Deadly Texas floods claim 50 lives, 27 girls still missing
Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by 26 feet (eight meters) in just 45 minutes.
The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud.
"We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region.
Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50 so far.
There was better news for Congressman August Pfluger, who said Saturday his two young daughters were safely evacuated from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County, where the windows of cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.
"The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors," the Texas Republican wrote on X.
It was unclear if the two girls were among the 27 that authorities said were still missing as of Saturday.
Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard was "punching through storms" to evacuate stranded residents.
"We will fly throughout the night and as long as possible," she said in a post on X.
Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said keeping the search going throughout the night was essential as "every hour counts."
The flooding began Friday – the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend – as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."
In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris.
"The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.
But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic were still missing.
Around 750 girls were attending Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe at the time of the flood.
The owner and director of Camp Mystic was also dead, according to the Kerrville website, as was the manager of another nearby summer camp.
Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP.
A 62-year-old woman's body was found in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, along the Concho River, police said.
Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50.
Noem earlier said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
"We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press conference.
Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticised Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS.
When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government."
Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding.
"We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday.
The rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said.
Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold.
"Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people's houses," Reyna said.
"It's just crazy."-AFP
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New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Desperate search for 11 missing girls as Texas flood death toll climbs to 68
HUNT, United States: Rescuers in Texas raced against time Sunday to find dozens of missing people, including children, swept away by flash floods that killed at least 68, as forecasters warned of new deluges. Local Texans joined forces with disaster officials on the ground and in helicopters to search for the missing, including 11 girls and a counselor from a riverside Christian summer camp where some 750 people had been staying when disaster struck. In a terrifying display of nature's power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins in Camp Mystic as girls slept overnight Friday, washing away some of them and leaving a scene of devastation. Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings ended up caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said heavy rain likely to cause more flooding was falling Sunday, as the death toll at the camp and elsewhere in Kerr County rose to at least 59. "We expect that to go higher, sadly," Patrick told Fox News Sunday. He told stories of heroics, such as a camp counselor smashing a window so girls in their pajamas could swim out and walk through neck-high water. "These little girls, they swam for about 10 or 15 minutes. Can you imagine, in the darkness and the rushing waters and trees coming by you and rocks come on you? And then they get to a spot on the land," Patrick said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Camp Mystic had been "horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster." "We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins," he said in a post on social media platform X after a visit to the site. Officials and US media say nine people died in other Texas counties, for a total of 68. Officials had earlier said 27 girls were missing from the camp. Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice told a news conference Sunday morning that the figure is now 11. He did not explain the sharp drop in the number. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned Sunday that slow-moving thunderstorms threatened more flash floods over the saturated ground of central Texas. The flooding began at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, much of it coming overnight as people slept. The Guadalupe surged some 26 feet (eight meters) – more than a two-story building- in just 45 minutes. President Donald Trump, at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, signed a major disaster declaration that freed up resources for the state. Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual. The region of south and central Texas where the weekend's deluge occurred is known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley." But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense. People from elsewhere in Texas converged on Kerr County to help look for the missing. Texans also started flying personal drones to help look but Rice urged them to stop this, saying it is 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 chip in. "There was a group of 20-year-olds that were in a house that had gotten washed away," Durda told AFP. "That's who the family requested helped for, but of course, we're looking for anybody."--AFP
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Search for Texas flood victims enters third day, with more rain forecast
A search dog operates at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores HUNT, Texas (Reuters) - The search for over 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 on 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 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across Texas Hill Country, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. It was unclear exactly 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. President Donald Trump and his administration have overseen thousands of job cuts from 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. 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 epicenter 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 29 feet (9 meters). Texas Governor 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. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor 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 themselves. 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 six feet (1.83 meters) 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. (Reporting by Sergio Flores in Hunt, Texas and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Marco Bello and Sandra Stojanovic in Comfort, Texas; Deborah Gembara in Washington; and Ryan Jones and Bhargav Acharya in Toronto; Writing by Tim Reid; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
New Straits Times
10 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Deadly Texas floods claim 50 lives, 27 girls still missing
HUNT, United States: Rescuers searched through the night early Sunday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed at least 50 people in the US state. Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by 26 feet (eight meters) in just 45 minutes. The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud. "We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children," said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region. Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50 so far. There was better news for Congressman August Pfluger, who said Saturday his two young daughters were safely evacuated from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County, where the windows of cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. "The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors," the Texas Republican wrote on X. It was unclear if the two girls were among the 27 that authorities said were still missing as of Saturday. Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said the US Coast Guard was "punching through storms" to evacuate stranded residents. "We will fly throughout the night and as long as possible," she said in a post on X. Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said keeping the search going throughout the night was essential as "every hour counts." The flooding began Friday – the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend – as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations." In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris. "The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river." Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual. But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense. On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic were still missing. Around 750 girls were attending Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe at the time of the flood. The owner and director of Camp Mystic was also dead, according to the Kerrville website, as was the manager of another nearby summer camp. Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP. A 62-year-old woman's body was found in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, along the Concho River, police said. Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50. Noem earlier said Trump wanted to "upgrade the technologies" at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "We need to renew this ancient system," Noem told a press conference. Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticised Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS. When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning, Noem said she would "carry your concerns back to the federal government." Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding. "We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday. The rain was "double of what was anticipated," Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said. Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold. "Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people's houses," Reyna said. "It's just crazy."-AFP
