Photos of the flooding aftermath along the Guadalupe River in Texas
Photos of the flooding aftermath along the Guadalupe River in Texas
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Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Eight-day build of 'Alligator Alcatraz' sparks safety concerns - as hurricane season looms
Videos and satellite imagery show how quickly Donald Trump's detention centre in Florida has been constructed - as experts suggest the design of the site is flawed and will compromise the safety of people being held there. Sky News' Data and Forensics team has verified footage posted on social media that shows water covering the ground near electricity cables during a storm as the first detainees were due to arrive. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), run by Governor Ron DeSantis, posted on X that detainees were at the site on 3 July just before 1pm local time (6pm UK time). Donald Trump held a tour of the facility on 1 July that took journalists around "Alligator Alcatraz". Its name is a reference to both the local reptile population and the former maximum-security Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, California. The tour showed the rapid construction of the centre, designed to accommodate up to 3,000 detainees. The purpose of the site is to house individuals detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, posted on X: "And in just a week, Alligator Alcatraz was built." Political commentator Benny Johnson, who was on the tour, praised the eight-day turnaround. "I don't think anyone realises how impressive Alligator Alcatraz is," he said. Amid those positive comments, videos emerged highlighting flooding in the centre, with electricity cables covered with water on the day of the tour. The flooding was said to have been caused by a small storm. However, the state department claims the structures and tents can withstand category two hurricanes, reaching 110mph winds. FDEM spokesperson Stephanie Hartman wrote in a statement that "vendors had tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water to come in during the storm". She described the water intrusion as minimal. Steff Gaulter, a Sky News meteorologist, said: "In the last 10 years, we've seen 13 hurricanes that have hit Florida. Seven of them have been category three or higher. "As well as needing to know how strong these storms are as they come, it's also very unpredictable, their track can change at the last minute." The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) have said structures in risk category two - which Alligator Alcatraz falls under - need to withstand 121mph wind gusts. If the housing tents exceed 300 occupants per tent, the guidelines go up to 167mph. Ms Gaulter explained: "You don't necessarily need a hurricane in order to see a gust of wind over 100mph. In the lowest category of hurricane, category one, the range of winds would be between 74mph and 95mph. But even in that category, you can easily get a gust of wind up to 120mph." Dr Patrick McSharry, Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and former head of catastrophe risk financing at Oxford University, told Sky News that in a hurricane "there's no way that a tent is going to be in any way something that you would advise someone to be in". "It's more the case of having a plan in place that can be mobilised really fast to get people out of that dangerous situation." The site is also located in a hurricane-prone region as defined by ASCE. Discussing building regulations, Dr McSharry said: "We're dealing here potentially with human lives so it's an even more sensitive calculation I think that needs to be made." Sky News put these concerns to Ron DeSantis and the Florida state department, but did not receive responses. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Sky News: "Alligator Alcatraz is a state-of-the-art facility that will play a critical role in fulfilling the president's promise to get the worst criminal illegal aliens out of America as fast as possible. "President Trump is grateful to partner with [Homeland] Secretary [Kristi] Noem and Ron DeSantis on this important project." Satellite imagery obtained by Sky News shows the rapid construction of the centre, which was formerly Dade-Collier Training Airport. Five days after the centre was announced by Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier, more than 60 new trailers can be seen on the right-hand side of the runway. Satellite imagery obtained by Sky News also shows that from 24 June to the opening date on 1 July, more than seven large housing tents were put up at the site. The site is reportedly set to open with 3,000 beds, expanding to 5,000 by early July. It is also reported that the site will cost an estimated $450m (£330m) per year to operate, with a bed costing $245 (£180) per day. The bill is reported to be covered by the state of Florida, which plans to get money back from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Tessa Petit, director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, told Sky News: "It was constructed too [quickly]. This is a sign that we're seeing a disaster [waiting to] happen as we look at it. "Usual detention centres come up with, you know, their bricks and mortar, right? This is not bricks and mortar. This is just tents and mobile homes that are assembled on an airstrip." "There's a detention of immigrants in a place that has been in the past ravaged by hurricanes and we're getting into hurricane season," Ms Petit added. She is concerned that medical support and sanitary provisions, like a sewage system, will not have been properly installed. "You can't build a sewage system that can sustain 3,000 people in eight days. You can't dig in the Everglades. So, what are going be the additional sanitary conditions?" she said. There are also sustainability concerns about the site. The Centre for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit in US District Court to protect the Florida Everglades. They state it is "a reckless plan to build a massive detention centre for people caught in immigration raids". Tania Galloni, an attorney working with the Centre for Biological Diversity, stated the proposed plan "has not undergone the environmental review required by federal law, and the public has had no chance to provide feedback".
