Latest news with #GovernorAbbott
Times of Oman
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Times of Oman
Texas flood: Rescue hindered by heavy rain forecast
Texas: Search and rescue operations in Texas were hampered by rain forecasts for the second day in a row after the devastating July 4 floods killed at least 131 people. Most rescue crews were held off or ordered to stop amid worries of more heavy rain and the possibility of more flooding. Meanwhile, authorities lowered the tally of people unaccounted for to 101, with 97 still missing in Kerrville and four more in neighboring counties. Officials have begun draining nearby reservoirs in a bid to locate submerged vehicles and victims. No one rescued alive since July 4 The floods, which swept through the Guadalupe River basin after over a foot of rain fell in less than an hour, have left entire trailers buried or missing. Most of those killed were children at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat. Authorities say no one has been rescued alive since July 4, when the flooding caught residents and tourists off guard before dawn. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said on Monday that it has been difficult to know how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred. "We don't know how many of them there are," Kelly said. Authorities face flak and threats As the disaster has also raised questions about readiness, Governor Abbott has called for a special legislative session later this month to investigate the emergency response and preparedness measures leading up to the flood. Kerr County lacked a flash-flood warning sirens, and officials are now facing mounting criticism and even threats. The high death toll, in one of the deadliest floods in the US in decades, has sparked concerns over the lack of warning sirens in Kerr County and staffing shortages at the National Weather Service after staffing cuts under the Trump administration. "They're just playing a blame game," said Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces, who reported receiving death threats.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas flood: Rescue operations hindered by heavy rain forecast
Search and rescue operations in Texas were hampered by rain forecasts for the second day in a row after the devastating July 4 floods killed at least 131 people. Most rescue crews were held off or ordered to stop amid worries of more heavy rain and the possibility of more flooding. Meanwhile, authorities lowered the tally of people unaccounted for to 101, with 97 still missing in Kerrville and four more in neighboring counties. Officials have begun draining nearby reservoirs in a bid to locate submerged vehicles and victims. The floods, which swept through the Guadalupe River basin after over a foot of rain fell in less than an hour, have left entire trailers buried or missing. Most of those killed were children at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat. Authorities say no one has been rescued alive since July 4, when the flooding caught residents and tourists off guard before dawn. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said on Monday that it has been difficult to know how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred. "We don't know how many of them there are," Kelly said. As the disaster has also raised questions about readiness, Governor Abbott has called for a special legislative session later this month to investigate the emergency response and preparedness measures leading up to the flood. Texas Task Force 1 has already rescued dozens of Texans in the Lampasas area. They and other first responders will continue operations to prioritize saving lives. — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 13, 2025 Kerr County lacked a flash-flood warning sirens, and officials are now facing mounting criticism and even threats. The high death toll, in one of the deadliest floods in the US in decades, has sparked concerns over the lack of warning sirens in Kerr County and staffing shortages at the National Weather Service after staffing cuts under the Trump administration. "They're just playing a blame game," said Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces, who reported receiving death threats. Heavy rains are forecast to continue through Tuesday, with up to six inches expected in parts of central Texas, including already-hit areas. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
Al Arabiya
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump administration scraps plan to abolish FEMA: Washington Post
US President Donald Trump's administration has backed away from abolishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Washington Post reported on Friday, ahead of the president's visit to flood-hit Texas. No official action was being taken to wind down FEMA, and changes in the agency would probably amount to a 'rebranding' that would emphasize state leaders' roles in disaster response, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior White House official. Reuters could not verify the report and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, who has previously called for FEMA to be shut down, was set to visit Texas on Friday, after flash floods swept through parts of the Texas Hill Country and killed at least 120, with more than 160 people unaccounted for. Trump has frequently said he wanted states to have primary responsibility for responding to disasters. However, when asked by a reporter on Sunday whether he still planned to phase out FEMA following the Texas floods, Trump responded that it was a topic 'we can talk about later.' 'The president immediately delivered the dollars, Texas already has that money in their hands, and Governor Abbott is the lead decision-maker when it comes to the Texas floods,' the White House official told the Washington Post. 'You should expect this structure, that has quietly taken place, to continue,' the official added, according to the newspaper. Trump signed a disaster declaration for Texas on Sunday to unlock federal aid for those affected. The Texas floods, the first major deadly disaster since Trump took office in January vowing to gut or abolish FEMA, were a stark reminder of the extent to which states lean on the agency during a crisis.
