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UPI
a day ago
- Climate
- UPI
Number of missing victims from Texas flooding drops
Aerial view of the flooding of the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday, July 5, 2025. USCG MH-65 helicopters have conducted multiple flights to the flooded area, rescuing 15 campers from Camp Mystic in Hunt and aiding in the evacuation of 230 people. File Photo via U.S. Coast Guard/UPI | License Photo July 20 (UPI) -- The number of people missing from Kerr County, the hardest hit after devastating flooding in Texas on July 4, dropped to three after authorities accounted for many who were initially reported missing. The announcement was made Saturday evening by officials in Kerr County and the city of Kerrville, which did not identify the names of the victims who remained to be found. Those who were accounted for were verified to be safe and removed from the list. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice thanked more than a thousand local, state and federal authorities who searched for more than 160 people believed to be missing after torrential downpours caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly. "This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time," Rice said. Authorities are continuing recovery operations to search for the three missing people."Our thoughts remain with the families still awaiting news, and we will continue to stand with them as efforts persist," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said in a statement. After the August 2023 Maui wildfire, officials first reported about 1,100 missing persons. By September, DNA testing reduced the death count, and by June 2024, only two people remained missing with the official death toll at 102.
UPI
10-07-2025
- Climate
- UPI
'Forecasts were there': Emergency response questioned in Texas floods
1 of 3 | Aerial view of the wreckage left in the wake of the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on Sunday. USCG MH-65 helicopters have conducted multiple flights to the flooded area, rescuing 15 campers from Camp Mystic in Hunt and aiding in the evacuation of 230 people. Photo via U.S. Coast Guard/UPI | License Photo July 10 (UPI) -- More than 100 people are dead and 150 known to be missing in Texas Thursday from flooding but questions remain about how the effects of the deadly disaster could have been mitigated. Kerr County is where most of the deaths and missing persons originate from, but more counties have reported fatalities: Travis, Kendall, Burnet, Williamson and Tom Green County. Hunt, Texas, the site of Camp Mystic for Girls, is located in Kerr County. Twenty-seven campers and counselors from the camp were confirmed dead while five campers and one counselor were listed as missing on Tuesday. The search for blame has extended to Washington with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., demanding an investigation into whether staffing cuts by the Trump administration are in any way responsible for weakening disaster mitigation efforts in Texas. President Donald Trump's administration, in its broad effort to reduce federal spending, has cut positions in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and proposed more cuts. "According to The New York Times -- key forecasting and coordination positions at the [National Weather Service] offices responsible for this region -- were vacant at the time of the storm," Schumer wrote in a letter to acting inspector general Duane Townsend. "NYT further reports that the vacancy rate at many NWS offices nationwide has roughly doubled since President [Donald] Trump returned to office -- due in part to a wave of early retirements encouraged by the administration and a freeze on hiring. The roles left unfulfilled are not marginal, they're critical." NOAA eliminated the positions of hundreds of probationary employees beginning in February. NOAA's budget justification for fiscal year 2026 -- a detailed breakdown of how funding will be used -- outlines about a $2.2 billion reduction in research funding. This would include climate and weather research. The responsibilities of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would be terminated with some of its remaining responsibilities being moved to the National Weather Service and National Oceanic Service. Staff was not an issue in Texas on July 3 and July 4, according to a press release shared with UPI by NOAA. Extra staff members were on duty at the National Weather Service's Weather Forecast Offices in Austin/San Antonio and San Angelo, Texas, on July 3 and into the daytime on Friday. "All forecasts and warnings were issued in a timely manner," the press release reads. "Additionally, these offices were able to provide decision support services to local partners, including those in the emergency management community." The timeline shared by NOAA begins before what was shared by Kerr County officials. On the morning of July 3, the National Water Center Flood Hazard Outlook "indicated an expansion of flash flood potential" for Kerrville, Texas, in Kerr County and surrounding areas. At 1:18 p.m. CDT on July 3, a flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office. It was to remain in effect through Friday morning. As early as 6:10 p.m. on July 3, the Weather Prediction Center issued three forecasts focused on excessive rainfall "indicating the potential for flash flooding." At 6:22 p.m. on July 3, the National Weather Center