Texas flash flooding kills at least 13 people, over 20 young campers missing
The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, a region about 105 km northwest of the city of San Antonio. This came after thunderstorms with heavy downpours dumped as much as 30cm of rain.
Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders.
"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."
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters that 13 people were found dead from flooding in the area, adding, "I think there will be more when this thing is over."
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at an earlier news briefing that six to 10 bodies of adults and children had been found, some in cars washed downstream.
He also said authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as unaccounted for among more than 700 children at several summer camp sites near the banks of the Guadalupe River when the site was inundated by floodwaters at around 4am local time.
"We're praying for all those missing to be found alive," Patrick said.
It was not clear whether anyone unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls, might have ended up among the deceased victims tallied countywide by the sheriff.
Otherwise, all other campers were safe, authorities said, but the campers could not immediately be evacuated because roads were made impassable by high waters. Camp Mystic's director said in a message read to reporters that the facility's power, water and internet service also had been cut off.
"Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local elected official, said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier.
Kelly said a number of scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hit hard.
Patrick said the Guadalupe River had risen 8m in 45 minutes amid heavy showers soaking the region. Search teams were flying 14 helicopters and a dozen drones over the area, in addition to hundreds of emergency personnel on the ground conducting rescues from trees and swift-flowing water.
The Llano River flowing through adjacent Mason County was also reported running at flood stage, posing "a life-threatening situation", the weather service reported.
With additional rain forecast in the region, Patrick warned that an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding extended from San Antonio to the city of Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Texas flood death toll rises to 32, search ongoing for 27 girls missing from summer camp
HUNT, Texas: Rescuers searched Saturday (Jul 5) for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in the US state of Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 32 people - with more rain pounding the region. "There's 32 deceased, 18 of those are adults and 14 are children. Five of the adults remain unidentified and three children remain unidentified," said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. Leitha earlier put the number of evacuated people at 850, including eight reported injured. Addressing a press conference, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from US President Donald Trump. Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead. "We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he said. The flooding began Friday as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, causing the Guadalupe River to rise by 8m in 45 minutes. The National Weather Service warned that more rain was forecast, and that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations". In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris. "The water reached the top of the trees. About 10m or so," said local resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river." Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual. But scientists say that in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events like floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense. DEVASTATION AT CAMP MYSTIC On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from the Camp Mystic Christian summer camp in the flooded Kerr County were still missing. Around 750 girls were enrolled at the camp. US media reported that four of the missing girls were dead, citing their families. The camp, located along the banks of the Guadalupe, was a picture of disarray, with blankets, mattresses, teddy bears and other belongings scattered across buildings. The windows of camp cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water. Michael, who only gave AFP his first name, was searching the camp for his eight-year-old daughter. "I was in Austin and drove down yesterday morning, once we heard about it," he said. The Heart O' The Hills summer camp, located about 2km away from Camp Mystic, confirmed on Saturday that its director Jane Ragsdale was among the dead. "CATASTROPHIC" Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said rescuers were facing "very difficult" conditions. "We did start boots on the ground operations about 8am this morning," he said, warning residents not to launch their own searches. Rice added that it was not known how many people may have been visiting the popular camping area, and declined to give an overall figure for how many people were missing. State and local officials warned against residents traveling to the area, which includes campgrounds dotted along the river, with dozens of roads impassable. Videos on social media showed houses and trees swept away by the flash flood caused by heavy overnight rain of up to 30cm - one-third of Kerr County's average annual rainfall. Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a local church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold. "It has been years since we had a flood, but nothing like this," Reyna said. "Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people's houses and you know, it's just crazy," she added. With rescuers fanning out across the region, Joe Herring, the Kerrville mayor, urged the community to come together.
