Flash floods like the one that swept through Texas are the nation's top storm-related killer
Waters rise so quickly that people are caught off guard, according to the weather service. Many people run into trouble while traveling. If at home or work, the water can rise so quickly people are trapped before they have time to think about escape. That is just what happened to residents along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and the surrounding area after at least 10 inches (25 centimeters) poured from the sky early Friday morning. There was advance notice in Texas. On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch, estimating rising water of up to 7 inches (17 centimeters) in spots. A watch means conditions are favorable for a flood and people should be prepared, but hazardous conditions might not develop.
But the watch was upgraded to a flood warning overnight–a notice that impacted 30,000 people. A warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring, the weather service says. Flash floods are deadly. Last year, 145 people died in flash floods, according to the weather service. On average, over the past 30 years, floods have claimed 127 lives annually. Floods trap people in vehicles. Nearly half of all flood-related fatalities involve vehicles. Many people don't realize that a car becomes difficult to control in just 6 inches (15 centimeters) of water and can be swept away in as little as 18 inches (46 centimeters). So, instead of finding a detour, too often people try to drive through water at underpasses or other low-lying areas. Flash floods can happen anywhere. It can happen anywhere, according to the weather service, which says that the normally tranquil streams and creeks in your neighborhood can become raging torrents if heavy rain falls overhead. An area can be flooded even without rain–if it's downstream of a torrential rainstorm and a swollen stream heads its way.
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Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
A look at some of the deadliest floods in the US in the last 25 years
Flooding has caused an average of more than 125 deaths per year in the US over the past few decades, according to the National Weather Service, and flash floods are the nation's top storm-related killer. Here's a look at some of the most deadly flooding nationwide in the past 25 years. Texas, July 2025: Authorities are still assessing the deadly effects of heavy rains that caused devastating flash floods in Texas Hill Country, leaving at least 32 people dead and many others missing as frantic parents sought word about their daughters unaccounted for at a girls' camp near the Guadalupe River. Searchers used helicopters, boats, and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Hurricane Helene, 2024: Hurricane Helene struck Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia in September 2024. The storm caused about 250 deaths, according to the National Weather Service. Many of those who died in Helene fell victim to massive inland flooding rather than high winds. Helene was the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm decimated remote towns throughout the Appalachians and left millions without power, cellular service, and supplies. In North Carolina alone, Helene was responsible for 108 deaths, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services. Kentucky, 2022: Raging floodwaters in eastern Kentucky in late July of 2022 led to 45 deaths, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys said Saturday. The floods destroyed homes and businesses and caused significant damage to schools, roads, bridges, and water systems. The disaster robbed thousands of families of all their possessions. Tennessee, 2021: Twenty people were killed when creeks near the small Middle Tennessee town of Waverly overflowed after more than 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain fell in the area in less than 24 hours in August 2021. Homes were washed off their foundations, cars were wrecked, and businesses were demolished. The dead included twin babies who were swept from their father's arms. Hurricane Harvey, 2017: Hurricane Harvey barreled into Texas in August 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm. Harvey hovered for days as it trudged inland, dumping several feet of rain on many Gulf Coast communities and the Houston area. Harvey killed at least 68 people, according to a National Hurricane Center report. All but three of the Harvey deaths were directly attributed to freshwater flooding, which damaged more than 300,000 structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage. West Virginia, June 2016: A rainstorm that initially seemed like no big deal turned into a catastrophe in West Virginia, trapping dozens of people during the night and eventually leaving 23 people dead around the state. Superstorm Sandy, 2012: Superstorm Sandy was a late-fall, freak combination of a hurricane and other storms that struck New York and surrounding areas in October 2012. Sandy killed 147 people–72 in the eastern US, according to the National Hurricane Center. More than 110 deaths were attributed to drowning, Roys said. Mississippi River, 2011: Heavy rainfall in several states, plus a larger-than-normal, slow melt, led rivers in the Mississippi River Basin to swell and flood in 2011. Flash floods associated with these storms caused 24 deaths across Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee in April and May, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Ike, 2008: Hurricane Ike struck the southeast Texas Gulf Coast in September 2008, creating a storm surge as high as 20 feet (6 meters) in the island city of Galveston. Ike then poured more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of rain on Houston, destroying thousands of cars and leaving hundreds of thousands of families with flood-damaged homes. In all, Ike was responsible for more than 100 deaths, many caused by flooding. Hurricane Katrina, 2005: Hurricane Katrina is the deadliest flood event in the US in the past 25 years. The storm crashed into the Gulf Coast and caused devastating flooding when levees failed in New Orleans, where people had to be rescued by boat and helicopter from rooftops. The costliest storm in US history, Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages. Tropical Storm Allison, 2001: Tropical Storm Allison caused 41 deaths, mostly attributed to flooding caused by 40 inches (101 centimeters) of rain that fell in Texas and Louisiana, Roys said. Allison remained a threat for days as its remnants lingered after making landfall in June 2001, causing major flooding in Houston.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Dortmund coach Niko Kovač says MetLife Stadium field more suited to golf than to soccer
