Latest news with #Kerr County
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Number of missing in Texas floods drops from nearly 100 to 3
Officials in hard-hit Kerr County, Texas, which was ravaged by flooding earlier this month, say the number of people believed to be missing has dropped from nearly 100 to three. In a statement Saturday, county officials cited "extensive follow-up work among state and local agencies" that determined that many people initially reported as missing were verified to be alive and safe. MORE: Texas flooding updates: Death toll reaches 134, search continues for missing Overall, the death toll from the July 4 flooding across the state of Texas stood at more than 130 as of earlier this week. Of those, 107 were in Kerr County -- including 70 adults and 37 children. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
The long road to tragedy at the Texas girls camp where floods claimed 27 lives
Investigators of the catastrophic Hill Country flooding in Texas may never be able to pinpoint a precise moment that sealed the fate of 27 young girls, teenage counselors and staff who perished after a wall of water surged through Camp Mystic on the banks of the Guadalupe River. But perhaps no bigger clue can be found than the account of an otherwise unremarkable and sparsely attended meeting of Kerr county commissioners in March 2018. Members waited with anticipation for news of an application they submitted the previous year for a grant from the state of Texas to help pay for a comprehensive new flood warning system along the Guadalupe. The county's unreliable old network of gauges and sensors, installed following flooding in 1987 that killed 10 children trying to flee a waterside church camp, had been inactive since 1999. Commissioners were chasing a $1m slice of federal funding made newly available to the state after a succession of flood disasters, including Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Now-retired commissioner Tom Moser brought bad news, noting 'about eight different counties' were selected, but 'they didn't select us,' according to minutes of the meeting still viewable online. Tom Pollard, the county judge at the time, was incredulous. 'They prioritized us lower?' he asked, the county's many low-lying and therefore vulnerable youth summer camps immediately adjacent to the Guadalupe uppermost in his mind. 'They did,' Moser replied solemnly. Without that funding from the state, the project foundered. No widespread gauge system was ever set up that would have given early warning of a life-threatening torrent of water further up the river; no sirens ever installed that would have warned Camp Mystic residents that their lives were in peril and they needed to get out immediately. The investigation will look at other missteps and lost opportunities along the way that might have brought a different outcome at the 99-year-old Christian-themed, all-girls camp that served as a joyous rite of passage for generations of young Texans. Prominent among them will be this week's revelation that the camp owner and director Dick Eastland, who lost his own life trying to ferry a group of his youngest campers to safety as the river rose towards a peak height of 37.5ft, waited more than an hour to issue an evacuation order after receiving a severe flood warning on his phone at 1.14am on 4 July. Yet it is to the eternal regret of Moser, a former senior Nasa engineer who had studied flood monitoring and alert systems installed in other nearby counties, that money was never found or spent, either then or later, to replace or upgrade a broken mechanism born from a near-identical tragedy for the sole purpose of saving lives in the future. 'Not having the funds to accomplish it was not very satisfying to me but we tried,' Moser told NPR. 'That's all we could do. We didn't have the resources in the county operating budget to do that.' Moser, who did not return a message from the Guardian seeking further comment, had advocated for sirens, a proposal dropped from the state grant application when it became clear some residents and commissioners opposed them. 'If sirens were there, clearly people would have known about it. Would it have saved everybody? I don't think so. This was an event that's probably one chance in a million,' he told the radio network. At Camp Mystic, like elsewhere in the county, residents were reliant on an outdated and patchwork early warning system of alerts. Some were from the National Weather Service (NWS), which Eastland's family concedes he did receive. Other messages came from local authorities, some sent only after an inexplicable delay, which others along the Guadalupe's banks say they did not see in any case. Inside the camp, with water rising fast, especially around dormitories closest to the river where the youngest campers, mostly aged eight and nine, were sleeping, there was chaos. Many of the teenage counselors left in charge of the dormitories were left to make instant life-or-death decisions on their own, having lost contact with adult supervisors. According to two counselors interviewed in the days following the disaster, campers were not allowed to bring mobile phones, and the counselors were made to surrender theirs, leaving them cut off from any emergency alerts. Eastland, who had run the camp with his family since the 1980s and was a past director of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority that pressed for the original warning and alert system, was familiar with the danger of flash flooding from heavy rain. 