Texas river rises 30 feet in just 45 minutes, pictures show
From around 5:15pm to 5:20pm the murky waters can be seen sweeping over a road while completely engulfing the smaller trees and bushes its path. Over the next 20 minutes, the waters creep further up the narrow road as onlookers flee the devastating scene. After the full hour has passed, only two tree tops are left visible as the flood water surges through the area. One concerned viewer wrote on social media: 'Those making remarks regarding evacuations and warnings please take note: The video begins at 5:12. Stop the video at 5:18 and look at the water level. Where does one run to in 6 minutes?' Another added: 'Beyond insane to watch the levels rise on the timelapse'.
Officials in Kerr County have since warned the area near Johnson Creek and the Guadalupe River could rise by a further two feet due to incoming rain, as they announced a new wave of evacuations. Nim Kidd, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, advised Kerr County to brace for more of the deadly rains which have already claimed the lives of at least 80 people. 'There are unconfirmed at this point reports of additional water coming in. And as the governor mentioned, there's rain still falling on the area,' Kidd said at a press conference. 'We've got DPS aircraft that are flying up to try to find this wall of water right now, and the people in the reported areas, again, unconfirmed, that are on our communication systems.'
Locals in central Texas are being urged to scramble to higher ground following further flash flood warnings as a result of further rain falling on saturated ground. On July 6, Daily Mail revealed that Texas's Division of Emergency Management predicted the number of dead as a result of catastrophic flooding would top 100. In an email sent out Saturday, the state disaster office told partners the number of dead would surpass 100, two different sources confirmed to Daily Mail. The estimate of the dead is vastly different than the message state officials are projecting publicly, insisting that they are still searching for people who are alive, and refusing to say rescue efforts have shifted to recovery of remains. 'Our state assets and local partners are continuing to search for live victims,' Kidd told reporters at a press conference Saturday. 'Our hope and prayer is that there is still people alive that are out there.'
DNA testing will also be used to help identify the remains of the flood victims, a state source told Daily Mail. Families have been asked for blood draws or other records to help identify the bodies of loved ones who have been recovered. Relatives of the missing have started arriving in the Kerrville area from across the Lone Star State to provide investigators with DNA samples. More information has been emerging in recent hours about the victims, including those lost at Camp Mystic. At least five girls, aged between eight and nine, lost their lives in the flood after the summer camp was swept away on July 4. Beloved director of all-girl's Christian Camp Mystic, Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, also died while trying to save girls as a month's worth of rain dropped in a matter of minutes.
The youngest campers slept on low-laying 'flats' inside the camp's cabins, whereas older girls slept in cabins on higher ground, according to the NYT. Most of the missing girls are from the younger age bracket, who were sleeping just yards away from the banks of the Guadalupe River. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that some 750 girls had been staying at the camp when the floodwaters hit.
Some of those who are missing or died at Camp Mystic are connected to wealthy families in Highland Park. Known as the Beverly Hills of Dallas, Highland Park and neighboring Park Cities are home to many of missing girls who belong to prominent families. Some have ties to Highland Park United Methodist Church - whose most famous member is former President George W. Bush.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and visitors in an area known as 'flash flood alley.' At a series of briefings since the flooding on July 4, Kerr County officials have deflected a series of pointed questions about preparations and warnings as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. The county in the scenic Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps, including Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp that announced Monday it lost at least 27 campers and counselors. 'Today's not the day and now's not the time to discuss the warnings, who got them, who didn't got them. Right now I'm only worried about public safety," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday during an emergency session of the county commissioners court. Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said Monday that authorities were reluctant to 'cry wolf' and order evacuations, adding that rainfall 'significantly' exceeded the projected amounts. He said officials had little time to react in the middle of the night, adding that qualified first responders were being 'swept away' driving through the initial rainfall. 'This rose very quickly in a very short amount of time,' Rice said. Dire weather service warnings In the 48 hours before the floods, the potential for heavy rains put precautions in motion as the state activated an emergency response plan and moved resources into the central Texas area. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios, more than three hours before the first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4:35 a.m. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency. The warning included Hunt, the small town that's home to Camp Mystic. Girls who were rescued from the camp have said they were woken up after midnight by strong storms that knocked out power. Bright flashes from lightning strikes showed the river rising rapidly. It was not immediately clear what kind of evacuation plans Camp Mystic might have had. 'Flash flood alley' Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed serious risk to life and property in the region, and a county government report last year warned the threat was getting worse. Kerr County's hazard mitigation action plan reported at least 106 'flood occurrences' dating back to 1960. Local officials determined that another flood was likely in the next year and that 'future worst-case flood events' could be more severe than those of the past. The risk of a 500-year flood was 'not negligible' and could lead to downed power lines, stranded residents and buildings that were damaged 'or even completely washed away,' the report warned. Climate change could make the river flooding more frequent, it noted. The region has known significant tragedy. A 1987 flood after a heavy rain prompted the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort. A wall of water quickly swamped buses and vans. Ten teenagers died. Decades later, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which manages the river watershed, released a video to YouTube titled 'Be Flood Aware 2017.' Viewed over 40,000 times online, the video outlines the history of the Guadalupe River, its history of tragic flooding and ways the public can remain safe when floodwaters rise. 'Terrain here is unique for flash flooding,' the video noted. It mentioned the dangers of a significant rainfall near the river's headwaters near Camp Mystic. The video noted the shallow headwaters with limestone underneath the riverbed. 