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
At least 24 dead in Texas flash flooding as rescuers search for missing girls from summer camp
Torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday (Jul 4), killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said. Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged river, authorities said. The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County in south-central Texas Hill Country, a region about 105km northwest of the city of San Antonio, following thunderstorms that dumped as much as 30cm of rain. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the 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. But the weather forecasts in question "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 Fourth of July fireworks displays ended up being cancelled in flood-stricken communities throughout the region, including Kerrville, where the waterfront site for Friday night's planned Independence Day celebration was submerged by the rain-swollen river. At Friday night's briefing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 flood-related fatalities had been confirmed, up from 13 tallied earlier in the day. One more person found dead in neighbouring Kendall County was not confirmed to be a flood-related casualty, Leitha said. PRAYERS FOR THE MISSING Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Friday afternoon that authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as missing from among more than 750 children at summer camp sites along the banks of the Guadalupe River when the area was inundated by floodwaters at around 4am local time. The missing campers had all been attending Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls. "We're praying for all those missing to be found alive," Patrick said. It was not clear whether anyone unaccounted for might have ended up among the deceased victims tallied countywide by the sheriff. Otherwise, all other campers were safe, authorities said, with campers being evacuated throughout the day, officials said. "Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local elected official, had said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier. Kelly said a number of scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hit hard. Pressed by reporters why more precautions were not taken with stormy weather in the forecast, 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," Kelly said. "We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever." Lieutenant Governor Patrick said the Guadalupe River had risen 8m in 45 minutes as heavy showers soaked the region. As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter. With additional rain forecast in the region, Patrick warned that an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding extended from San Antonio to the city of Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours. On Friday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration to hasten emergency assistance to Kerr and a cluster of additional counties hardest hit by the floods. Personnel from the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were also activated to assist local authorities in confronting the crisis, officials said.
International Business Times
2 days ago
- International Business Times
Devastating Texas River Flood Kills at Least 24 With 2 Dozen Girls at Christian Summer Camp Missing as Identities od Some Begin to Emerge
At least 24 people have been killed, and dozens are feared missing after devastating floods swept through a county in Texas. Twenty-three people are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, after the Guadalupe River overflowed, rising as much as 30 feet above its normal level, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference. Authorities have not yet shared the names of those killed, and officials warn that the final death toll could surge substantially as the floodwaters begin to recede. The identities of some of the missing have begun to emerge as heartbroken families share photos of their loved ones, hoping for news about where they might be. Swept to Their Death "That does not mean they've been lost. They could be in a tree. They could be out of communication. We're praying for all those missing to be found alive," Patrick said. The all-girls overnight camp was evacuated during the night after the area was drenched with up to 10 inches of rain, but some campers were unable to make it out in time. "There's still several people unaccounted for right now, at this point, but we're working really hard. And we're going to continue. This is probably going to be a couple of day process," Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha warned. Several cabins in the al-girls camp were reportedly flooded, while others were swept away entirely, and nearby roads were heavily damaged or washed out. Some of the children have been found but remain stranded, while an estimated 23 out of the 750 campers at Camp Mystic are still missing, according to Patrick. He added that around 500 rescue workers and 18 helicopters are currently searching the region for survivors. Earlier on Friday, the state also sent in 40 helicopters, 12 drones, and nine specialized dive and rescue teams to help with the efforts. "I want all of you to know we will do everything humanly possible. Twenty-four-seven, looking at every tree, turning over every rock, whatever it takes — if your child is one of those truly missing and not just out of touch — to find your daughter," Patrick vowed. Parents Waiting Impatiently Camp staff emailed families to inform them about the tragedy, noting that the camp had lost electricity, running water, and internet access. "If you have not been personally contacted, then your daughter is accounted for," said the horrifying email, obtained by KSAT. "We are working with search and rescue currently. The highway has washed away so we are struggling to get more help." Camp Mystic is a Christian summer camp for girls aged 7 to 17, located in Hunt. Patrick advised parents to avoid rushing to the camp due to hazardous conditions but assured them that buses would transport the rescued girls to reunite with their families as soon as they are found. Children at other nearby camps were also accounted for. Camp La Junta, an all-boys camp near the same lake when the flooding began, shared on Instagram that all its campers were "safe and accounted for." However, Patrick admitted that some of the missing children may be among the young victims found during the ongoing search and rescue efforts. Several bodies, both adults and children, were found on Friday—some inside vehicles and others carried away by the river. State authorities have not released an official death count, as the numbers are expected to change as more missing people are located. According to the Austin American-Statesman, at least six deaths have been confirmed so far.
