Texas flooding latest: At least 104 dead - as new pictures show devastation at children's camp
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:
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North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
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 on Monday it lost at least 27 campers and counsellors. '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 on Monday during an emergency session of the county commissioners court. Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said on 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,' Mr Rice said. 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 am on 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 am. The warning was updated at 4.03 am to a flash-flood emergency. The warning included Hunt, the small town that is 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. Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed a 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 storm that hit last Friday dumped more than six inches on the area in three hours. The river rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes. 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'.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Volunteers flock to help search efforts after Texas floods even as officials warn them away
Justin Rubio awoke in the wee hours to an alert on his phone, thunder, sirens and the thud of helicopter blades — the beginning of one of the largest rescue operations in Texas history. Rubio was determined to be a part of it. Even as authorities in Kerr County have repeatedly discouraged civilian volunteers, Rubio and dozens of others went out Monday to search for people still missing after flash flooding tore through the Texas Hill Country over the July Fourth weekend. The emotions wrapped up in the calamity that killed at least 100 people — and the urge to help find those still missing — at times butted up against officials' need for structure and safety as they search over 60 miles (100 kilometers) along the Guadalupe River. The river grew by the size of a two-story building in less than an hour on Friday. One survivor described a ' pitch-black wall of death." The flooding decimated shorelines, ripped trees from the ground, tossed and crushed a Ram truck, disappeared buildings and swept through a century-old summer camp packed with kids. Rubio, who picked through torn tree limbs Monday, said he couldn't help but pitch in. 'It's sad. It eats at your soul, it eats at your heart,' he said. 'I can't just sit at home thinking about what's going on out here.' The outpouring, volunteers say, is a Texas strain of solidarity, and officials have applauded the donations and volunteers in other areas. When it comes to search and rescue, however, fickle weather and a flash flood warning Sunday afternoon heightened authorities' fears that unorganized volunteers may end up adding to the missing or dead. On Sunday and Monday, officials began closing more search sites to volunteers, instead directing them to a local Salvation Army. 'We need focused and coordinated volunteers, not random people just showing up and doing what they do,' Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said. "We remain hopeful every foot, every mile, every bend of the river.' Some families have been frustrated by the pace, but officials are asking for patience with the breadth of the search area and methodical, no-stone-unturned approach. It's a sweeping operation with 19 different local and state agencies, drones, dogs, boats and helicopters. Officials have laid out a grid over the search area. Each segment can reach over a mile (2 kilometers) and takes between one and three hours to search, Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said at a news conference Monday morning. Rice reiterated for volunteers to 'stay out of the way" so that first responders aren't waylaid ensuring that volunteers 'don't become victims themselves.' When volunteers were asked by official responders to leave sites in Kerrville, some moved to help search in the unincorporated community of Center Point on Monday, said Cord Shiflet, who'd rallied volunteers through a Facebook post. On Sunday, Shiflet had falsely claimed on Facebook that two girls had been rescued in a tree days after the flooding, but he said Monday that he had received bad information and apologized. The mistake caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who represents the area and urged people to be careful about false news. 'It's not fair to families and it distracts law enforcement,' Roy posted on the social platform X. At Center Point on Monday, dozens of undeterred volunteers gathered, including Rubio and Bryan Dutton, in the afternoon heat. Dutton, a veteran who said he had friends at an RV camp affected by the floods, had been waiting to get off work to join the droves of residents coming out to assist and provide food. 'We do what we can do,' Dutton said. 'That's how Texas is.' ___
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Texas floods latest: At least 104 dead as search for victims continues amid new weather warnings
Life threatening flash floods are forecast to remain a threat as storms continued across central Texas throughout Monday evening. It's the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have killed at least 104 people in the region since late last week. Dozens more people remain missing. Hundreds of local and state responders, dive teams, helicopters, drones, and volunteers on horseback are combing the area. A Christian summer camp said Monday that 27 girls and staff members had been killed in the disaster along the Guadalupe River. 'Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,' Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp, said in a statement on its website. The disaster dates back to the early hours of July 4, when heavy rainfall in western Kerr County caused the Guadalupe River to swell almost 24 feet in under an hour. Texas state lawmaker regrets voting against disaster response bill after floods Amid questions about whether emergency systems could've done more to warn residents of central Texas about last week's flood, one state lawmaker says he regrets voting against an emergency preparedness bill earlier this year. The legislation, House Bill 13, would have established a statewide plan to improve Texas's disaster alert systems, as well as provided grants to buy new communications equipment and installing infrastructure like radio towers. 