Area Hydrologic Discussion issued "locally considerable flood wording" -- messaging guidance -- for areas north and west of San Antonio including Kerrville. At 11:41 p.m. on July 3, the first flash flood warning was issued for Bandera County. "The point is the forecasts were there," Clifford Mass, professor of atmospheric and climate science at the University of Washington, told UPI. "The mechanisms to distribute the forecasts were there. This was a failure of local counties and municipalities and people running these camps." Mass added that weather forecasting, including for dangerous weather, is better than it has ever been. However, local officials have not taken proper steps to maintain the safety of their populations in several instances, including ahead of the floods in Texas. "This has happened time and time again. Some local groups, counties and cities are not taking advantage," he said. "Governmental structures are not acting properly. You can't expect everybody to be an expert on emergency management. It has to be done at a higher level." The Texas legislature will convene a special session beginning on July 21. Its agenda includes items related to improving the state's disaster response and emergency management. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Kerr County officials refused to answer questions from reporters about who would have made decisions relating to evacuation orders during separate press conferences on Tuesday. Abbott confirmed that the state government was aware of the possibility of serious flooding on July 2. "We pre-positioned assets and resources and personnel," Abbot said during Tuesday's press conference. "Then when greater clarity was discerned on Thursday we moved them closer, added and made sure we had adequate supply going into Friday. So we were ready with resources on the ground to be able to quickly respond." "That said, we didn't know the magnitude of the storm," he continued. "If you're in a flash flood warning, no one would know that would be a 30-foot high tsunami wall of water, I don't think." According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, the first flood emergency alert happened at 1:14 a.m. CDT on Friday. Dispatchers began receiving calls about the flood between 3 and 4 a.m. and he was first contacted by a sergeant between 4 and 5 a.m. "We're in the process of trying to put a timeline. That's going to take a little bit of time," Leitha told reporters on Tuesday morning. "That is not my priority at this time. There's three priorities. That's locating the people out there, identifying and notifying the next of kin. That is what I'm taking as my job as sheriff here to do." When asked whether the county's emergency manager was awake and able to issue an emergency alert during the early morning hours, Leitha said he could not say. "Sir, it's not that easy to just push a button. There's a lot more to that," Leitha said. "I can't tell you at this time." Lt. Col. Ben Baker, deputy director of law enforcement of the Texas Game Wardens, then declined to answer a follow-up question about who from emergency management was receiving weather briefings and would have made a decision to evacuate. "We understand you have many questions. We understand that," Baker responded. "Right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home. That's our focus. All those questions will be answered but the priority right now is bringing people home." In his press conference Tuesday afternoon, Abbott became combative with a reporter who asked "who is to blame here?" "Know this, that's the word choice of losers. Every football team makes mistakes," Abbott said. "The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame. The championship teams are the ones that say, 'Don't worry about it, man. We got this. We're going to make sure we go score again and we're going to win this game. What Texas is all about is solutions." Anyone with information about people missing from the flood is encouraged to call 830-258-1111 or email kerrvillemissing@
UPI
08-07-2025
- Climate
- UPI
Texas flooding death toll more than 100 as searches continue
1 of 4 | An aerial view shows the wreckage left in the wake of the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, on Sunday. U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopters have conducted multiple flights to the flooded area, rescuing 15 campers from Camp Mystic in Hunt and aiding in the evacuation of 230 people. Photo via U.S. Coast Guard | License Photo July 7 (UPI) -- The death toll from historic flooding in Texas' Hill Country rose to 104 Monday as Camp Mystic girls summer camp confirmed 27 campers and counselors died. Several other people remain missing. In the torrential rainfall that began early Thursday, the Guadalupe River in Kerr County rose 20 feet in just two hours, 65 miles north of San Antonio and 101 miles west of Austin. Hunt, where the girls camp is located near Kerrville, received about 6.5 inches in three hours early Friday. And the area was hit with more rain over the weekend and Monday. But drier weather is forecast for Tuesday as the Guadalupe River has returned to more typical levels. The Llano River and San Saba River also dramatically rose. Eighty-four of the confirmed deaths, 56 adults and 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference Monday. Of the bodies, 22 adults and 10 children have not been identified. "We share our deepest condolences with all affected by this tragedy," a