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and visitors in an area known as 'flash flood alley'. At a series of briefings since the flooding on July 4, Kerr County officials have deflected a series of pointed questions about preparations and warnings as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. Advertisement The county in the scenic Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps, including Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp that announced on Monday it lost at least 27 campers and counsellors. Leon Meier throws a tree branch during clean-up efforts after flooding in Centre Point, Texas (AP/Ashley Landis) 'Today's not the day and now's not the time to discuss the warnings, who got them, who didn't got them. Right now, I'm only worried about public safety,' Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Monday during an emergency session of the county commissioners court. Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said on Monday that authorities were reluctant to 'cry wolf' and order evacuations, adding that rainfall 'significantly' exceeded the projected amounts. He said officials had little time to react in the middle of the night, adding that qualified first responders were being 'swept away' driving through the initial rainfall. Advertisement 'This rose very quickly in a very short amount of time,' Mr Rice said. In the 48 hours before the floods, the potential for heavy rains put precautions in motion as the state activated an emergency response plan and moved resources into the central Texas area. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 1.14 am on Friday to mobile phones and weather radios, more than three hours before the first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4.35 am. The warning was updated at 4.03 am to a flash-flood emergency. Advertisement The warning included Hunt, the small town that is home to Camp Mystic. Girls who were rescued from the camp have said they were woken up after midnight by strong storms that knocked out power. Bright flashes from lightning strikes showed the river rising rapidly. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River (AP/Eli Hartman) It was not immediately clear what kind of evacuation plans Camp Mystic might have had. Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed a serious risk to life and property in the region, and a county government report last year warned the threat was getting worse. Advertisement Kerr County's hazard mitigation action plan reported at least 106 'flood occurrences' dating back to 1960. Local officials determined that another flood was likely in the next year and that 'future worst-case flood events' could be more severe than those of the past. The risk of a 500-year flood was 'not negligible' and could lead to downed power lines, stranded residents and buildings that were damaged 'or even completely washed away', the report warned. Climate change could make the river flooding more frequent, it noted. Advertisement The region has known significant tragedy. A 1987 flood after a heavy rain prompted the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort. Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic (AP/Julio Cortez) A wall of water quickly swamped buses and vans. Ten teenagers died. Decades later, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which manages the river watershed, released a video to YouTube titled Be Flood Aware 2017. Viewed over 40,000 times online, the video outlines the history of the Guadalupe River, its history of tragic flooding and ways the public can remain safe when floodwaters rise. 'Terrain here is unique for flash flooding,' the video noted. It mentioned the dangers of a significant rainfall near the river's headwaters near Camp Mystic. The storm that hit last Friday dumped more than six inches on the area in three hours. The river rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes. The river authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in Kerr County as a top priority in its last three annual strategic plans. Kerr County commissioners considered several years ago a proposal for a flood warning system similar to sirens used for tornadoes in other parts of the country, including in nearby Comal County, which includes part of the Guadalupe River. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who was not on the commission at the time but attended meetings, said the warning system idea was shelved because residents 'reeled at the cost'.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Tropical Storm Danas looms over China after battering Taiwan, killing two
BEIJING, July 8 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Danas headed for China's eastern seaboard on Tuesday morning, as Zhejiang province braced for landfall after the storm tore through Taiwan with record winds and torrential rain, leaving two dead and over 600 injured. Packing winds of around 80 kmh (50 mph) at its centre, Danas is forecast to make a sharp left turn as it moves northwest across the South China Sea before striking the port city of Taizhou, prompting the local maritime authority to suspend passenger shipping and cancel over 100 voyages. China, the world's second-largest economy, faces growing threats from extreme weather, which meteorologists link to climate change. Risks that each year stand to wipe out tens of billions of dollars worth of commercial activity, as cities flood, shipping activity stalls, and croplands are washed out. Authorities in Zhejiang issued a flash flood warning early on Tuesday, with forecasters expecting 100 to 250 millimetres of rain to hit the 650 km (400 miles) stretch from Fuzhou, the capital of neighbouring Fujian province, to Hangzhou, Zhejiang's capital. After sweeping through Zhejiang, Danas is expected to move into Jiangxi province, whose rolling hills and mountains make it particularly vulnerable to catastrophic flooding.