'I can tell you in hindsight, watching what it takes to deal with a disaster like this, my vote would probably be different now,' Representative Wes Virdell told Texas Tribune. Texas officials feared for riverbank camps. A warning system was rejected Camp Mystic, the Christian girl's camp, reported that 27 campers and staffers had been killed in last week's flash flooding Josh Marcus8 July 2025 04:00 Drone collision grounds rescue helicopter City officials in Kerrville are warning residents not to use their drones until the search and rescue operations in the area are complete, after a collision with a drone in restricted airspace temporarily grounded an emergency helicopter flight. 'The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing, and a critical piece of response equipment is now out of service until further notice. This was entirely preventable,' the city said in a statement on Facebook. 'When you fly a drone in restricted areas, you're not just breaking the law -- you're putting first responders, emergency crews, and the public at serious risk,' the statement continued. Josh Marcus8 July 2025 03:00 WATCH: San Antonio holds candlelight vigil for victims of deadly Texas floods Josh Marcus8 July 2025 02:54 'She did all she could to save the lives of the girls in her cabin' A group of 11 are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp hit hard by the central Texas floods last week. That includes Katherine Ferruzzo, 19, a counselor at the camp and an incoming student at the University of Texas. 'Katherine has a fierce and loving spirit, and we have no doubt she did all she could to save the lives of the girls in her cabin,' her family told The New York Times. Texas camp confirms flood deaths of 27 girls and staff in 'unimaginable tragedy' Josh Marcus8 July 2025 02:01 Mayor in hard-hit city of Kerrville never got direct warning about floods Scrutiny is mounting over whether officials did enough to alert the public before deadly floods hit central Texas last week. Joe Herring, Jr., the mayor of hard-hit Kerrville, told CNN he never got a flood notification or an individual warning from government forecasters before the disaster struck. The first time he learned the extent of the threat was early Friday morning, when the city's emergency manager called him to say a park had been flooded, Herring told CNN. "It all happened upriver at the worst possible place. And I think everyone in Kerrville, everyone in Kerr County, wishes to God we had some way to warn them. To warn those people. I've lost two friends. We loved them and they're gone," he said. "You know they're gone. Everyone here, if we could've warned them, we would have done so. And we didn't even have a warning. We did not know." Josh Marcus8 July 2025 01:30 Photos: Texas state troopers assist in recovery effort The Texas Department of Public Safety was one of numerous agencies who sent personnel to central Texas to assist with recovery efforts after devastating floods late last week killed over 100 people. Josh Marcus8 July 2025 01:00 Netanyahu offers prayers for Texas ahead of Trump meeting in Washington Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the world leaders who have offered prayers and condolences after the devastating floods in central Texas. 'My wife Sara and I and all of Israel are praying for the Great State of Texas,' the US ally wrote on X. 'Israel knows disaster—we've lived through war, fire, and flood. Dear friends, we stand with you!' Netanyahu is slated to dine with President Trump in Washington on Monday. Bel Trew had this preview of what's at stake in the meeting. A glimmer of hope in Gaza? Inside the fragile push for an Israel ceasefire deal After months of deadlock, talks resume this week over Trump's 60-day ceasefire proposal – with Netanyahu in Washington, Bel Trew examines whether this time is any different Josh Marcus8 July 2025 00:40 Rescue teams from Florida, Pennsylvania, Mexico to assist in Texas flood recovery Rescue teams from far and wide are assisting Texas in the aftermath of deadly flooding late last week. Crews from Florida, Pennsylvania, and even Mexico have been sent to join in the response effort. Josh Marcus8 July 2025 00:20 Series of obstacles may have stopped Texas weather warnings from reaching population As first responders work to rescue the living and recover the dead from last week's flooding in central Texas, officials and experts are scrutinizing whether more could've been done to warn the public about the Friday floods, potentially averting some of the more than 100 deaths that followed. A review from NBC Dallas-Fort Worth found that National Weather Service alerts went out about the coming floods in Kerr County on Thursday, about 12 hours before the floods actually hit. 'The National Weather Service office did everything they should do from everything I can tell,' Jeff Masters, a former hurricane scientist with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, told USA Today. Nonetheless, the county lacks weather sirens, and making matters worse, a lack of cell phone coverage and weather radios in the area may have further prevented such warnings from reaching residents. What's more, numerous summer camps are in the area, some of which don't allow children to carry cell phones. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Monday that flood-warning sirens could've saved lives in communities near the swollen Guadalupe River, and promised the state will 'step up' and help pay for such infrastructure to be in place by next summer. Texas officials feared for riverbank camps. A warning system was rejected Josh Marcus8 July 2025 00:00 PHOTOS: Rescues and repairs continue after Texas floods Josh Marcus