post by the sherif's office said. "We ask private boat owners to stay off the Guadalupe River and its tributaries at this time to allow search and rescue teams to operate without interference." Travis County, which includes the state capital in Austin, has confirmed at least seven deaths. Also, four people are dead in Burnet County, six in Kendall County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. All-out searches are continuing. "There's always hope," Jake Stovall, founder and director of Gulf Search and Rescue, told CNN about his all-volunteer crew of nine. "I've done this long enough. I've found people four days later and 20 foot up in a tree, clinging into the tree, dehydrated ... We're out here trying to find everybody alive, and if we find them deceased, then we, respectfully and with dignity, recover them." Flooding inundates campgrounds Camp Mystic, which is near the Guadalupe River, had about 750 campers when the flooding hit. At least 10 girls and a counselor are missing, Leitha said. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly," the camp said in a statement. "We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level." Buildings were destroyed, and furniture and toys were strewn on the ground. The camp opened 99 years ago, and the owner and director Dick Eastland, 74, died while trying to save girls at the camp, according to CBS News. First Lady Laura Bush was a drama counselor at Camp Mystic. A Camp Mystic counselor helped evacuate 14 of her campers early Friday morning. Emma Foltz, from Alexandria, La., was recognized by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry in a post on Instagram. Two other summer camps on the river, Camp Waldemar and Camp La Junta, reported all their campers were safe. Gov. Jim Abbott visited the Mystic site on Saturday. "Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I've seen in any natural disaster," Abbott wrote on X. "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won't stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins." Abbott said efforts will continue until all people are accounted for, including thoroughly searching the Guadalupe River. Disaster declaration President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration on Sunday after Gov. Greg Abbott declared 20 counties as affected over the weekend. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to free up additional resources to assist with the response to the flooding. The declaration will ensure the counties "are going to have access to every tool, strategy, personnel that the state of Texas can provide to them, which will be limitless," Abbot said. More than 20 states have sent resources, including Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered three swift-water rescue teams to the Lone Star state. A water rescue crew and two horseback riders arrived Monday from Mexico, as well. Also, 1,750 personnel and more than 975 vehicles have been deployed, the governor said in a statement. Trump told reporters Sunday he plans to visit Texas "probably on Friday." Rescue efforts More than 850 uninjured people and eight hurt were rescued in Kerr County. The U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for saving 223 people. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted video of rescues. She singled out Chief Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who "saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene." HHS oversees FEMA. Flood alerts The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for Hill County on Thursday night. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN that he didn't receive a warning. "The map was all the way from Kerr County to Val Verde County; hundreds of miles and we were the very edge of that map," Herring said. "And even if we were on the edge of the map, if it had hit five miles to the west, you'd be in Real County right now, because the water would have all rushed to Real County." He said he got a call from City Manager Dalton Rice around 5:30 a.m. In downtown, "it was already, our Louis Hays Park, was already inundated. That was the first time I knew." Warnings were about as reliable as expected, independent meteorologists and a former NWS official told NBC News. They said predicting extreme rain and flash flooding several hours ahead of time is challenging. "The forecasting was good. The warnings were good. It's always about getting people to receive the message," Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist based in Wisconsin. "It appears that is one of the biggest contributors -- that last mile." Though NWS offices have been understaffed because of cutbacks, the meteorologists said they didn't think it was a factor. "The original forecast that we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3 to 6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Hill Country," Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd said at a news conference Friday. "The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts nonetheless." Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, said that, in retrospect, people in flood-prone areas should have been evacuated. "Everyone would agree, in hindsight, if we could go back and do it again, we would evacuate," Cruz said. "Particularly those in the most vulnerable areas -- the young children in the cabins closest to the water, we would remove them and get them to higher ground, if we could go back and do it again."