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Fears grow that Texas floods death toll could surge
The Texas flash floods death toll rose to 119 on Wednesday, as worries grew that the figure could more than double with over 160 people still reported missing. Workers in central Texas continued to comb through piles of muddy debris from the July 4 floods as Governor Greg Abbott ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff over the tragedy. Officials in Kerr County, the epicenter of the flooding, on Wednesday confirmed 161 people were known to be missing in the county. Part of a Hill Country region in central Texas known as "Flash Flood Alley," Kerr County suffered the most damage, with at least 95 fatalities including 36 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters. Among them, counselors and 27 girls at a summer camp who went missing early Friday when the Guadalupe River burst its banks. Five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic were still missing as of Wednesday, along with another child not associated with the camp, Leitha said. Two dozen other people have been confirmed dead elsewhere in the state, according to an AFP tally of official reports. More than 2,000 rescue personnel, police and experts have descended on the flood zone in what Leitha described as an "all hands on deck" operation. Ben Baker, with the Texas Game Wardens, said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were difficult because of the water, mud and debris. "When we're trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it's very hazardous," Baker said. Meanwhile, questions intensified over whether US President Donald Trump's government funding cuts had weakened warning systems, and over the handling of the rescue operation. During sometimes tense news conferences Tuesday and Wednesday, officials skirted questions on the speed of the emergency response. "There's going to be an after-action" review of what happened, Sheriff Leitha said, adding "those questions need to be answered." But officials stressed that the immediate focus was on locating the missing and reuniting families. - 'Door to door' - Kerrville police officer Jonathan Lamb spoke of heroic rescues by authorities and volunteers who evacuated hundreds of people from their homes or vehicles. Officers went "door to door, waking people up" in Kerr County early Friday and in some cases "pulling them out of windows" of flooding homes and trailers, Lamb told reporters. The tragedy, "as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse," he added. The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast scattered storms on Wednesday in the Hill Country, including isolated pockets of heavy rain. In the neighboring state of New Mexico, flash flooding left three people dead Tuesday in Ruidoso, the village website said in a statement, adding the Ruidoso River rose to a record-breaking 20 feet (six meters). - Bodies in the mud - In the Texas town of Hunt, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead. Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for his grandmother, after having located the body of his grandfather. He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river. Trump is due to visit Texas on Friday with First Lady Melania Trump. "We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over... They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people," Trump said of the response. Shel Winkley, a weather expert at the Climate Central research group, blamed the extent of the disaster on geography and exceptional drought, when dry soil absorbs less rainfall. "This part of Texas, at least in the Kerr County flood specifically, was in an extreme to exceptional drought.... We know that since May, temperatures have been above average," Winkley told reporters.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Floods death toll set to soar FAR higher than feared as sheer terror of victim who couldn't be saved emerges
The death toll in the devastating Fourth of July weekend floods which tore through Texas has risen to 111, but authorities fear that number could more than double in the coming days and weeks. At least 173 people remain missing five days after a '30-foot tsunami wall of water' wiped out cabins along the Guadalupe River and destroyed everything in its path. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that number could continue to rise as efforts to track down unaccounted for people continue. But hopes of finding survivors are rapidly fading as the hours go by and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the rescue mission is shifting to recovery. Officials confirmed today the last 'live rescue' was carried out on Friday. In the four days since, they had only recovered bodies from the debris. 'We will not stop until we identify, recover every single body,' Abbott said on Tuesday afternoon. One of the tragic stories to emerge from the floods on Tuesday was the death of 64-year-old Sherry Richardson. Early Friday morning, her cabin along Little Creek River in Liberty Hill, Texas, was swept away by the rapid moving waters. Her daughter Delilah Greenslet said Richardson phoned 911 as she tried to seek help during the crisis. She reportedly spent 30 minutes on the phone to a first responder while climbing to the loft of her two-story cabin before the line finally cut out. She was last known to be trying to get onto the roof of her cabin. 'I just find it so hard to believe that we had no warning,' Greenslet said. 'We need some answers here in Texas.' Authorities are still working to identify many of the bodies which have been recovered. The victims include at least 30 children, many were little girls who were enjoying their summer at Camp Mystic - a century-old, Christian, all girls camp. Some 27 campers and counselors tragically died when the cabins primarily housing eight to 10 year old girls were swept away before daybreak on Friday. At least five girls and 19-year-old counselor Katherine Ferruzzo are still missing. 'The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody who was affected by this flood,' Abbott said. He said many of those who are not accounted for were staying in state's Hill Country but did not register at a camp or hotel. In the hardest hit Kerr County, 87 people have died and 161 remain missing, while seven bodies have been found in Travis and at least 10 remain missing. Eight people have died in Kendall, and Burnet has suffered five fatalities, with one person still missing. Williamson County has tragically lost three people, with one still missing, and at least one body has been located in Tom Green County. Abbott also clarified that state officials were aware that flooding was a possibility over the Fourth of July weekend, adding that resources had been deployed to the area for two days before the storm hit. 'We were ready with the resources on the ground to be able to quickly respond,' he said, but 'no one would know that that would be a 30-foot high tsunami wall of water.'