'I'm sure there will be other drownings,' Eastland told the Austin American-Statesman in 1990, reported by CNN. 'People don't heed the warnings.' In a Washington Post report that contained harrowing first-hand testimony from girls who were there, parents of some who were rescued from Camp Mystic said it was Eastland and his staff who ignored warnings on the morning of the disaster. Also under scrutiny will be why Eastland made, and was granted, repeated applications to remove dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 100-year flood map, which allowed the camp to operate and expand in a known risk area. A review by the Associated Press found that 15 of at least 30 exempted buildings were at the Camp Mystic Guadalupe site where most, if not all of the campers and counselors lost their lives. Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications at First Street, a climate risk assessment and modelling company, said the dormitories were in a known flood zone, which records show had been swamped numerous times in the camp's near century of existence. 'People that ran the camp had the ability to understand that the risk was close by, the risk was in the area, and maybe adapt the buildings. And there was no action there,' he said. 'In fact there were letters of map amendments that were submitted instead.' But Porter said it was hard to place blame on any single person or entity: 'A lot of that is just our overall risk psyche and understanding of what risk looks like, our expectation that these really rare events aren't going to affect us and they're not going to be as bad as we think they're going to be. 'The way we treat climate risk and flood risk in the country is really that, you know, if it happens, it'll be something we'll be able to rebuild, recover, and then it won't happen again for 100 years.' The Guardian was unable to reach anybody at Camp Mystic for comment. Donna Gable Hatch, a writer and former staff editor at the Kerrville Daily Times, said she believed lives would have been saved at Camp Mystic with an early warning system, but city and county officials were not responsible for its absence. 'If the funds had been made available in a timely and adequate manner, this catastrophe might have unfolded differently. But too often, those at the helm of small towns must wait for permission, wait for funding, wait for bureaucracy to catch up to reality,' she wrote in a guest editorial for her former employer. 'To accuse local leaders of negligence is to completely misunderstand who they are and what this place means. In Kerr county, heartbreak isn't abstract. It has a name. A face. It's a neighbor, a classmate, a church member or a childhood friend. 'The truth will come out. In time, we'll trace the chain of failure back to where it truly began – not in Kerrville, but in the halls of distant agencies who failed to act with the urgency that rural lives deserved.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Texas sheriff didn't promise to help Mexican rescuers get green cards
Claim: In mid-July 2025, Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said he would apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family during deadly Texas flooding.. Rating: In mid-July 2025, numerous videos spread on social media claiming that Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha announced that he would apply for green cards — a step toward becoming naturalized U.S. citizens — for a Mexican rescue team that saved his family during the Texas floods. One such video appeared on X (archived) in the style of a breaking news bulletin. It had amassed more than 824,000 views as of this writing. The text on the footage read, "BREAKING NEWS," and stated: "Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leda said he would apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family." The X post's caption read: Maybe, just maybe, all is not lost… Kerr County Sheriff Leda—best known for targeting immigrants—just announced he's applying for green cards for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family. The irony writes itself. Maybe the regime should take notes: immigrants save lives. Your cruelty doesn't. Similar versions of the video appeared on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, often showing clips of Leitha speaking at a news conference (see screenshot below). (Google search results) However, there was no evidence that Leitha ever made such a statement. No official press releases from the Kerr County Sheriff's Office mention any such promise and no reputable news outlets reported on Leitha making such an announcement. Recordings and transcripts of his public appearances do not reference green cards and Mexican rescue teams. Additionally, the narration and voice-over in the videos sharing the claim appear to have been generated using artificial intelligence software. Therefore, we have rated this claim as false. There were several indicators that the videos were spreading a false narrative. One sign was the repeated misnaming of the sheriff, which would likely not happen on a bulletin by a reputable news media outlet. Leitha was incorrectly referred to as "Leda" and "Lida" in all of the above videos, whereas his actual