawn. By the time he and his fiancee Christinia Wilson woke up, water was up to their ankles. His mother Marilyn Ryan and his 6-year-old son had already rushed into the room for safety. In what seemed like a blink, Ms Wilson said, the water was up to their waists; their front door had burst open and the river had gushed into the house. Their mattress began to float, so they placed their 13-month-old son and the 6-year-old atop it. The bedroom door was stuck shut from the water pressure on the other side. In a panic, Mr Ryan tried to punch through a window so they could escape. But the sharp glass cut nearly through his arm, causing him to bleed profusely, Ms Wilson and Ms Marilyn Ryan said on July 5 in a phone interview. They called 911 again and again, but no one came, both women said. With the water rising to their chins, the women shouted for help as Mr Ryan started to lose consciousness, they said. 'He had lost so much blood and knew he wasn't going to make it,' Ms Wilson said. 'He said, 'I love you. I'm so sorry.' In minutes, he was gone.' Ms Wilson said the trailer was torn in half by the force of the water, yet everyone in the family but Julian survived. 'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost,' she said. 'He died trying to save us.' Blair and Brooke Harber Two young sisters, Blair and Brooke Harber, were staying in a cabin along the Guadalupe with their grandparents when their cabin was washed away, according to the Reverend Joshua J. Whitfield, the pastor of their Dallas church, St Rita Catholic Community. Blair, 13, was headed to eighth grade at St Rita's school. Brooke, 11, was bound for sixth grade there. Both girls died and their grandparents are still missing, the pastor said on July 5 in a letter to parishioners. Their parents – Ms Annie Harber, a first and second grade instructional specialist at St Rita's, and Mr RJ Harber – were staying in another cabin and are safe, he said. 'In moments like this, we are reminded of life's fragility and the lasting power of faith,' Mr Whitfield wrote, adding, 'we will honor Blair and Brooke's lives, the light they shared, and the joy they brought to everyone who knew them'. A prayer service for the girls was held at the church on the afternoon of July 5. A photo of the service shows a packed house. Katheryn Eads Ms Katheryn Eads, 52, died after being swept away in the floodwaters, her husband Brian Eads said in a brief phone call July 5. The couple were awakened by rushing water surrounding them inside their recreational vehicle, Mr Eads said. They managed to get out, and a man driving another RV offered them a ride. They made it across the street when the vehicle they were in died, Mr Eads said. The couple was swept out of the truck by water. Mr Eads said he was struck in the head by debris and lost track of his wife. He survived by holding onto a tree until he reached dry land, he said. Sarah Marsh Sarah Marsh, an 8-year-old student at Cherokee Bend Elementary in Mountain Brook, Alabama, was one of the campers at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas. In a statement posted online, Mr Stewart Welch, the mayor of Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham, confirmed that Sarah was among those who died in the flood and said that the city was heartbroken. 'This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school and our entire community,' he wrote. 'Sarah's passing is a sorrow shared by all of us, and our hearts are with those who knew her and loved her.' In a text message on July 5, Sarah's grandmother, Ms Debbie Ford Marsh, said that Sarah's parents were not able to talk and declined to comment on behalf of the family. Earlier, on Facebook, she posted: 'We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!' Janie Hunt Janie Hunt, 9, of Dallas, died in the flash flooding, her grandmother Margaret Hunt said in an interview. Janie was also attending Camp Mystic. It was her first time there as a camper, and she attended along with six of her cousins, who were safe, Ms Hunt said. Ms Hunt said she was in Vermont when she got a call from her daughter, Ms Anne Lindsay Hunt, telling her about the flooding. Janie's parents drove to Ingram Elementary, the reunification center, where they were told to visit a funeral home and identify their daughter. Janie, a great-granddaughter of the oil baron William Herbert Hunt, was the eldest of three children. Bobby and Amanda Martin Mr Bobby Martin, 46, and his wife Amanda, 44, were among those killed, Bobby Martin's father, Mr John Keith Martin, told The New York Times. The couple, from Odessa, Texas, were reportedly camping by the Guadalupe River when their RV was swept away by rising floodwaters. The elder Martin said one of his grandchildren and that grandchild's girlfriend were with the couple and were still missing. 'He was an adventurous man, adventurous and outgoing. He had many good friends, because he was a good friend,' Mr John Keith Martin said of his son. 'He's just incredible.' Jane Ragsdale Ms Jane Ragsdale, director and co-owner of the Heart O' the Hills summer camp in Kerr County, is among those confirmed dead in the flooding, according to a statement posted to the camp's website. No campers were residing at the site when the floods hit. 'We at the camp are stunned and deeply saddened by Jane's death,' the statement said. 'She embodied the spirit of Heart O' the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer.' Ms Ragsdale, who became camp director in 1988, started as a camper and later became a counselor. NY TIMES
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit
HUNT, Texas: The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday (Jul 6), including at least 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third day and fears of more flash flooding as rain fell on saturated ground prompted fresh evacuations. Larry Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicentre of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and 41 were confirmed missing. The governor did not say how many of the dead outside Kerr were children. Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls' camp. Sheriff Leitha said on Sunday that 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor were still missing. "It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, who said he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing. The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday. Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said at the press conference on Sunday afternoon the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. "You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow," said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 38cm of rain across the region, about 140km northwest of San Antonio. "Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told reporters. A WALL OF WATER Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of "an additional wall of water" flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday's rains. He said aircraft were sent aloft to scout for additional floodwaters, while search-and-rescue personnel who might be in harm's way were alerted to pull back from the river in the meantime. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and advisories for central Texas that were to last until 4.15pm local time as rains fell, potentially complicating rescue efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. US Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, the department said. SCALING BACK FEDERAL DISASTER RESPONSE Trump, who said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably on Friday, 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 themselves. 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. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. 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. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic US congressman from Texas, told CNN's State of the Union program that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. "When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel ... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro said. "COMPLETE DEVASTATION" Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flooding. Katharine Somerville, a counselor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night. "Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y'all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen," Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday. Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 9m. A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least 1.83m from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.