In the eyes of Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač, the MetLife Stadium field was better suited for a round of golf than a match at the Club World Cup. And the New York area's summer heat also was inappropriate for high-level soccer. 'It's more a golf green so you can putt here,' Kovač said after Saturday's 3–2 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid. 'It's very short. But this is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums.' Dortmund played its opening group match at MetLife, the site of the Club World Cup semifinals and championship and of next year's World Cup final. The German team played two matches at Cincinnati's TQL Stadium and its round of 16 game at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 'As you saw, the watering wasn't good enough, I would say, because you don't have the devices for that,' Kovač said. 'When it's too dry, it's unbelievable. It's sticking.' On a sunny afternoon, the temperature at the 3 p.m. kickoff was 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in East Rutherford. Similar temperatures or higher are expected for next year's World Cup, where 11 venues are in the US and most do not have roofs or air-conditioning. During the 1994 World Cup, 28 of 52 matches had kickoff times from noon to 2 p.m. EDT, better for European viewing. Kickoff times for next year's 104-game tournament are likely to be set after the draw in December. 'We played two times in Cincinnati. The first time it was 12 o'clock. The second time it was 3 p.m. and the pitch we had temperatures of around about 45 degrees (113 degrees Fahrenheit),' Kovač said. 'When the temperature is 45 degrees, this is not amazing. This is very hard for someone and the players, they must play these games. Today we had 35 degrees (95 degrees Fahrenheit). It's also not much better, to be honest. But OK, this a tournament we need to play. And I would suggest–my suggestion that the kickoff time will be a little later. … So the intensity is also much higher. And as a supporter, as a spectator, you would like to see intensive, aggressive, up-and-down football. So when it's too hot, then it's difficult to play this kind of football.'
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Texas Officials Face Scrutiny Over Response to Catastrophic and Deadly Flooding
Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend's house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later, he was rushing to safety. He woke up in darkness to electrical sockets popping and ankle-deep water. Quickly, his family scrambled nine people into the attic. Phones buzzed with alerts, Flowers recalled Saturday, but he did not remember when in the chaos they started. 'What they need–they need is some kind of external system like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,' Flowers, 44, said. The destructive, fast-moving waters that began before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country killed at least 32 people, authorities said Saturday, and an unknown number of people remained missing. Those still unaccounted for included 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered. But as authorities launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history, they have come under intensifying scrutiny over preparations and why residents and youth summer camps that are dotted along the river were not alerted sooner or told to evacuate. The National Weather Service sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies–a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. Local officials have insisted that no one saw the flood potential coming and have defended their actions. 'There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,' said Republican US Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. 'There's a lot of people saying 'why' and 'how,' and I understand that.' An initial flood watch–which generally urges residents to be weather aware–was issued by the local National Weather Service office at 1:18 p.m. local time on Thursday. It predicted rain amounts of between 5 to 7 inches (12.7 to 17.8 centimeters). Weather messaging from the office, including automated alerts delivered to mobile phones to people in threatened areas, grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday, urging people to move to higher ground and evacuate flood-prone areas, said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office. At 4:03 a.m., the office issued an urgent warning that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities. 'People, businesses and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,' Porter said in a statement. Local officials have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months worth of rain for the area. 'We know we get rains. We know the river rises,' said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official. 'But nobody saw this coming.' Kelly said the county considered a flood warning system along the river that would have functioned like a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago before he was elected, but that the idea never got off the ground because of the expense. 'We've looked into it before… The public reeled at the cost,' Kelly said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that the massive response to the flooding had resulted in the rescue and recovery of more than 850 people, including some found clinging to trees. Scores of people in and along the river were airlifted to safety by helicopter, including girls at Camp Mystic. Kelly said he didn't know what kind of safety and evacuation plans the camps may have had. 'What I do know is the flood hit the camp first and it came in the middle of the night. I don't know where the kids were,' he said. 'I don't know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time.' US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday it was difficult for forecasters to predict just how much rain would fall. She said the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings. 'We know that everyone wants more warning time and that's why we're working to upgrade the technology that's been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible,' Noem said during a press conference with state and federal leaders. The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms, Runyen said. Where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather they had up to five on staff. 'There were extra people in here that night and that's typical in every weather service office–you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,' Runyen said.
