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3 people still missing, down from nearly 100, from deadly floods in Texas county

3 people still missing, down from nearly 100, from deadly floods in Texas county

Boston Globe4 days ago
Flash floods killed at least 135 people in Texas over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with most deaths along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio. The floods laid waste to the Hill Country, which is naturally prone to flash flooding because its dry, dirt-packed soil cannot soak up heavy rain.
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Vacation cabins, youth camps campgrounds fill the riverbanks and hills of Kerr County, and Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe. At least 27 of its campers and counselors died.
In Kerrville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Austin, local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising water July 4.
'This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time,' Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice in a statement Saturday night.
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Oregon K9 teams to aid in search for missing Texas flood victims
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Oregon K9 teams to aid in search for missing Texas flood victims

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two local K9 teams are joining others from across the country to aid in the search for those lost during the catastrophic Texas floods. According to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, their K9 teams, made up of volunteer handlers and their dogs, are being deployed at the request of Texas state officials. Cram Fire approaches megafire status, crosses 90K acres The floods originally began just before daybreak on July 4, when destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. The waters laid waste to the and an all-girls Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic, lost at least 27 campers and counselors. So far, officials estimate the floods have killed over 132 people. After search operations were temporarily paused due to threats of more flooding in the area, FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue teams fully resumed operations on Monday, Here is where extreme drought can now be found in Oregon At a news conference the same day, authorities said 101 people remain missing, including 97 in the Kerrville area. The other four were swept away in other counties. Swift water rescue teams have also been sent to Uvalde, Del Rio and Concan in anticipation of possible flooding in those communities on the Frio River, officials added. 'This is incredibly difficult work, but it's also profoundly important,' said Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley. 'Our hearts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the communities facing unimaginable loss. We're honored to lend our support however we can.' The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Where flooding's concerned, here's one weather term you may hear a lot more about in the coming years
Where flooding's concerned, here's one weather term you may hear a lot more about in the coming years

Boston Globe

time3 days ago

  • Boston Globe

Where flooding's concerned, here's one weather term you may hear a lot more about in the coming years

This doesn't mean that major flooding events haven't occurred before now. They certainly have. There are lots of examples of freshwater flooding from heavy rain in the global database over the past century and a half. But in our warmer world, these types of events are becoming more likely, and the gap between when they occur is shrinking. Think of precipitable water as a column of air above your head. This column contains all of the available moisture that can come down in the form of precipitation. When this column of air is full of moisture, the precipitable water goes up. Advertisement A day that has the potential for lots of flooding might see precipitable water at 2 or 3 inches or even more. That's a lot of water that can come down in a short amount of time, overwhelming sewer systems, streams, and even larger rivers if the rain lasts long enough. We saw just such an event Advertisement Here's an example from the Texas flooding event back around the Fourth of July, you can see the plume of moisture pushing north through the Plains. Huge amounts of moisture pushed through Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. Pivotal Notice in the chart below that precipitable water has been increasing over the past several decades. There's no reason to believe this trend is not going to continue and become more prevalent. Precipitable water in the Northeast US continues to rise due to our warming climate. University of Maine Climate Change Institute Another reason for more moisture in the air is because warmer temperatures mean more evaporation. As you evaporate more water vapor into the atmosphere, it becomes laden, and if that saturated air starts to cool, all of that moisture condenses in the form of big raindrops. If it's cold enough, precipitable water can also bring very heavy snow events. Although the climate is warming, it's still often cold in various parts of the planet. For those areas that do experience snow, record heavy snowfalls associated with the air's ability to hold more moisture are possible. Of course, eventually, as the climate continues to warm, the chance of it snowing at all decreases and what once was a snowstorm will inevitably be a future rainstorm. Precipitable water may not be as common a term as heat index or wind shear, but in many ways it's incredibly important and something I would bet you'll be hearing more about in the coming years.

Number missing in Texas floods drops from 97 to 3, Kerr County officials say
Number missing in Texas floods drops from 97 to 3, Kerr County officials say

Axios

time3 days ago

  • Axios

Number missing in Texas floods drops from 97 to 3, Kerr County officials say

The number of people missing in Texas' catastrophic flooding has fallen to three from 160 in the immediate aftermath of the extreme weather event, said Kerr County officials as the search enters a third week. The big picture: The July 4 flooding killed at least 135 people — with 107 fatalities occurring in Kerr County, including children at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls, along the banks of the Guadalupe River. The last missing persons count six days ago was 97. Zoom in: Officials did not immediately detail what accounted for the considerable drop, though Kerrville Police Department's Jonathan Lamb said in a Sunday statement: "This process takes time, but is essential to ensure that every lead is thoroughly followed and each person is properly accounted for." The Kerrville Police Department noted a Saturday Facebook post, "Through extensive follow-up work among state and local agencies, many individuals who were initially reported as missing have been verified as safe and removed from the list." What's next: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session on the tragedy that will convene in Austin, starting Monday. "A select committee is expected to conduct a hearing in Kerr County on July 31," according to a Sunday post on the county's Facebook page. What we're watching: "While the updated figure offers some relief, searchers remain focused on reuniting the three individuals who are still unaccounted for with their families," per Lamb's statement. "State and local officials continue to work with urgency and care to locate them, while supporting affected communities through the ongoing recovery process." Between the lines: Scientists say the record rainfall event that triggered the flooding underscores how climate change can make extreme precipitation events even worse.

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