New flooding hits battered Texas; water rescues, evacuations underway: Updates
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said water rescues were taking place in San Saba, Lampasas, and Schleicher counties, and evacuations were ordered in several communities as well. "We are expanding operations in all affected counties − all while monitoring the rising waters in Kerrville," he said on X.
"Texas Task Force 1 has already rescued dozens of Texans in the Lampasas area," the governor said in a later update. "They and other first responders will continue operations to prioritize saving lives."
The city of Kerrville posted video on social media of water rushing across streets on Sunday. The National Weather Service warned on Sunday night that additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches were possible, with isolated amounts up to 3 inches. The agency extended a flood watch for Hill Country, the Interstate 35 corridor, and Southern Edwards Plateau until 9 a.m. local time on Monday.
In Ingram, six miles east of Kerrville, the Ingram Fire Department warned residents to be vigilant.
"We are seeing the same weather pattern today that we experienced on July 4th − and we know how quickly that turned deadly," the department warned in a social media post. "This is not entertainment. This is a life-threatening situation. Your curiosity puts your life, and the lives of our first responders, at serious risk."
The confirmed death toll from the July 4 flooding had risen to 132 by Sunday night, including 106 in Kerr County alone. Kerr was one of more than a dozen counties listed in the weather service advisory.
Developments:
∎ Abbott said swift water rescues were underway in Lampasas County, about 100 miles northeast of Kerrville: "We continue to monitor all counties with a focus on saving lives."
∎ The Kerr County Sheriff's Office issued a "Code Red" message Sunday. "This is not an evacuation, but a preparation notification," the sheriff's office said in the social media post. "Be prepared to evacuate along the Guadalupe River due to bad weather and flooding."
∎ A candlelight vigil planned for Sunday in Ingram was postponed because of the flood threat. No new date was announced.
San Saba River rises to over 30 feet, local officials say
The city of San Saba urged residents, especially those who live north of the railroad tracks close to the river, to be aware and prepared due to rising waters. Earlier on Sunday, San Saba County Judge Jody Fauley issued a mandatory evacuation for parts of the city, noting that the "river is rising faster than it did on July 4."
The city said the San Saba River reached about 30.58 feet on Sunday after overnight and continuing rains. The city added that the Lower Colorado River Authority is "predicting the river to crest at 31.5 feet at midnight."
In nearby Travis County, which includes the city of Austin, the Lower Colorado River Authority previously advised residents to use extra caution on the lakes and to avoid being on the lakes at night. The nonprofit public utility warned that debris from recent flooding was still an issue in parts of the Highland Lakes.
"Bacteria levels typically remain elevated for a couple of weeks after flood events, and swimmers risk coming in contact with E. coli and other bacteria," the utility said in a statement.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown also updated his order related to the closing of Lake Travis. The order now bans all recreational use of the waterways in Lake Travis upstream of Mile Marker 36 and upstream of Sandy Creek Park.
County officials: 'Safety of lives is the highest priority'
Most search and recovery operations along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County were suspended. Rescue personnel, equipment, and vehicles "should be removed from the river area immediately," county officials said in social media posts earlier Sunday.
The Kerr County Sheriff's Office later said recovery teams could resume efforts in West Kerr. The sheriff's office noted that a flood watch remained in effect for the area.
The flood watch was issued for Hill Country, the I-35 corridor, and the Southern Edwards Plateau, according to the National Weather Service office in Austin and San Antonio. The agency warned that excessive runoff may result in dangerous flash flooding of low-lying areas, rivers, and creeks, and low water crossings.
"Monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings," the sheriff's office advised in an update.
Noem says new FEMA rules did not delay response
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday defended FEMA's response to the floods, saying this is the fastest in years that resources were deployed to help in a natural disaster.
Noem, appearing on NBC News' "Meet the Press," denied that a memo she issued in June requiring her approval of all FEMA expenditures over $100,000 had slowed the agency's reaction to the tragedy. She also denied claims that FEMA call centers were not fully staffed.
"Those claims are absolutely false," Noem said. "Within just an hour or two after the flooding, we had resources from the Department of Homeland Security there."
Matthew Stone, who was clearing a storm sewer near his Kerrville home overlooking the Guadalupe River on Sunday, told the Associated Press that he had to pull his older neighbors from their home when floods hit on the Fourth of July. He said he hoped the situation did not become that drastic with the latest rains.
Authorities in Kerr County have come under scrutiny over the timing of warnings and alerts prior to the July 4 floods. Stone said it was not an issue Sunday.
'We'll be all right,' he said. 'The cops have been coming back and forth. We're getting lots of alerts, we're getting a lot of support.'
'Sounds from that night will stay with us forever'
In Ingram, six miles east of Kerrville, the fire department posted a synopsis of what life has been like since the floodwaters began roaring across the region in the pre-dawn hours of the Fourth of July.
"It all began in the quiet of the early morning hours −3:15 a.m. − when we found ourselves pounding on doors, shouting into the dark, begging families to leave before it was too late," the Ingram Fire Department posted on social media, adding that "some families were able to make it out in time. Some didn't have the chance. And for others, the help came too late.
"The sounds from that night − the screams, the rushing water, the calls for help − will stay with us forever. No training prepares you for the weight of witnessing so much loss. No uniform shields your heart from the human toll."
Since then, "everything has been a blur," the post continues. Search efforts continue and won't stop "until every person is accounted for. We owe them that. We owe their families that."
The item concludes with a request. "Please don't forget Ingram. Kerrville. Hunt. Center Point. Kerr County. We're still here. We're still fighting. And we're still holding on to hope."
Kerr County braces for more rain
The Kerr County death toll has risen to 70 adults and 36 children, according to the county's Joint Information Center. That includes at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp.
Scores of residents remain missing, although it was not clear how many might have fled to safety ahead of the disaster. And officials were bracing for more flooding issues.
"There is an increasing confidence that rainfall totals of 1-3 inches could fall on what is already saturated ground," the county said in a statement on its website. The statement urged residents to watch for weather service alerts and to "stay safe out there."
'Mystic Girls' mourn camp kids, counselors who died
The deaths at the camp has stunned and saddened the world. The mourners include the "Mystic Girls," as former campers call themselves. They remember the innocence of a place and time where they say they found the best version of themselves, a place that made them who they are.
Allie Coates, now 25 and a social media manager in Los Angeles, still has a silver bracelet filled with charms from her time at camp, including an M for the most improved at canoeing.
'It was a safe space to be weird and awkward, where we could be silly and just be ourselves,' Coates told USA TODAY. 'Just to be girls.' Read more here.
− Laura Trujillo
Timeline a mystery for recovery of remains
Past disasters of similar scope have left families waiting for months, years and even decades to recover loved ones, said Chris Boyer, executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue.
He pointed to Hurricane Helene, where at least five people, including Yevhenni and Novitnia, were never found. And two decades after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, killing more than 1,800 people, about 30 have yet to be identified, said Jason Melancon of the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office.
For authorities on the ground, deciding when to call off search parties or shift them into full recovery mode is 'a highly emotional decision,' especially in more rural areas, Boyer said.
'There's no describing how to tell a family that you're done searching for their loved one and that they may never get the remains back,' said Boyer, who has led recovery crews in aviation disasters. Read more here.
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