At least 24 dead and more than 20 children missing from camp after Texas flooding
At least 24 people have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, according to local media reports.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said between 23 and 25 of those missing were staying at a girls' camp in Texas after the Guadalupe River burst its banks at around 4am local time on Friday.
The total number of missing is not known, Sheriff Leitha warned.
As much as 10ins (25cm) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, washing out homes and sweeping away vehicles.
An official in the city of Kerville told reporters the flooding struck just before dawn "over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with the radar".
Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far.
The judge told reporters at a news conference that "most" of the bodies are yet to be identified.
"We're trying to get the identity of these folks, but we don't have it yet," he said.
As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter, according to Major General Thomas Suelzer, the adjutant general for the state of Texas.
More than 20 girls unaccounted for
Emergency services are continuing a frantic search to find those missing - including the girls.
The children were among more than 700 who were at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, when the fast-rising floodwaters hit.
Elinor Lester, 13, said she and her cabin mates were woken up by a raging storm at 1.30am and had to be helicoptered to safety. "The camp was completely destroyed," Elinor said, describing the situation as "really scary".
Most of the campers are safe but they could not be immediately evacuated because high waters have made local roads unusable, authorities said.
"Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Judge Kelly said.
"They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication," Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said. "We're praying for all of those missing to be found alive. We're doing everything we can to get in there."
Unforeseen disaster
Asked why more precautions were not taken amid forecasts for stormy weather, Judge Kelly insisted a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen.
"We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States," he said, adding, "We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever."
Later, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the floods were "terrible," adding: "We're working with the governor [Greg Abbott]."
Drones and helicopters used in search
Search teams are flying 14 helicopters and a dozen drones over the area, while hundreds of emergency personnel are on the ground conducting rescues.
People desperately searching for their loved ones have posted comments on a Facebook post from the Kerr County sheriff's office.
One woman said she couldn't reach her daughter, who had rented a cabin with her husband and two children.
She pleaded for officials to release the names of those who have been evacuated.
Annie Paynter posted that her nephew, who had been missing, was safe after "he was rescued from a tree he clung to for six hours".
A man in Kerrville told local news outlet WOAI that his brother's house is missing after the flood, along with the brother, his wife and their two children.
Officials said the number of dead could change, as rescue operations for an unspecified total number of missing people are still ongoing, and authorities were still working to identify the dead.
It was not clear whether anyone unaccounted for might have ended up among the deceased victims counted countywide by the sheriff.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Texas officials face scrutiny over response to catastrophic and deadly flooding
Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend's house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later, he was rushing to safety: He woke up in darkness to electrical sockets popping and ankle-deep water. Quickly, his family scrambled nine people into the attic. Phones buzzed with alerts, Flowers recalled Saturday, but he did not remember when in the chaos they started. 'What they need they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,' Flowers, 44, said. The destructive fast-moving waters that began before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country killed at least 32 people, authorities said Saturday, and an unknown number of people remained missing. Those still unaccounted for included 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered. But as authorities launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history, they have come under intensifying scrutiny over preparations and why residents and youth summer camps that are dotted along the river were not alerted sooner or told to evacuate. The National Weather Service sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. Local officials have insisted that no one saw the flood potential coming and have defended their actions. 'There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,' said Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. 'There's a lot of people saying 'why' and 'how,' and I understand that.' When the warnings began An initial flood watch — which generally urges residents to be weather aware — was issued by the local National Weather Service office at 1:18 p.m. local time on Thursday. It predicted rain amounts of between 5 to 7 inches (12.7 to 17.8 centimeters). Weather messaging from the office, including automated alerts delivered to mobile phones to people in threatened areas, grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday, urging people to move to higher ground and evacuate flood-prone areas, said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office. At 4:03 a.m., the office issued an urgent warning that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities. ' People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,' Porter said in a statement. Local officials have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. 'We know we get rains. We know the river rises,' said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official. 'But nobody saw this coming.' Kelly said the county considered a flood warning system along the river that would have functioned like a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, before he was elected, but that the idea never got off the ground because of the expense. 'We've looked into it before … The public reeled at the cost,' Kelly said. Hundreds of rescues Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that the massive response to the flooding had resulted in the rescue and recovery of more than 850 people, including some found clinging to trees. Scores of people in and along the river were airlifted to safety by helicopter, including girls at Camp Mystic. Kelly said he didn't know what kind of safety and evacuation plans the camps may have had. 'What I do know is the flood hit the camp first, and it came in the middle of the night. I don't know where the kids were," he said. "I don't know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time." U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday it was difficult for forecasters to predict just how much rain would fall. She said the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings. 'We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technology that's been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible,' Noem said during a press conference with state and federal leaders. Weather service had extra staffers The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms, Runyen said. Where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather, they had up to five on staff. 'There were extra people in here that night, and that's typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,' Runyen said. ___
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Texas flash flooding: At least 43 people killed; girl, eight, 'living her best life' named among victims
Dozens have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, with 27 missing from a children's camp. But the numbers are expected to change throughout the day as rescue operations continue.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
How fast moving floods ripped through central Texas
The warning signs were already flashing as hundreds of young people celebrated the Fourth of July public holiday at Camp Mystic, nestled on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Christian summer camp for girls promises to "develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem".There had not been a drop of rain in the area recently until the inundation, when the river rose 26ft (8m) in less than an hour, according to the state's Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. By Saturday afternoon, officials said at least 32 people were dead, including 14 children, and about two dozen others were missing. Frantic search for survivors Texas flood victims: Girl 'living her best life' and 'heart and soul' of camp The first hint of the devastation to come appeared on Thursday morning as rain and thunderstorms soaked a number of central Texas National Weather Service (NWS) issued a common warning called a flood watch at 13:18 that afternoon for parts of the region, including Kerr the early hours of Friday, the outlook became more dire as the NWS issued a series of upgraded warnings. The San Saba river, the Concho River and the Colorado River were rising. At 04.03, the NWS sent one of its most urgent alerts, a "particularly dangerous situation" warning, reserved for the most urgent and potentially deadly scenarios such as "particularly dangerous situation" warning was issued for the city of Kerrville at 05.34, before dawn on Friday."Residents and campers should SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding along the river is expected," forecasters said."Automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River. Flash flooding is already occurring." Such alerts are shared on NWS social media accounts and by broadcast news outlets, but most people were Lester, 13, said younger campers at Camp Mystic were bunked in cabins closer to the riverbank and those were the first to flood."The camp was completely destroyed," Elinor, who was evacuated by helicopter, told the Associated Press news agency. "It was really scary."Just outside Kerrville, the BBC met Jonathan and Brittany Rojas as they came to see what was left of a relative's home. Only the foundations remain. Five people were in the house the night of the deluge - the mother and her baby are still teenage son, Leo, survived after he became snared in barbed wire, preventing him from being swept away. The boy is recovering in the BBC was interviewing the Rojas couple, a neighbour walked up to present them with an item salvaged from the was the teenager's money jar. The label on it read, "Leo's survival kit". Social media has been flooded with Camp Mystic parents looking for news of their children. Parents desperate for their loved ones have posted pictures with their phone Facebook group - Kerrville Breaking news - turned into a missing persons have since updated their social media posts to say their missing family members did not survive. Kerr County is right in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a getaway destination because of its scenic rolling hills, countless rivers and lakes and abundance of the region is also known as "Flash Flood Alley", because of the recurring threat that has devastated local communities over the asked why the riverside summer camp was not evacuated, officials said the sudden scale of the deluge caught them unawares."No-one knew this kind of flood was coming," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said.
