Latest news with #LeonMeier
Glasgow Times
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Glasgow Times
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. Leon Meier throws a tree branch during clean-up efforts after flooding in Centre Point, Texas (AP/Ashley Landis) '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. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River (AP/Eli Hartman) 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. Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic (AP/Julio Cortez) 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 Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Climate
- The Herald Scotland
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
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. Leon Meier throws a tree branch during clean-up efforts after flooding in Centre Point, Texas (AP/Ashley Landis) '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. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River (AP/Eli Hartman) 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. Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic (AP/Julio Cortez) 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'.
Irish Examiner
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Examiner
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 on Monday it lost at least 27 campers and counsellors. Leon Meier throws a tree branch during clean-up efforts after flooding in Centre Point, Texas (AP/Ashley Landis) '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. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River (AP/Eli Hartman) 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. Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic (AP/Julio Cortez) 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'.
Western Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Western Telegraph
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. Leon Meier throws a tree branch during clean-up efforts after flooding in Centre Point, Texas (AP/Ashley Landis) '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. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River (AP/Eli Hartman) 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. Officials ride a boat as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic (AP/Julio Cortez) 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'.
RNZ News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
83yo and 21yo to represent New Zealand at Bridge Championships
Leon Meier, 21, from Canterbury will be teaming up with Jan Cormack, 83, for the World Bridge Teams Championships in Denmark. Photo: Supplied Jan Cormack, 83, has been representing New Zealand in Bridge since 1977. Card carrying prodigy Leon Meier is 21; together they are taking on the world at the Bridge Championships in Denmark later this year. Leon's been playing Bridge since he was just 16 after being taught by his calculus teacher. Bridge is a partnership game about working out information and solving puzzles. It's played with a deck of cards with four people at the table, with two partnerships often played with teammates. Meier told Checkpoint he and Cormack are bridging the gap between the two generations. Cormack became Meier's Bridge partner after finding out his first partner was ineligible to represent New Zealand. "I was entered for the Open team trials with my regular partner. But we found out that one of our teammates was ineligible for representation. So, then we didn't get to trial in the open section," Meier said. "By one month he had played for Ireland two years ago. He has to have played two years and one month ago in order to trial for New Zealand. So, he was one month short." Meier then decided to try out the mix category, where a male and a female play together in a partnership. "I was wondering who would be a good woman player and then my regular partner suggested asking Jan Cormack. Now, she didn't come to the top of my mind immediately because she's been retired from International Bridge for so long," he said. "But as soon as I heard her name, I was like, that's a great partner. I would love to play with her. Let's see if she wants to play with me because she's an absolute legend." After calling and telling her what had happened, Meier asked her if she wanted to be his Bridge partner at the World Championships. "She said that she'd love to play with me and that, she's a bit flattering here, when she said a player of my calibre deserves to represent New Zealand and she would be happy to do anything she can to make that happen, even if it means playing with an old lady like her," Meier said. "I've got some good results, but I'm always trying to get better, aiming to one day be a world champion." Jan Cormack playing bridge. Photo: Jan cormack He said it is a myth that players need to be good at mathematics to be good at Bridge. "Even though there's maths underlying, you don't have to work out the maths at the time. It's all about logic, deductions and inferences and then solving puzzles. The probabilities in the maths, even though those probabilities are there, you don't have to work them out," he said. "I did do some did some maths competitions when I was younger and in school, I've always enjoyed maths, and my calculus teacher thought that I would like Bridge because of because of this and he was right." Having a similar style and idea of how the game is played to the person they're playing with helps, he said. "That actually did cause some difficulty playing with Jan because the game has changed so much since she started playing 50-60 years ago," Meier said. "The style that I have coming in as someone who's just learned, not very long ago and someone who's played for a long time, was pretty different, so we've tried to bridge the gap." Leon Meier, 21, from Canterbury (far right) will be teaming up with Auckland-based Jan Cormack, 83, for the World Bridge Teams Championships in Denmark. Photo: Supplied Meier lives in Christchurch and Cormack lives in Auckland, creating a physical gap, he said. "We've both travelled to play some practise tournaments together. We can also practise online together and call each other and send each other documents with information." He said to help connect with Cormack; he's also researched how Bridge has been played in the past. "I just love the game, so I spend a lot of my time reading about it. I've seen a lot of how Bridge used to be played it in back in the day and having an understanding of that does help." He said he believes he and Cormack may be one of the strongest Bridge mixed teams that New Zealand has sent. "I think we've got a good chance at making it to the knockouts, maybe the quarterfinals even. Our chances at winning the gold medal probably not very high. There are so many good players in the World Championships from loads of different countries. "We'll go there, and we'll try our best and I believe that anything is possible." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