name is Larry L. Leitha. The narration, which was also used in all the videos but in some instances featured the start being cut off, also displayed signs of being AI-generated. The pacing was often unnatural and the speaker's intonation was inconsistent. When analyzed with Resemble AI, a deepfake detection tool, the narration was identified as "Fake." (Resemble AI) Most videos started with a sentence that did not make sense: "Kerr County Sheriff Larry Lyda says to apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that rescued his family and that they will not be restricted from entering or exiting the U.S. border in the future." Likewise, the videos all featured a sentence near the end that was incoherent: "Sheriff Lida could no longer look at his neighbors across the river the way that he used to that human life has no nationality about a people the Mexican people." The videos also repeated a claim that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum personally sent specialized rescue teams to Texas (emphasis ours): The sheriff's daughter and two young grandchildren were tragically trapped, and when the local rescue effort was overwhelmed, a specialized rescue team, sent by the president of Mexico, marched across the border to help. Snopes previously addressed that specific rumor, explaining that there was no evidence such an intervention occurred. During a July 7 news conference, Sheinbaum clarified that the aid came from volunteer firefighters in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, who traveled to Texas independently. Additionally, Google search results produced no credible evidence that Leitha made any public statements about issuing Mexican rescuers green cards in connection to the floods or his family being affected (archived). Neither of the July 5 and July 9 news conferences, nor other briefings published online, contained any statements resembling the claim in the social media videos. Likewise, the C-SPAN transcript of the July 9 news briefing also showed that Leitha did not discuss green cards and Mexican nationals or any related topics. Similarly, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office website contained no evidence suggesting the claim was true. If Leitha had publicly announced such an unprecedented promise to help a Mexican rescue team obtain green cards, it would have been widely reported by credible news outlets. However, this was not the case (archived). Fact-checking outlets Lead Stories and PolitiFact also debunked this rumor. Lead Stories noted that the narration said the Mexican rescue team "marched across the border to help" and that Leitha described them as "his neighbors across the river," despite Kerr County being more than 80 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, which would have required a multiday march. Snopes has fact-checked numerous claims about the Texas floods. For example, we looked into a video that allegedly showed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott saying: "I support ICE deporting the Mexicans who helped during the floods." We also debunked a rumor that U.S. President Donald Trump said that he hoped "the dead are immigrants, not Americans." - YouTube. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. ---. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. ---. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. About the Kerr County Sheriff's Office. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. Briceño, Maria. "No, Texas Sheriff Is Not Giving Green Cards to Mexican Rescu." @politifact, Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. Fact Check: FAKE "Sheriff Larry Leda Applying For Green Card For Mexican Rescue Team" Video Misspells Name -- No Media Reports | Lead Stories. 13 Jul. 2025, Ibrahim, Nur. "Trump Didn't Say He Hoped Texas Flood Victims Were Immigrants." Snopes, 14 Jul. 2025, Latest News. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. Texas Officials Brief on Flooding in Kerrville | Video | Accessed 15 Jul. 2025. Wrona, Aleksandra. "Clarifying Claim ICE Deported Mexican Rescue Workers Who Helped in Texas Floods." Snopes, 14 Jul. 2025, ---. "Did Mexican President Send Rescue Teams to Texas after Deadly Flooding?" Snopes, 9 Jul. 2025,
CNN
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Live updates: Texas flooding death toll, Trump visit and latest on Camp Mystic
Update: Date: Title: Kerr County officials warned of flood risk and need for alarm system months before tragedy struck Content: Kerr County officials warned 'it is likely' that the county 'will experience a flood event in the next year' in a hazard mitigation report submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last October. The 220-page report, which addressed a range of natural threats, emphasized that such a flood event could be especially dangerous for residents living in 'substandard structures' and may result in 'increased damage, injuries, or loss of life.' One of the solutions outlined was to have a local flood warning system that could alert residents to rising waters. The report estimates a cost of less than $1 million for a system that would include precipitation sensors, automatic crossing barriers and a web-based alert platform. Implementing the plan would take three to five years, according to the report, which also identifies FEMA programs for possible funding. The plan also listed