Time of India
07-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
'It's not over for us': US coast guard saves 165 lives in Texas flash floods; hailed as 'American hero'
Scott Ruskan (Image credits: X @nicksortor) A US coast guard rescue swimmer is being hailed as an 'American hero' after saving 165 lives during his first-ever mission, a response to deadly flash flooding in Texas that has claimed the lives of at least 82 people, with many still unaccounted for. Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem praised the mission online, calling Scott Ruskan an 'American hero' whose courage 'embodies the spirit and mission of the Coast Guard.' But Ruskan quickly shared the credit. 'Honestly, I'm mostly just a dude. I'm just doing a job,' he said. 'Whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation." Scott Ruskan, 26, a New Jersey native and former accountant, had only recently completed his coast guard training when he was called into action on the fourth of July. 'This is what it's all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job,' said Ruskan as quoted by The New York Post. 'This is why like Coast Guard men and women, are risking their lives every day.' Ruskan, who grew up in Oxford, New Jersey, enlisted in 2021. After finishing basic training and Aviation Survival Technician school in California, he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had been training and preparing since November, waiting for a mission that finally came during the holiday weekend. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Texas Task Force 1, a partnership between the Texas army national guard and Texas A&M, contacted the coast guard asking for urgent help. 'That's a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we're a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that's kind of what we do,' said Ruskan. By early Friday, coast guard MH-65 and Army Blackhawk helicopters were in the air headed to Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer camp hit hard by the floods. Five young campers, ages 8 and 9, were confirmed dead. A counselor and 11 more girls were still missing. With limited space in the helicopters, the rescue crew decided to leave Ruskan on the ground to direct the triage operation. He helped guide choppers to pockets of survivors, tended to the injured, and tried to comfort cold, frightened children and adults still in pajamas after fleeing their bunks overnight. Over several hours, Ruskan worked through the chaos to help evacuate 165 people to safety. 'So we basically got the majority of the people out of Camp Mystic, which is awesome. And I feel like we did a lot of good that day, but obviously it's still super sad,' he said. 'There's still a lot of people missing and unaccounted for, so the mission's not over yet. It's not over for us.'
New York Post
06-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
New Jersey native on first rescue mission with Coast Guard helps save 165 Texas flood victims: ‘American hero'
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer is already being hailed as an 'American hero' after his very first mission — helping to save the lives of 165 Texas flash-flood victims. 'This is what it's all about, right? Like, this is why we do the job,' said Scott Ruskan, 26, a New Jersey native and former KPMG accountant, to The Post after his work in central Texas. 'This is why we take those risks all time. This is why like Coast Guard men and women, are risking their lives every day,' said Petty Officer Ruskan — who was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, the Christian girls' summer camp that saw some of the worst of the flooding. Advertisement 10 US Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan helped save 165 people from the Texas flash-floods this week. Facebook Raised in Oxford, NJ, Ruskan enlisted in the US Coast Guard in 2021, and after completing basic training, went to Aviation Survival Technician school in Petaluma, Calif., before being stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had been on call since November after completing all of his training, familiarizing himself with the Coast Guard's iconic MH-65 helicopter and enrolling in additional rescue swimming classes as he waited to be called into action. Advertisement That fateful call came on the Fourth of July as a massive summer rainstorm led to catastrophic flash flooding in the Lone Star State that has so far claimed at least 80 lives. Bryan Winchell, a helicopter search and rescue technician with Texas Task Force 1 — a joint partnership between the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service — called the Coast Guard looking to get boots on the ground and in the air for an emergency rapid response near central Texas. 