Texas flooding live updates: Commissioner says he's been getting death threats
Search operations continue in Kerr County, which was hit the hardest, with at least 106 deaths, including 36 children, according to officials.Jul 14, 5:06 PM101 missing, at least 132 dead
The number of missing persons stands at 101 more than one week after the devastating flooding that struck Texas. Search efforts are ongoing.At least 132 people have died.
Jul 14, 1:55 PMHeavy rain hinders search efforts again
Heavy rain has moved into the search area of the Guadalupe River, forcing search and recovery operations to stop and then restart, according to a county official.Crews also lost half to three-quarters of their search day on Sunday due to heavy rains, Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said.
Jul 14, 10:54 AMCommissioner wants more cell service, sirens, 'diversion dams'
The search for flooding victims is ongoing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said Monday, noting that searchers lost half to three-quarters of their search day on Sunday due to heavy rains."We'll keep looking," he said at Monday's Kerr County commissioners court session.
One commissioner is asking for more cell service, sirens and "diversion dams" in the wake of the catastrophic flooding.A model showed 36 feet of water in the unincorporated community of Center Point, with the flooding moving at 1.5 million gallons per second, he said at Monday's meeting.Another commissioner said he's been getting death threats by people "playing a blame game."
Jul 14, 6:21 AMFlood watch in effect for Texas Hill Country
A flood watch remains in effect through at least Monday evening for the Texas Hill Country, including the city of Kerrville.
Showers and thunderstorms may become heavy Monday afternoon and evening, leading to 1 to 2 inches of rainfall -- although isolated amounts up to 5 inches are possible with any training storms.A few more showers of lesser intensity are possible during the day on Tuesday. A few sprinkles may be possible on Wednesday.An extended period of dry skies is expected to being Thursday and last the weekend and into next week.-ABC News' Kenton Gewecke
Jul 14, 5:25 AMSearch for victims continues in hard-hit Kerr County
Search teams were working late Sunday to recover flood victims in Kerr County, where at least 106 people were killed by the flooding.
Those recovery operations were still adding resources from local, state and federal parters, who were continuing "to deploy to Kerr County as mission efforts become more technical," city officials in Kerrville, Texas, said late Sunday.-ABC News' Jessica Gorman
Jul 13, 9:04 PMMore than 130 killed in Texas as flood threat continues
Officials announced on Sunday that the overall death toll in the ongoing Texas flooding has risen past 130 killed.There are 106 confirmed deaths in hard-hit Kerr County, with 36 believed to be children.-ABC News' Vanessa Navarrete
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Texas Hill Country under flood watch as search continues for missing people
Texas Hill Country was back under a flood watch on Saturday, with the National Weather Service warning of 'locally heavy rainfall' of 1-3in with isolated amounts close to 6in possible. The flood watch, which continues through Sunday evening, comes as the death toll from the 4 July flood continues to rise – now at nearly 130 people - and authorities continue their search for the 160 more who are missing. The latest warnings anticipate considerably less rain than what came down last week, which caused the Guadalupe River to rise 29ft in 45 minutes. The Texas division of emergency management had mobilized before the storm, but its assets were not focused exclusively on Texas Hill Country. The storm alerts that were issued before and during the storm, in an area of patchy cellphone service, are now the subject of scrutiny. On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from its 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous floodplain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors. Fema had included the prestigious girls' summer camp in a 'special flood hazard area' on its national flood insurance map for Kerr county in 2011, which meant it was required to have flood insurance and faced tighter regulation on any future construction projects. That designation means an area is likely to be inundated during a 100-year flood – one severe enough that it only has a 1% chance of happening in any given year. The 4 July flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by Fema, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off-guard in a county that lacked a warning system. Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who has extensively studied Fema's flood map determinations, said it was 'particularly disturbing' that a camp in charge of the safety of so many young people would receive exemptions from basic flood regulation. 'It's a mystery to me why they weren't taking proactive steps to move structures away from the risk, let alone challenging what seems like a very reasonable map that shows these structures were in the 100-year flood zone,' she said. Pralle told the AP that some of the exempted properties were within 2ft (0.6 meters) of Fema's floodplain by the camp's revised calculations, which she said left almost no margin for error. She said her research shows that Fema approves about 90% of map amendment requests, and the process may favor the wealthy and well-connected. Experts say Camp Mystic's requests to amend the Fema map could have been an attempt to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, lower the camp's insurance premiums or pave the way for renovating or adding new structures under less costly regulations. Related: Trump cuts questioned as role of Fema in Texas highlights agency's importance in