Catastrophic Flooding Hits Parts of Texas
People have died in the floods, according to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office. Authorities declined to release specific details until victims' relatives were notified.
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Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas flood waters recede as 27 people confirmed dead
US authorities say 27 people, including nine children, have been confirmed dead after flash floods in central Texas as rescuers continue a frantic search for survivors including dozens still missing from a girls' summer camp. The sheriff's office in Kerr County, Texas said 800 people had been rescued in the region as flood waters receded in the area around the Guadalupe River, about 138km northwest of San Antonio. At least 23 to 25 people from the Camp Mystic summer camp were missing, most of them reported to be young girls. The river waters rose almost nine metres rapidly near the camp. The US National Weather Service said that the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, the epicentre of the flooding, following thunderstorms that dumped as much as a foot of rain early on Friday. A flood watch, however, remains in effect until 7pm on Saturday from the San Antonio-Austin, Texas, region, with scattered showers expected throughout the day, according to Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. US President Donald Trump said the federal government is working with state and local officials to respond to the flooding. "Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters on Friday 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," Rice said. "This happened within less than a two-hour span." State emergency management officials had warned as early as Thursday that west and central Texas faced heavy rains and flash flood threats "over the next couple 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," W Nim Kidd, director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told a news conference on Friday night. The weekend disaster echoes a catastrophic flood almost 40 years ago along the Guadalupe River where a bus and a van leaving a church camp encountered flood waters and 10 teenagers drowned trying to escape, according to a National Weather Service event summary of the 1987 storm. Hundreds of people were rescued, it said.
Wall Street Journal
24 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
At Least 27 Dead in Texas Floods as Searches for Missing Continue
The death toll from Texas' destructive flash floods rose to 27 Saturday morning, with hundreds of rescuers still combing through water and debris to find missing people, including children from a summer camp. Eighteen of the victims who have been recovered were adults and nine were children, according to the Kerr County Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nine children among at least 27 killed in Texas flooding
Rescuers were searching for children from a girls' camp and many others who were still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 27 people, officials said. Among the dead were nine children. The destructive fast-moving waters along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas. Some 27 people were missing from Camp Mystic, Dalton Rice, city manager, said at a press conference on Saturday. An unknown number of people at other locations were still unaccounted for. 'People need to know today will be a hard day,' said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people. The total number of missing was not known but one sheriff said about 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. 'It was really scary.' A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs, she said. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 27 were confirmed dead, including nine children. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Texas Hill County one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Officials defended their actions on Friday while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week had called for up to six inches of rain, said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. 'It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' he said. A river near Camp Mystic recorded a 22 foot rise in about two hours, said Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet. 'The water's moving so fast, you're not going to recognise how bad it is until it's on top of you,' Mr Fogarty said. More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue teams, helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.