a goal in the next two to five years of expanding warning systems with possible sirens. Other recommendations include possible new restrictions on development in areas at high risk of flooding and educating the public about floods and other hazards. Last week's catastrophic flooding has put fresh scrutiny on the systems in place to keep Kerr County residents safe in the event of flooding. In recent years, multiple efforts in Kerr County to build a more substantial flood warning system have failed or been abandoned due to budget concerns or noise complaints. Update: Date: Title: Start here: The latest in Central Texas as Trump is expected to visit flood-damaged areas Content: As the urgent search of at least 160 missing people continues in the aftermath of the devastating flooding in Central Texas, concerns are growing over the systems meant to notify residents in emergency situations. It comes as President Donald Trump will visit the region today. Here's what we learned yesterday: CNN's Ollie Leltsov, Danya Gainor, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, Andrew Freedman, Melanie Hicken, Pamela Brown, Shoshana Dubnow, Karina Tsui, Tristen Rouse, Christine Server, Kathleen Magramo, Leigh Waldman and Joel Williams contributed reporting. Update: Date: Title: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requests federal disaster assistance for more counties Content: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request additional counties be added to President Donald Trump's major disaster declaration following the flooding in central Texas. 'Five counties – Burnet, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson – are requested to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance programs, and four counties – Kendall, Kimble, Menard, and San Saba – are requested to be eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance Program,' the governor's office said in a statement yesterday. On Sunday, Trump approved the governor's request for a major disaster declaration for Kerr County. The approval allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses.
CNN
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Live updates: Texas flooding death toll, Trump visit and latest on Camp Mystic
Update: Date: 9 min ago Title: Kerr County officials warned of flood risk and need for alarm system months before tragedy struck Content: Kerr County officials warned 'it is likely' that the county 'will experience a flood event in the next year' in a hazard mitigation report submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last October. The 220-page report, which addressed a range of natural threats, emphasized that such a flood event could be especially dangerous for residents living in 'substandard structures' and may result in 'increased damage, injuries, or loss of life.' One of the solutions outlined was to have a local flood warning system that could alert residents to rising waters. The report estimates a cost of less than $1 million for a system that would include precipitation sensors, automatic crossing barriers and a web-based alert platform. Implementing the plan would take three to five years, according to the report, which also identifies FEMA programs for possible funding. The plan also listed a goal in the next two to five years of expanding warning systems with possible sirens. Other recommendations include possible new restrictions on development in areas at high risk of flooding and educating the public about floods and other hazards. Last week's catastrophic flooding has put fresh scrutiny on the systems in place to keep Kerr County residents safe in the event of flooding. In recent years, multiple efforts in Kerr County to build a more substantial flood warning system have failed or been abandoned due to budget concerns or noise complaints. Update: Date: 10 min ago Title: Start here: The latest in Central Texas as Trump is expected to visit flood-damaged areas Content: As the urgent search of at least 160 missing people continues in the aftermath of the devastating flooding in Central Texas, concerns are growing over the systems meant to notify residents in emergency situations. It comes as President Donald Trump will visit the region today. Here's what we learned yesterday: CNN's Ollie Leltsov, Danya Gainor, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, Andrew Freedman, Melanie Hicken, Pamela Brown, Shoshana Dubnow, Karina Tsui, Tristen Rouse, Christine Server, Kathleen Magramo, Leigh Waldman and Joel Williams contributed reporting. Update: Date: 10 min ago Title: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requests federal disaster assistance for more counties Content: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request additional counties be added to President Donald Trump's major disaster declaration following the flooding in central Texas. 'Five counties – Burnet, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson – are requested to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance programs, and four counties – Kendall, Kimble, Menard, and San Saba – are requested to be eligible for FEMA's Public Assistance Program,' the governor's office said in a statement yesterday. On Sunday, Trump approved the governor's request for a major disaster declaration for Kerr County. The approval allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses.