'If you get 3 or 4 inches of rain at one time, that can be a real serious problem,' the video warned. The storm that hit last Friday dumped more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) on the area in three hours. The river rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes. In January 2017, the Kerr County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an application for a $975,00 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a flood warning system, according to transcripts of the meeting. Less than a year later, commissioners learned the grant was not approved. Most of that funding went to communities hit by Hurricane Harvey. Calls for an alarm The river authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in Kerr County as a top priority in its last three annual strategic plans. Kerr County commissioners considered several years ago a proposal for a flood warning system similar to sirens used for tornadoes in other parts of the country, including in nearby Comal County, which includes part of the Guadalupe River. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who was not on the commission at the time but attended meetings, said the warning system idea was shelved because residents 'reeled at the cost.' Nicole Wilson, a San Antonio mother who took her daughters out of a neighboring hill country camp ahead of the flooding amid concerns about its evacuation plans, said county leaders need to push for one. Wilson launched an online petition calling for Kerr County to install flooding warning sirens to alert in real time. She plans to present the signatures to Gov. Greg Abbott when lawmakers convene in a special session July 23. She called a siren system 'almost a no-brainer.' 'I'm sure those children expected at any moment that an adult was going to rescue them,' she said. 'I don't think there can be much more heartbreak than that, and so if there's a way to prevent it, it needs to be implemented quickly.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Texas teen describes harrowing escape from floodwaters near Guadalupe River: 'There was nowhere to go'
A teenager shared her harrowing escape from rising floodwaters which tore through Texas during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Riata Schoepf, 19, waded through chest-deep waters in the dead of night before she was rescued by a group of strangers who had found respite on the second floor of a two-story home. The Good Samaritans threw down a sheet when they saw Schoepf and her group in the rapid moving waters, hoisting her and the others to safety. Schoepf recalled the harrowing experience to NBC News, beginning about 2.30am on Friday, July 4, when she received a knock on her door from hotel staff telling her she must evacuate. 'We walked outside and the water was up to bottom floor doors. It was insane. It just came out of nowhere.' She, along with most other hotel guests, ran to her car but found herself stuck in unmoving traffic as water lapped at her car door. 'We were just sitting in the car and then you start seeing all the water rising slowly and then it starts getting faster and faster.' Everyone was trying to leave out the same two exits, both of which ran through water crossings, which were already swelling with water and all but blocked. 'We were at a standstill,' she said. 'At this point, there's nowhere else for us to go.' Schoepf then noticed people around her were fleeing their cars and decided to join them. 'We started walking down the street and as you're walking you get the water rising higher and higher,' she said. Finally, as the water began lapping at her chest, Schoepf passed by a two-story house where people on the top floor were using flashlights to see into the fast moving waters below. 'As we were walking by once the water was up close to our chests they were screaming at us to come up because the current was just pulling more and more people in,' she said. 'They let down sheets for us and we started climbing up.' She recalled two men who risked their lives to push people up the sheet, going out into the dangerous waters to bring more people to safety. She said they pulled both people and dogs up to safety, leading to about 45 or 50 people cramped into the space. Everyone in her group who abandoned their cars survived and sought shelter on the roof, but she later learned that others who had opted to stay in the traffic to cross the bridge out of the hotel hadn't made it. Schoepf had tried to text her father during her daring escape, but the lack of reception in the area meant her messages weren't going through. She said messages she had sent him between 4am and 5am detailing the rising floodwaters and her perilous journey actually didn't reach him until closer to 8am. 'It was extremely difficult,' she said. In hard-hit Kerr County, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, according to officials. The death toll is now at least 104 deaths across central Texas and expected to continue to rise.
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Texas flooding latest: At least 104 dead - as new pictures show devastation at children's camp
Goodbye That's all for our coverage on the flash floods in Texas for now. At least 104 people have died across the state. However, with dozens still missing, and 10 girls among them, it is widely expected the number of dead will continue to rise. The floods struck Friday, with water levels rising rapidly, catching many people unaware along waterways such as the Guadalupe River. While warning texts and alerts were sent out, there are concerns that a lack of mobile phone signal meant not everyone got them. A number of summer camps were situated near the rivers, meaning a number of children are among the dead. Kerr County is the worst-hit area, with at least 84 dead - including 56 adults and 28 children. Burnet County, Travis County, Kendall County, Williamson County and Tom Green County have all suffered deaths as well. Political finger pointing Parallel to ongoing search and rescue efforts, a political blame game has unfolded throughout the day. Some Democrats have criticised Donald Trump for his administration's cuts of the National Weather Service - under Elon Musk's DOGE. The White House has gone on the offensive however, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling attacks on the president a "depraved lie". Republican Texan senator Ted Cruz warned against "partisan" finger pointing and said his state was "grieving". Trump visit in the works US President Donald Trump has said he is going to visit Texas, but details are still being worked out. He previously said it may happen Friday. Leavitt said: "The White House is currently arranging those travel plans, we hope that it will be later this week, likely on Friday." Details of the missing The first details of the missing have begun to emerge as well. Camp Mystic was hard hit by the flash floods with at least 27 dead. This includes the camp director who died trying to save children according to local media. Flood risk upgraded The flood risk for parts of Texas was upgraded from a Level Two to a Level Three - out of four. There are expected to be some lingering storms tonight as well. The National Weather Service warned of more storms and said in areas flash flooding could be "likely". Watch our latest report from US correspondent Martha Kelner below:
