Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods
'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them,' said the US-born pontiff following Angelus prayers.
Rescuers searched through the night to try to locate 27 girls and teenagers missing from a riverside summer camp after flash floods caused by torrential rains on Friday, when the Guadalupe River rose eight meters (26 feet) in just 45 minutes.
Nearly 300 millimeters of rain per hour suddenly fell, a third of the average annual rainfall.
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Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
The places where deadly Texas floodwaters have killed at least 70 people
Search teams are using helicopters, boats, and drones to look for victims in flash floods that have torn across central Texas since the start of the July Fourth weekend. At least 70 people have died, and many more are still missing, including at least 11 girls from a summer camp. At the center of the tragedy is the scenic Texas Hill Country, where volunteers and some families of the missing have searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities in surrounding areas closer to Austin, the state capital, have also recovered victims from floodwaters. Here's a look at the known toll of dead and missing. Texas Hill Country: Flash floods striking with the force to rip away concrete slabs and giant trees tore across Guadalupe River banks dotted with children's camps and campgrounds. Kerr County authorities had confirmed at least 59 deaths as of Sunday and said they had no way to total the number of missing across the county – the hardest-hit by the floods. Among Kerr County's confirmed dead are at least 21 children. The missing campers were from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian camp for girls in Hunt, Texas. Travis County: Four people were confirmed killed as flash floods along creeks carried away homes, trailers, cars, and people in the northwest portion of the county. Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the top executive of the county, said Sunday that some 50 people have been rescued by helicopter, in boats, and on foot. 'They've also sent resources to Kerr County, knowing that it was harder hit.' While a flood watch remains in effect, officials say they have neutralized the initial emergency. 'Now we're going to be moving into recovery,' said Eric Carter, chief Emergency Management Coordinator for Travis County. Burnet County: Authorities in the largely rural county, which borders Travis County, reported three dead and five people missing in floodwaters that surged out of Cow Creek and other waterways. Other victims: Two deaths were reported in Kendall County, and there was one death each in Tom Green and Williamson counties. In Williamson County, in the north suburbs of Austin, the US military at nearby Fort Hood helped evacuate 16 people from a home for disabled children, County Judge Steve Snell said. The victim in Tom Green County was a woman whose body was found outside her submerged car in the city of San Angelo.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Pope sends condolences to victims of Texas floods
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo on Sunday sent condolences to the families of devastating floods in Texas which have left at least 50 people dead and nearly 30 more missing, many of them children. 'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them,' said the US-born pontiff following Angelus prayers. Rescuers searched through the night to try to locate 27 girls and teenagers missing from a riverside summer camp after flash floods caused by torrential rains on Friday, when the Guadalupe River rose eight meters (26 feet) in just 45 minutes. Nearly 300 millimeters of rain per hour suddenly fell, a third of the average annual rainfall.
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Texas flood: Rescuers search for missing girls as death toll hits 50
Rescuers searched Saturday for 27 girls missing from a riverside summer camp in Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating floods that killed 50 people in the US state. Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rise by 26 feet (eight meters) in just 45 minutes. The Kerr County summer camp where hundreds were staying was left in disarray, with blankets, teddy bears and other belongings caked in mud. 'We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children,' said Larry Leitha, the sheriff of the flood-ravaged region. Multiple victims were also found in other counties, bringing the death toll to 50. 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. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from President Donald Trump. The flooding began Friday -- the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours. The National Weather Service (NWS) 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 10 meters or so,' said 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 such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense. Devastation at Camp Mystic On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 children from Camp Mystic in flooded Kerr County were still missing. Around 750 girls were attending the camp along the banks of the Guadalupe. US media reported that four of the missing girls were dead, citing their families. 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, adding that he was hoping for a 'miracle.' The obituary section of the Kerrville community news site was dotted with tributes to victims, including Camp Mystic's owner and director Dick Eastland. The director of Heart O' The Hills summer camp located about a mile from Camp Mystic, Jane Ragsdale, was also confirmed dead. Elsewhere in Texas, four people were confirmed dead in Travis County, northeast of Kerr, and 13 people were missing, public information office director Hector Nieto told AFP. A 62-year-old woman's body was found in the city of San Angelo in Tom Green County, along the Concho River, police said. Two more people died in Burnet County, the area's emergency management coordinator Derek Marchio told AFP, bringing the state-wide death toll to 50. 'Catastrophic' Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem said Trump wanted to 'upgrade the technologies' at the weather service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 'We need to renew this ancient system,' Noem told a press conference. Scientists and disaster management agencies have criticized Trump for cutting funding and staffing at the NOAA, in charge of weather forecasts and preparedness, and the NWS. When asked about claims that residents were given insufficient warning of the floods, Noem said she would 'carry your concerns back to the federal government.' Officials and residents alike were shocked by the speed and intensity of the flooding. 'We didn't know this flood was coming,' Kerr County official Rob Kelly said Friday. 'The predictions were definitely off,' and the rain was 'double of what was anticipated,' Kerrville city official Dalton Rice said. Rice added that rescuers were facing 'very difficult' conditions, and declined to give an overall figure for how many were missing. Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a 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... It's just crazy,' she added.