'That's a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we're a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that's kind of what we do,' Ruskan said. 10 Ruskan with his family after passing rescue swimmer school last year. Instagram/Julie Ruskan Advertisement 10 The rescues at Campy Mystic were Ruskan's first mission. Instagram/Julie Ruskan By 7 a.m. Friday, crews loaded into Blackhawk 60 and Coast Guard MH-65 choppers and took to the skies. It was 'literally the best aircrew we could possibly have,' Ruskan said. Follow The Post's coverage on the deadly Texas flooding Advertisement Their destination was Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer camp just off the banks of the Guadalupe River, which saw some of the worst of the flooding. Five campers ages 8 and 9 have been confirmed dead, with a counselor and 11 more girls still missing, officials said. 10 A Coast Guard crew participating in rescue missions near Kerrville, Texas with a MH-65 helicopter. USCG Heartland When the crew arrived, they were racing against sundown to rescue as many stranded flood victims as possible. All roads were impassable, and the currents were too strong for any boats to get in, leaving helicopter evacuation as the only hope for the nearly 200 survivors. As the crews evaluated the operational logistics, their goal was to move as many people out of harm's way as possible, but they were bound by the weight limits of the helicopters. During a briefing, they decided to leave Ruskan on the ground to triage the rescue mission. 'I was like, sweet, sounds great, I'll be more helpful on the ground than I will be in the air right now, so that's kind of what we went with,' he said. 10 An aerial view of the flooding from the Guadalupe River near Kerville on July 5, 2025. Po3 Cheyenne Basurto/UPI/Shutterstock 10 A helicopter flying over Camp Mystic to search for missing flood victims on July 6, 2025. Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The rescuers loaded the first four to five survivors into the MH-65, and Ruskan set out to take a closer look at the scene of the camp, which was on higher ground than the flood-ravaged surrounding areas, where trees were snapped like twigs and twisted metal of cars littered the muddy ground. While on the ground, Ruskan tended to terrified and injured campers, many of them shoeless and still wearing pajamas from their mad dash out of their bunks in the middle of the night. In between comforting the 'cold, wet and miserable' survivors, both kids and adults, Ruskan directed Army Blackhawk 60s and MH-65s to pockets of survivors to begin painstakingly bringing them to safety. 10 Two girls getting rescued from the floodwaters in Texas by a helicopter. via GageGouldingTV Advertisement 'My main job was triaging, and then my second job I kind of picked up was just trying to comfort these kids and the family members and counselors,' Ruskan said. 'I mean this is like, probably the worst day of their life. They're in a terrible situation, they have friends and family unaccounted for, missing, unknown status, and they're looking to me and all the rescuers for guidance and comfort.' He said one of the hardest parts was having crying grown adults coming to him for help finding missing loved ones. 10 A search crew on the grounds of Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025. AP Photo/Julio Cortez Advertisement 10 A cabin destroyed by flooding at Camp Mystic. REUTERS 'It's like, 'Hey, I can't help you guys locate these people, but I can get you guys out of here right now if we just try to remain calm,' and just trying to comfort everyone as best I could is kind of what I was doing,' he said. Over the next several hours, Ruskan spearheaded a high-risk rescue mission under the worst possible environmental conditions, which in the end saw 165 brought to safety. 'So we basically got the majority of the people out of Camp Mystic, which is awesome. And I feel like we did a lot of good that day, but obviously it's still super sad,' he said. 'There's still a lot of people missing and unaccounted for, so the mission's not over yet. It's not over for us. Advertisement 10 Ruskan celebrating with his sister after completing rescue swimming school. Instagram/Julie Ruskan 'We're back home and stuff, but there's still so many crews, Coast Guard, Department of Public Safety, Air National Guard and those Task Force 1 guys, as well as other local agencies. They're still out there,' Ruskan said, eager to share the credit for him and his crew's heroics with the other agencies involved in the rescue. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trumpeted the successful rescue mission on social media, identifying Ruskan by name and calling him an 'American hero' whose 'selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the Coast Guard.' But Ruskan's reaction to her glowing praise was to share the glory with his fellow guardsmen. 'Honestly, I'm mostly just a dude. I'm just doing a job. This is what I signed up for, and I think that any single Coast Guard rescue swimmer or any single Coast Guard pilot, flight mechanic, whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation,' he said. 'That's what we were asked to do and we're gonna do it. Any one of us, if anyone else was on duty that day, they would have done the same thing as us. We just happened to be the crew that got the case.'
