Desperate search for missing girls as nearly 80 dead in Texas floods
US President Donald Trump said he would 'probably' visit the southern state on Friday.
The president brushed off concerns his administration's wide-ranging cuts to weather forecasting and related federal agencies had left local warning systems worse-off.
Instead, Trump described the flash floods as a '100-year catastrophe' that 'nobody expected.'
At least 40 adults and 28 children were killed in the worst-hit Kerr County in central Texas, Sheriff Larry Leitha said, while at least ten more people were killed by flooding in nearby areas.
'You will see the death toll rise today,' warned Texas public safety chief Freeman Martin at a press conference.
'Across the state, in all the areas affected by flooding, there are 41 known missing,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.
As questions grew about why warnings did not come sooner or people were not evacuated earlier in the area popular with campers, Trump said the situation was a 'Biden setup.'
'That was not our setup,' Trump told reporters on Sunday, adding that he would 'not' hire back meteorologists when probed about staff and budget cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS).
Asked about whether he would change his plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he responded: 'FEMA is something we can talk about later.'
Trump, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state-level, also signed a major disaster declaration that freed up resources for Texas.
In central Texas, some 17 helicopters joined the search for missing people, including ten girls and a counselor from a riverside Christian summer camp where about 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 at the camp were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned Sunday that slow-moving thunderstorms threatened more flash floods over the saturated ground of central Texas.
Governor Abbott warned that heavy rainfall could 'lead to potential flash flooding' in Kerrville and surrounding areas, as officials warned people against going near the swollen river and its creeks.
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 around 26 feet (eight meters) — more than a two-story building — in just 45 minutes.
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual in this region of south and central Texas, known colloquially as 'Flash Flood Alley.'
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.
Officials said while rescue operations were ongoing, they were also starting the process of debris removal.
'There's debris all over the place that makes roads impassable, that makes reconstruction projects unachievable,' Abbott said.
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 local officials urged them to stop, citing 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 help.
'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 help for, but of course, we're looking for anybody.'
Justin Morales, 36, was part of a search team that found three bodies, including that of a Camp Mystic girl caught up in a tree.
'We're happy to give a family closure and hopefully we can keep looking and find some of the... you know, whoever,' he told AFP.
'Help give some of those families closure. That's why we're out here.'
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Al Arabiya
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Timeline Raises Questions Over How Texas Officials Handled Warnings Before the Deadly July 4 Flood
Officials in Texas are facing mounting questions about whether they did enough to get people out of harm's way before a flash flood swept down the Guadalupe River and killed more than 100 people, including 27 children and counselors at an all-girls Christian camp. More than 160 people are still believed to be missing in Texas days after flash floods killed over 100 people during the July Fourth weekend, the state's governor said Tuesday. In the days since the devastation, state, federal, and Kerr County officials have deflected pointed questions about preparations and warnings. The Associated Press has assembled an approximate timeline of the 48 hours before, during, and after the deadly flash flood, beginning with the activation of the state's emergency response resources on July 2–the same day Texas signed off on the camp's emergency plan for disasters. By daybreak on July Fourth, it was clear that some children from Camp Mystic were swept away by floodwaters, even as others were able to escape to safety in their pajamas. Wednesday, July 2: The Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources, anticipating the threat of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas. On the same day, Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic's emergency planning, records obtained by the AP show. Thursday, July 3: 10:00 a.m.: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday that county judges and city mayors were invited to be on a daily call Thursday to discuss weather forecasts. Patrick also said a regional coordinator personally reached out to officials in the area. 'The message was sent,' Patrick said. 'It is up to the local counties and mayors under the law to evacuate if they feel the need.' 1:18 p.m.: The National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office issued a flood watch, estimating rainfall amounts of one to three inches, with isolated amounts of five to seven inches for parts of south central Texas, including Kerr County. 'Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers,' the alert read. Friday, July 4: 1:14 a.m.: Citing radar, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for central Kerr County until 4:15 a.m., warning that it was life-threatening. Around 3:00 a.m.: Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said he was running on the river trail around 3:00 or 3:30 a.m. Friday and everything was fine. 