3 people still missing, down from nearly 100, from deadly floods in Texas county
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 days ago
- USA Today
Our kids' summer break is coming to an end, but they shouldn't have one at all
We have this idyllic idea of summer, that kids should be spending their vacations lazing about outside, under a tree, watching the clouds go by. But that's just not reality in a blazing desert. Why do kids in metro Phoenix even have a summer break? They should be in school. Wait, wait. Hear me out. This might even make sense. Summer isn't what it used to be. It's hotter now, with more stretches of 110-degree-plus weather. You can play outside, but not in the heat of the day and never for long. If the sunburn doesn't get kids, the quick dehydration will. Pools aren't the cooling savior that they once were, either. Fewer houses have backyard pools nowadays. And splash pads take time off work to visit. We send kids to camp, which is a lot like school Boredom quickly takes a toll. Either your house is a wreck from whatever your kids get into – again, because you can't just send them outside, and they have to do something – or you cave and give them more screen time to keep them quiet. Double this effect when their friends come over to play. Presuming there are even friends around to play. Parents who can afford it often use this time to travel out of state. Many also send their kids from camp to camp in the summer to keep them occupied. Again, isn't that steady stream of organized activity kind of like … school? Opinion: Extreme heat is a threat to families. Trump's budget makes it harder to escape. I know. We have this idyllic idea of summer, that kids should be spending their vacations lazing about outside, under a tree, watching the clouds go by. But that's just not reality in a blazing desert like this one. Plenty of folks complain that the summer is too short, that the school year keeps starting earlier. We shouldn't be back-to-school shopping on the Fourth of July. And, hey, I get it. My kid started back this week. Others already have a week or more of school under their belts. Phoenix should move summer break to the winter Even the later starting schools are back in session by early- to mid-August, drawing plenty of head-scratching from people on the coasts, who don't start until after Labor Day. But think of it this way: Summer in metro Phoenix is like winter for everyone else. And what do kids do in winter? They go to school. People in colder climates would never dream of keeping kids out of school for two months in the middle of January. They'd get cabin fever. Well, same concept here. Why don't we take a two-week break in the summer? We could time it around the Fourth of July, sort of how most schools pause for a couple of weeks around Christmas. And then we could have our summer break in November and December, or save it for February and March, when the weather is more bearable. You know as well as I do why this won't happen I know the answer as well as you do. We keep our kids home for weeks in the heat because it would force people to rework their vacations and move camps to other times of the year. It would be tough to schedule sports, because no one in their right mind would ever play a football game, even one under Friday night lights, in July. Opinion: School cell phone bans are a distraction. The real crisis isn't in your kid's hand. It also could cost more to cool cash-strapped schools that are normally vacant in summer, among any number of other reasons not to do this. Change is hard, especially when that change would make metro Phoenix the odd one out nationally. Then again, we relish our standalone status as the only state in the continental U.S. to not observe daylight saving time. Maybe it's not that weird of an idea after all. Especially, if – you know – we did it for the kids. Joanna Allhands is columnist and digital opinions editor for the Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Allhands at or on X: @joannaallhands
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Blistering heat wave to grip the East: See what major cities will sizzle
ARLINGTON, Va. − The unrelenting heat wave that has baked the Midwest for days was expanding to the east on July 24 and promised temperatures approaching 100 degrees in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., by July 25. More than 130 million Americans were already under a heat warning, watch or advisory early on July 24 under a "heat dome" that has mixed a cocktail of high heat and humidity to push heat indices over 100 degrees in many areas. Heat indices measure how hot it actually feels when factoring for humidity. "A late July heat wave will continue to expand eastward during the second half of the week with sultry conditions on tap from the Lower Mississippi Valley and Midwest to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic," wrote Peter Mullinax, meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Predicition Center. Mullinax said record high temperatures are "likely to be challenged" in parts of the Northeast over the next two days, and all regions affected are also likely to see some record warm minimum temperatures broken. Heat indices will generally top out somewhere from 100 to 105 from the Southern Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes on July 24 and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic by July 25, Mullinax said. Localized heat indices could possibly approach 110. South sweating it out: See who is next in triple digits Developments: ∎ Heavy rain, flash flooding and severe weather are likely July 24 from the Central Plains and Midwest to the Great Lakes. ∎ "Relatively tranquil" weather was expected across the West, but a fire weather threat was in effect for Northern California and parts of Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming because of lightning. Sheriff says officials slept as deadly flood surged in Texas The sheriff and emergency management coordinator in Kerr County, Texas, were both asleep in the predawn hours of the Fourth of July when deadly flash floods overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, Sheriff Larry Leitha told CNN. Leitha, asked if he knew whether coordinator William "Dub" Thomas was working at the time, told CNN "I'm sure he was at home asleep at that time" and added that he was also asleep. Thomas, also a deputy sheriff under Leitha, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. The National Weather Service had begun issuing information July 3 warning that storms could cause "considerable flash and urban flash flooding." At 1:14 a.m. on July 4 the weather service upgraded the watch to a flash flood warning, and at 3:08 a.m. an alert using the term "disaster" was used. At 4:23 a.m. a flash flood emergency was declared. A half hour later reports of rooftop rescues began coming in. Leitha said the county's emergency operations center was not up and running from 1-3 a.m., when some of the worst flooding occurred. Florida facing more heavy rainfall While a stubborn high pressure system has fueled the heat dome in the Midwest, a low pressure system over the northeastern Gulf means much of Florida and portions of the northern Gulf Coast could see more heavy rainfall July 24. Parts of Florida have already seen multiple inches of rain in recent days, and a Melbourne recreation center's roof partially collapsed during a storm July 22. The National Hurricane Center said in a July 24 advisory the area of low pressure is "currently producing a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms." Forecasters said the system is expected to move generally westward across the north-central and northeastern portion of the Gulf over the next day or two where some slow development is possible. By the weekend, the system is expected to move inland, ending its chances for development. − Gabe Hauari and Finch Walker What causes a heat dome? A heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area, according to William Gallus, professor of in meteorology with the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University. "The heat dome can stretch over several states and linger for days to weeks, leaving the people, crops and animals below to suffer through stagnant, hot air that can feel like an oven," Gallus said in an article in The Conversation. Read more here. − Janet Loehrke See how the heat dome puts a lid on excessive temperatures in the Central and Southern US Heat dome could linger for two weeks The heat dome won't dissipate soon. Dangerous heat is expected across parts of the Central and Southeast through July, the weather service says. High temperatures will reach 100 degrees from Texas to western Tennessee almost every day for a week or two, AccuWeather said. The Northeast was given a couple days reprieve: highs in the 80s and relatively low humidity. But the dome will spread across the region July 25, driving high temperatures deep into the 90s that will feel like more than 100 degrees as the humidity builds there. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blistering heat wave to grip the East: See what big cities will sizzle Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
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.
