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Texas flash floods: Death toll crosses 100; questions grow over warnings and camp evacuations
The death toll from severe flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend rose above 100 on Monday, as rescue crews continued searching swollen rivers and clearing debris to find people still missing.
Authorities said they were not yet ready to answer questions about weather warnings or why some summer camps didn't evacuate before the floods hit. So far, at least 104 people have died.
Camp Mystic, a historic all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced it had lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Kerr County officials said that as of Monday, 10 campers and one counselor were still missing.
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Search teams have recovered the bodies of 84 people in the county, including 28 children, where Camp Mystic and several other camps are located.
With more rain forecast, officials warned that flooding could worsen in parts of central Texas. They said the death toll is expected to rise.
The devastating flash floods — among the worst in decades — struck early Friday, sweeping through camps and homes along the Guadalupe River. People were pulled from their cabins, tents, and trailers and carried away by fast-moving water filled with tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were rescued from trees.
On Monday, riverbanks were strewn with tangled trees, mattresses, refrigerators, coolers, and personal items like a volleyball, canoes, and a family photo — reminders of the area's popular campgrounds and cabins.
Nineteen deaths were also reported in nearby counties, including Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green, and Williamson.
Among the victims were 8-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic, and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters are still missing.
Questions about warnings
Officials said an investigation will follow to find out whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps didn't evacuate or move people to higher ground in an area known as 'flash flood alley.' Poor cellphone service in many remote camps and cabins may have been a factor, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice.
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'We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,' Rice said. 'We're looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.'
Some camps did act on weather alerts and moved campers to higher ground before the flooding began.
Senator Ted Cruz said recent federal budget cuts did not cause delays in issuing warnings.
'There's a time to have political fights, there's a time to disagree. This is not that time,' Cruz said. 'There will be a time to find out what could have been done differently. My hope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood.'
The National Weather Service began warning of possible flooding on Thursday and issued several flash flood warnings early Friday, later declaring flash flood emergencies — a rare step signaling imminent danger.
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Texas flash flood death toll surpasses 100 as 5 million in central Texas remain under flood watch
The death toll from the catastrophic flash floods over the July Fourth weekend in central Texas has surpassed 100 on Monday as search and rescue teams plodded through muddy riverbanks and flew aircrafts to look for survivors as hopes dimmed of finding the dozens still missing from a disaster that has devastated the Texas Hill Country. Three days after a torrential downpour which started at midnight and transformed the Guadalupe River into a raging, killer torrent, officials of Camp Mystic, a century old Christian girls' summer camp confirmed that flash floods killed 27 campers and counselors. Officials from Kerr County said that at least 10 campers and one counselor still remain missing. Texas authorities, overseeing the search for flood victims, avoided the questions about weather warnings and said they will wait to address the issues as to why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the flooding that killed at least 104. Texas is working tirelessly to assist local officials with recovery and rescue operations. Heavy rain continues to be a threat. Texans should be weather aware. Texas will not stop until every missing person is found. More info: — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2025 Officials further informed that bodies of 84 people were found, including 28 children and 56 adults in the county home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps. Central Texas still remains at the edge as additional rains have been predicted and more flooding could ravage parts of the US state. Authorities have warned that the death toll could rise. On Sunday, state and local authorities said 12 other flood related deaths have been reported across five neighboring south-central Texas counties and 41 other people have been reported to be missing outside Kerr County. Hope to find some of the survivors alive are diminishing as time passed while authorities continued to search. 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,' Camp Mystic said in a statement. According to an NBC News report, five million people in central Texas still remain covered by flood watches, including residents of San Angelo, Killeen, Kerrville, San Antonio and Austin.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Death toll from flooding in Texas over July Fourth weekend crosses 100
The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children AP The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, Kerr County officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke only hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced that they lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Meanwhile, search-and-rescue teams carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. The announcement by Camp Mystic confirmed the worst fears after a wall of water slammed into cabins built along the edge of the Guadalupe River. The raging flash floods among the nation's worst in decades slammed into riverside camps and homes before daybreak Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers now litter the riverbanks. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait. Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. Among those confirmed dead were 8-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing. Calls for finding why warnings weren't heard Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as flash flood alley. That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor cellphone service, said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things, he said. We're looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete. Some camps, though, were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods. Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said recent government spending cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service did not delay any warnings. There's a time to have political fights, there's a time to disagree. This is not that time, Cruz said. There will be a time to find out what could been done differently. My hope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood. The weather service first advised of potential flooding on Thursday and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies a rare step that alerts the public to imminent danger. Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months of rain. Some residents said they never received any warnings. President Donald Trump, who signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County and plans to visit the area, said Sunday that he does not plan to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it, the president said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said local and federal weather services provided sufficient warnings. That was an act of God. It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings, Leavitt said. More than three dozen people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday. Search-and-rescue crews at one staging area said Monday that more than 1,000 volunteers had been directed to Kerr County. Little time to escape floods Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbour was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her. Then they were able to reach their tool shed up higher ground, and neighbours throughout the early morning began to show up at their tool shed, and they all rode it out together, Brown said. Elizabeth Lester, a mother of children who were at Camp Mystic and nearby Camp La Junta during the flood, said her young son had to swim out his cabin window to escape. Her daughter fled up the hillside as floodwaters whipped against her legs. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Texas flash floods: Death toll surpasses 100
First responders carry out search and rescue operations near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area (AP image) The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend rose to 104 on Monday (local time) as search and rescue teams continued to look for missing people by moving through flooded rivers and using heavy machines to clear fallen trees. Forecasters warned that continued rainfall on already saturated ground could worsen flooding and hinder recovery efforts involving over 1,700 personnel. Texas governor Greg Abbott said the risk of heavy rain remains and the number of victims is likely to increase. "There is still a threat of heavy rain with the potential to cause flooding," AFP reported quoting the governor. What we know so far: Death toll rises as search operations continue: So far, search teams have found the bodies of 84 people in Kerr County alone, including 28 children. The county is home to Camp Mystic and other summer camps. Kerr County officials said 10 campers and one counselor remain missing. The flash floods are among the worst hit in the States in decades. Floodwaters tore through camps and riverside homes, pulling people from cabins and tents, carrying them miles downstream. Some survivors were found clinging to trees. On Monday, the riverbanks were covered with piles of twisted trees, mattresses, refrigerators and other debris. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo by Taboola by Taboola Items like volleyball, canoes and family portraits were among the wreckage. 19 deaths were reported in other counties, including Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson. Questions over evacuation and weather warnings: Officials said that once the rescue operations end, they will review whether weather alerts were sent out properly and why some camps stayed in place, despite the area's prolonged history of dangerous floods, known locally as 'flash flood alley.' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said many camps are in areas with poor cell phone service, which made it harder to get warnings. 'We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,' he said. 'We're looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.' Some camps were aware of the dangers and were monitoring the weather. One of the camps relocated people to higher ground before the floods. Senator Ted Cruz said budget cuts to federal emergency agencies did not affect the warnings. 'There's a time to have political fights, there's a time to disagree. This is not that time,' Cruz said. 'There will be a time to find out what could been done differently. My hope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood.' The National Weather Service began warning about possible flooding on Thursday and issued multiple alerts early Friday, including flash flood emergencies, which signal extreme danger. However, some residents said they never received any notice. President Donald Trump , who signed a disaster declaration for Kerr County, said he plans to visit Texas on Friday. He also said he does not plan to rehire federal meteorologists who were laid off this year. 'This was something that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it,' Trump said. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said local and federal weather services provided sufficient warnings. Scenes of devastation in flood-hit areas: Texas Governor, Greg Abbott said more than 36 people are still missing and the number could grow. More than 1,000 volunteers have joined rescue crews in Kerr County alone. Authorities urged the public to stop flying drones over the area after a private drone crashed into a rescue helicopter on Monday. The helicopter had to make an emergency landing and is now out of service. Many residents had little time to flee. Reagan Brown said his elderly parents escaped to higher ground after their house flooded. They then went back to rescue their 92-year-old neighbor from her attic. They later took shelter in a tool shed on higher ground with other neighbours. Elizabeth Lester, whose children were at Camp Mystic and Camp La Junta, said her son had to swim out of his cabin window to survive. Her daughter climbed up a hill as the floodwaters rose around her legs.