'Four o'clock, when I left, there was no signs of it rising at that point,' Rice said during a news conference later. 'This happened very quickly over a very short amount of time.' Rice said the isolated location and the heavy rain in a short period of time made a dangerous event that was not predictable, even with radar and National Weather Service warnings. 'This is not like a tornado where you can have a siren. This is not like a hurricane where you're planning weeks in advance,' Rice said. 'It hit. It hit hard.' Between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.: Floodwaters begin to inundate Camp Mystic. Young campers, counselors, and staff are roused from sleep and begin a desperate rush to higher ground, according to social media accounts. The accounts detail how some young girls had to climb through cabin windows. One staffer said she was on the roof with water rising toward her at 4:00 a.m. 3:30 a.m.: Erin Burgess woke up to thunder at around 3:30 a.m. Friday in her home in Bumble Bee Hills, a housing development about halfway between Hunt and Ingram. Within a half hour or so, she told the AP that the water was rushing into her house. Burgess and her 19-year-old son clung onto a tree outside for an hour before the water receded. 3:35 a.m.: The National Weather Service extended its flash flood warning for central Kerr County until 7:00 a.m. based on radar and automated gauges. 3:35 a.m.: A US Geological Survey gauge along the Guadalupe River about five miles north of Camp Mystic and about a mile east of Hunt shows the river had reached nearly 16 feet. The river at that location is subject to minor flooding at 10 feet. Between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m.: Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he was first notified about the situation from one of his sergeants. 4:03 a.m.: The National Weather Service named a flash flood emergency for south-central Kerr County, saying in all caps that it was 'a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!' Citing radar and automated rain gauges, the bulletin said low water crossings and the Guadalupe River at Hunt were flooding. 4:35 a.m.: A US Geological Survey gauge along the Guadalupe River about five miles north of Camp Mystic and about a mile east of Hunt stops sending data. The last recorded river level from the instrumentation was 29.5 feet. 5:30 a.m.: Police knocked on Matthew Stone's door in a Kerrville riverfront neighborhood, urging residents to evacuate. Stone said he had received no emergency warning on his phone. 'We got no emergency alert. There was nothing,' Stone said. Then: 'a pitch black wall of death.' 5:34 a.m.: The National Weather Service bulletin reported a flash flood emergency from Hunt through Kerrville and Center Point, saying 'automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River.' 5:38 a.m.: In a comment on a Facebook post from the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, one woman begged for someone to help her mother-in-law, who was trapped in a trailer between Hunt and Ingram. 5:52 a.m.: Minutes later, another woman commented on the same Facebook post that Bumble Bee Hills was flooded and needed help. 6:06 a.m.: The National Weather Service extended the flash flood warning until 10:00 a.m. The bulletin also said local law enforcement reported major flooding and water rescues along the Guadalupe River. 6:19 a.m.: Another Facebook commenter on the Kerr County Sheriff's page said a friend and her family are on their rooftop in Hunt waiting for rescue. 6:45 a.m.: A US Geological Survey gauge in Kerrville shows the Guadalupe River peaks at 34.29 feet, a figure that is preliminary and subject to change. It is the third-highest river level at that location according to the data. The record of 39 feet was set on July 2, 1932. 6:59 a.m.: Erin Burgess was surveying damage in her flooded home after the river water receded. The line of muck reached halfway up her kitchen cabinets. 7:24 a.m.: The National Weather Service advises that the flash flood emergency extends to Sisterdale. 11:29 a.m.: Camp Mystic parents receive an email noting the grounds have sustained 'catastrophic level floods' and that they are without power, water, and internet. Parents with a daughter not accounted for were directly contacted, the camp said. 11:30 a.m.: Local officials held the first press conference to describe the situation and response. Asked what kind of warning system went out to make sure county residents got out safely, Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: 'We do not have a warning system.' When a reporter followed up to ask why camps weren't evacuated when the camps were in harm's way, Kelly said they didn't know this flood was coming. 'We had no reason to believe that this was going to be any anything like what's happened here,' Kelly said. 'None whatsoever.' 3:30 p.m.: Two news conferences on Friday afternoon were the first to offer an initial death toll. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said six to 10 bodies had been found so far. Around the same time, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha reported that 13 people had died in the flooding. Patrick also announced that the whereabouts of about 23 girls attending Camp Mystic were not known. 7:11 p.m.: A state agency responsible for search and rescue operations, the Texas Game Wardens, post on Facebook that they made entry into Camp Mystic and are evacuating the campers to safety. Roughly two dozen campers were still missing. 9:00 p.m.: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration at a news conference. Leitha reported about 24 fatalities.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
More than 160 people still missing days after deadly Texas floods
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