Packed cabin swept away in Texas floods
A cabin packed with people was swept away by deadly floodwaters after torrential rain hit central Texas on Friday.
At least 59 people are confirmed to have died in Kerr County and neighbouring areas after nearly a foot of rain fell on Friday, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow.
Among the missing are 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Hunt, Texas. State officials said the death toll was expected to rise.
The once idyllic retreat with green-roofed cabins with names such as 'Wiggle Inn' has been devastated by flood with the huts uprooted and destroyed alongside discarded vehicles.
Footage shows a large cabin floating down the Guadalupe River in Hill County. Faint, yellow lights flickered from within as panicked voices echoed in the night.
'Oh my God, there's so many people in it,' a bystander is heard saying as the cabin disappeared into the current.
On Sunday, emergency teams searched for those still missing.
Credit: Reuters
Larry Leitha, the county sheriff, confirmed 38 adults and 21 children were among the dead in Kerry County, while 10 more died in other Texas counties.
Renee Smajstrla, eight, Sarah Marsh, eight, Janie Hunt, nine, and Lila Bonner, nine, all at Camp Mystic died during the flood.
Shawn Salta, Renee's uncle, said: 'Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly.
Debbie Ford Marsh, Sarah's grandmother, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday: 'Our sweet Sarah is gone!
'We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever! We love you so much sweet Sarah!'
Dick Eastland, the owner and director of Camp Mystic, reportedly died while trying to rescue campers.
Paige Sumner, who knew Mr Eastland, in a tribute for the Kerrville Daily Times: '[Eastland] was family to so many campers.
'It doesn't surprise me at all that his last act of kindness and sacrifice was working to save the lives of campers.'
Lt Governor Dan Patrick said 700 girls were in residence at the camp when the flood hit. By Sunday morning, 27 remained missing.
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, was quizzed about why the National Weather Service's (NWS) alerts about heavy rainfall and flooding were delayed, blaming its 'ancient' alerts system.
'The weather is extremely difficult to predict,' she said alongside Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas. 'But also … the National Weather Service, over the years at times, has done well and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning and more notification.
'We needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years and that is the reforms that are ongoing there,' Ms Noem added.
Residents in central Texas were warned of a 'moderate' storm at about 1.18pm on Thursday, with the NWS initial flood watch predicting 5-7 inches of rain.
This was the first in a series of bulletins that grew increasingly serious in the early hours of Friday morning before a 'threat to life' was issued at 4.03am.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for staffing cuts to the NWS, which saw nearly 600 employees laid off earlier this year, doubling the vacancy rate since January, The New York Times reported.
But Greg Waller, an NWS hydrologist in Fort Worth, told the Texas Tribune that the team had 'adequate staffing, adequate technology' on the night of the storm.
Mr Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr Country 'to ensure that our brave first responders immediately have the resources they need'.
The US president said on social media: 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing.'
'Our incredible US Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives,' he said, ending the message with: 'GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!'
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