natural disaster response In a statement, Fema downplayed the significance of the flood map amendments to the AP: 'Flood maps are snapshots in time designed to show minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for flood insurance. They are not predictions of where it will flood, and they don't show where it has flooded before.' While Texas officials and Donald Trump have been resistant to questions about any failures to forewarn of the impending flood – queries that have largely been put to one side as local and state recovery teams, along with thousands of volunteers, work in and alongside the river to find the missing – the Washington Post reported that Kerr county had the technology to turn every cellphone in the river valley into a loud alarm. But the mass notification system, known as the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, or Ipaws, was not activated and emergency managers in the county relied on a series of text messages for alerts. Trump visited the area on Friday, telling first responders that he and Melania Trump, the first lady, were there to 'express the love and support and anguish of our entire nation'. 'So all across the country, Americans' hearts are shattered,' he said. 'We're filled with grief and devastation. It's the loss of life and, unfortunately, they're still looking.' Trump said two things had struck him: the 'unity' of Texans and the 'competence' of those responding to the disaster. 'Everyone has just pulled together, it's rare that you see this,' he said.
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Heavy rain in Texas halts rescue efforts as officials warn of further flooding
More heavy rains in Texas on Sunday paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to high-water rescues elsewhere as officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the 4 July floods, which killed at least 129 people. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr county. In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door to door to some homes after midnight early on Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area. A statement put out by Kerrville city officials urged residents to not attempt to travel unless they were fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order. Related: Texas Hill Country under flood watch as search continues for missing people 'Please keep watch on low-water crossings and seek higher ground if flooding begins. Turn around, don't drown!' the city officials added. According to new alerts put out by the National Weather Service, the flash flood risk continues this morning across portions of the Texas Hill Country. 'The extent and magnitude of the event has lowered from what occurred last night into the early morning hours, however some additional flash flood impacts are likely ... and localized significant impacts remain possible,' the NWS said. It also warned earlier this morning that a flash flood warning was in effect for western Llano and north-western Gillespie, with significant rain having fallen and flooding expected particularly over Llano county. Similarly, a flash flood warning remains in effect for Buchanan Dam, Buchanan Lake and Valley Spring until 3.45pm CT, as well as for Watson and Briggs until 4pm CT. As part of its warnings, the NWS has urged residents to move immediately to higher ground, as well as avoid walking or driving through flood waters. Ingram fire department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr county until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, a fire department spokesperson, Brian Lochte, said. 'We're working with a few crews and airboats and SAR [search-and-rescue] boats just in case,' Lochte said. As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15ft (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about 5ft above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge underwater in Hunt, the small town where Camp Mystic is located along the river. 'Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,' a weather service warning said. Related: Texas floods: death toll reaches at least 120 people as recovery efforts continue The rains were also causing other waterways to swell farther north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. The man leaned on to the vehicle for support as crews tried to reach him with life jackets. 'He drove into it and didn't realize how deep it was,' said Jeff Douglas, the president of the McGregor volunteer fire department. 'Luckily he was able to stand next to the vehicle.' Under heavy rain, Matthew Stone was clearing branches and a log from a storm sewer in front of his home on Guadalupe Street in Kerrville on Sunday as several inches of water pooled up on the road. Multiple houses on the street overlooking the Guadalupe River were severely affected by the 4 July floods, and Stone had to pull his older neighbors from their home before water overtook it. He said he felt safe for now. 'My wife was freaking out, that's for sure, but as long as that river is not coming down, we'll be all right,' he said. 'The cops have been coming back and forth, we're getting lots of alerts, we're getting a lot of support.' Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, the destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26ft on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old, all-girls Christian summer camp. Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors. 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It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that's what we did during this response.' Her comments follow widespread criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the Texas floods as reports emerged of thousands of calls from flood survivors being left unanswered by Fema's call centers due to unextended contracts.
