Live updates: Disaster response under scrutiny after catastrophic Texas floods

CNN

12 hours ago

Update:
Date: less than 1 min ago
Title: Power now restored to Camp Mystic site
Content:
Power has been restored to Camp Mystic, the nearly 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadeloupe River that lost 27 campers and counselors as well as longtime co-director Dick Eastland during flash flooding on July 4.
'We have restored power at Camp Mystic for the primary purpose of communicating with our Mystic family,' the camp said on its website.
Leaders of the Christian camp cited a bible verse that said 'You are the light of the world.'
'Our Mystic girls will forever shine just like Matthew 5:14-16,' the camp message said.
In a subsequent post over the weekend, the camp thanked the efforts of its counselors to save campers during the flooding.
'We want to take time as we continue to grieve the loss of our precious girls, to thank all of our counselors that embodied the Mystic Spirit and put their campers first as they guided them to safety,' camp leaders wrote. 'There are many counselors and others that we claim as heroes that night and we will be forever grateful.'
Update:
Date: 18 min ago
Title: More rain pummels flood-ravaged central Texas as death toll climbs to 132
Content:
At least 150 people are still missing 10 days after abysmal flooding devastated central Texas, claiming at least 132 lives.
Heavy rain is pounding some of the same areas already devastated by the July 4 floods, including Kerr County – where more than 100 people were killed in the flooding. Now, county commissioners are set to have their first official meeting since the disaster.
Here's what to know for today:
Fresh flooding: 'A dangerous situation is occurring' in parts of central Texas, including southwest Kerr County, the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office said Monday morning. 'More heavy rain is on the way. Flooding is already happening.'
An important meeting: The Kerr County commissioners' court will have its first bimonthly meeting Monday since more than 100 people died in the county and officials came under scrutiny over flood preparations. The commissioners' court is the main governing body for the county of about 50,000 people.
Presidential visit: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Kerrville, Texas, on Friday and met with families affected by the flooding. The president commended first responders and expressed condolences for the lives lost.
Major disaster declaration: The federal government added additional counties to Trump's major disaster declaration in central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said. That allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses.
Support and charity: The governor also announced the launch of the Texas Flooding Emotional Support Line, a new crisis support service for affected residents. And the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said it has received more than $30 million in donations that will be distributed as grants.
Update:
Date: 34 min ago
Title: Kerr County officials will assess flood recovery at a meeting today
Content:
The Kerr County commissioners will hold a regularly scheduled meeting this morning in the wake of the deadly floods that swept through the central Texas community.
The meeting comes as scrutiny intensifies over the disaster response at all levels of government.
The commissioners will 'consider, discuss, and take appropriate action following update on status of recovery efforts,' according to the meeting agenda.
Local officials are facing questions over their actions in the hours — and even the years — leading up to the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 100 people in the county earlier this month.
We will have live coverage starting this morning.
Update:
Date: 20 min ago
Title: Ground searches were temporarily suspended Sunday in Kerrville due to new flood threat
Content:
Ground search operations were suspended for several hours in Kerrville, Texas, Sunday due to flood danger brought on by another round of storms, authorities said.
'All search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice,' the Kerrville Police Department wrote in a Facebook post that morning. 'Any volunteer search parties in the Guadalupe River corridor need to heed this warning. The potential for a flash flood is high.'
Several hours later, the department wrote on its page that the flash flood warning had been lifted. A Kerrville government spokesperson told CNN search operations had resumed.
Slow-moving thunderstorms produced heavy rain, flash flooding and rapid river rises across parts of central Texas on Sunday, complicating the recovery from the devastating floods that killed more than 120 people ahead of Fourth of July weekend.
The storms prompted evacuations in San Saba County, which is about 2 hours north of Kerrville by car.
Update:
Date: 23 min ago
Title: Slow-moving storms on Sunday trigger more flooding and evacuations in Central Texas
Content:
Just over a week after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas, slow-moving thunderstorms brought heavy rain, and a potential for flash flooding and rapid river rises to the region Sunday.
While the most significant rain happened Sunday morning, more thunderstorms are continuing this morning and rivers are forecast to continue to remain swollen early this week.
A flash flood emergency was issued for southeastern San Saba County, including Colorado Bend State Park, where six to eight inches of rain fell in six hours. In Sutton, Texas, flooding caused cars to stall on Interstate 10 and water was approaching some homes, according to the National Weather Service.
San Saba County is about three hours north of Kerr County where officials have reported 106 deaths and at least 140 people still missing following flooding on July 4.
The state conducted water rescues in San Saba County and nearby Lampasas and Schleicher counties Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on X.
Read more here.
Update:
Date: 26 min ago
Title: FEMA search and rescue teams took days to reach Texas as agency navigates overhaul
Content:
Multiple urban search and rescue teams from across the country that responded to the deadly floods in central Texas told CNN they were not deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until at least Monday evening — days after any victim had been found alive.
CNN has previously reported that the decision to authorize deployments from a federal network of Urban Search and Rescue teams more than 72 hours after the calamity frustrated FEMA officials. In the past, the agency would have quickly staged these teams near disaster zones in anticipation of urgent requests for assistance, they said.
Multiple officials also said a new rule requiring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to sign off on relatively small expenditures from her agency, which oversees FEMA, created bureaucratic hurdles during a critical time.
That meant the response was slowed down at a time when quick action was most needed, officials inside FEMA told CNN.
What DHS is saying: 'Secretary Noem is leading a historic, first-of-its-kind approach to disaster funding: putting states first by providing upfront recovery support — moving money faster than ever and jump-starting recovery,' a spokesperson for the department said.
Noem has defended her handling of the disaster, and the response by FEMA appears consistent with the Trump administration's view for how emergencies should be handled under their vision of a restructured FEMA: States take the lead in the response, and the federal government provides support when necessary.