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AsiaOne
10-07-2025
- AsiaOne
Texas officials deflect mounting questions about response to deadly flood, World News
KERRVILLE, Texas — Officials in flood-stricken central Texas on Wednesday (July 9) again deflected mounting questions about whether they could have done more to warn people ahead of devastating flash flooding that killed at least 119 people on July 4. At a morning news briefing in Kerr County, where the vast majority of victims died, Sheriff Larry Leitha defended the actions of emergency responders as the tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours on Friday. Pressed about how long it took for officials to respond to "Code Red" alerts about the flash flooding, Leitha declined to respond directly, saying his focus was on finding missing people and that a full analysis of what, if anything, went wrong would come later. "We will answer those questions," he said. "We're not running, we're not going to hide from everything. That's going to be checked into at a later time. I wish I could tell you that time." As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 170 people still unaccounted for, according to figures provided by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, suggesting the death toll could still rise significantly. Searchers have not found anyone alive since Friday. The Kerr County seat, Kerrville, was devastated when torrential rains lashed the area early on Friday, dropping more than a foot of rain in less than an hour and swelling the Guadalupe River to a height of nearly 30 feet (9 meters). The death toll in Kerr County was 95 as of Wednesday morning, including three dozen children, Leitha told reporters. That figure includes at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe. In Hunt, a community in western Kerr County, Jose Olvera's family set up a shrine near the spot where he and his wife were swept away by floodwaters outside their ranch house. The family found Olvera's body next to a nearby stream, his foot protruding from underneath a tree branch. His wife remains missing. "This could have been avoided, something like this," said Olvera's son, Macedonio, sitting outside the home and surrounded by debris. "There are ways to detect things, appropriate alerts to let the community know what is happening." Abbott on Tuesday sought to push aside questions about who was to blame for the mounting death toll. Invoking American football as an analogy, he told reporters that blame was the "word choice of losers" in the sport revered in Texas. "Every football team makes mistakes," he said. "The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, 'Don't worry about it, man. We got this. We're going to make sure that we go score again and we're going to win this game.'" The governor said the Texas legislature would convene a special session later this month to investigate the emergency response and provide funding for disaster relief. Communication challenges The state emergency management agency warned last Thursday on the eve of the disaster that parts of central Texas faced a threat of flash floods, based on National Weather Service forecasts. But twice as much rain as forecast ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice has said. The amount of rainfall in such a short period of time made it impossible to order evacuations without further endangering people, Rice said. He also noted that the county is sprawling and rural, with spotty cell phone service, creating communication challenges. County officials had considered installing an early-warning system about eight years ago but abandoned the proposal after failing to secure state grant money to fund it, according to the Houston Chronicle. Kerr County sits at the centre of a section of Texas Hill Country that is particularly susceptible to flash floods, due to the terrain. Elsewhere on Tuesday, three people died in New Mexico, two of them young children, when a flash flood swept through the village of Ruidoso in mountains around 135 miles (217 km) southeast of Albuquerque, the state's largest city. The flooding was sparked by heavy rain that fell on wildfire burn scars, causing a rapid runoff of water that saw the Rio Ruidoso River rise to a record 20 feet, five feet higher than its previous historical high, the village said in a statement. Scientists say climate change has made extreme flood events more frequent and damaging by creating warmer, wetter weather patterns. [[nid:719961]]
The Star
09-07-2025
- The Star
Texas officials deflect mounting questions about response to deadly flood
KERRVILLE, Texas (Reuters) -Officials in flood-stricken central Texas on Wednesday again deflected mounting questions about whether they could have done more to warn people ahead of devastating flash flooding that killed at least 119 people on July 4. At a morning news briefing in Kerr County, where the vast majority of victims died, Sheriff Larry Leitha defended the actions of emergency responders as the tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours on Friday. Pressed about how long it took for officials to respond to "Code Red" alerts about the flash flooding, Leitha declined to respond directly, saying his focus was on finding missing people and that a full analysis of what, if anything, went wrong would come later. "We will answer those questions," he said. "We're not running, we're not going to hide from everything. That's going to be checked into at a later time. I wish I could tell you that time." As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 170 people still unaccounted for, according to figures provided by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, suggesting the death toll could still rise significantly. Searchers have not found anyone alive since Friday. The Kerr County seat, Kerrville, was devastated when torrential rains lashed the area early on Friday, dropping more than a foot of rain in less than an hour and swelling the Guadalupe River to a height of nearly 30 feet (9 meters). The death toll in Kerr County was 95 as of Wednesday morning, including three dozen children, Leitha told reporters. That figure includes at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe. In Hunt, a community in western Kerr County, Jose Olvera's family set up a shrine near the spot where he and his wife were swept away by floodwaters outside their ranch house. The family found Olvera's body next to a nearby stream, his foot protruding from underneath a tree branch. His wife remains missing. "This could have been avoided, something like this," said Olvera's son, Macedonio, sitting outside the home and surrounded by debris. "There are ways to detect things, appropriate alerts to let the community know what is happening." Abbott on Tuesday sought to push aside questions about who was to blame for the mounting death toll. Invoking American football as an analogy, he told reporters that blame was the "word choice of losers" in the sport revered in Texas. "Every football team makes mistakes," he said. "The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, 'Don't worry about it, man. We got this. We're going to make sure that we go score again and we're going to win this game.'" The governor said the Texas legislature would convene a special session later this month to investigate the emergency response and provide funding for disaster relief. COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES The state emergency management agency warned last Thursday on the eve of the disaster that parts of central Texas faced a threat of flash floods, based on National Weather Service forecasts. But twice as much rain as forecast ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice has said. The amount of rainfall in such a short period of time made it impossible to order evacuations without further endangering people, Rice said. He also noted that the county is sprawling and rural, with spotty cell phone service, creating communication challenges. County officials had considered installing an early-warning system about eight years ago but abandoned the proposal after failing to secure state grant money to fund it, according to the Houston Chronicle. Kerr County sits at the center of a section of Texas Hill Country that is particularly susceptible to flash floods, due to the terrain. Elsewhere on Tuesday, three people died in New Mexico, two of them young children, when a flash flood swept through the village of Ruidoso in mountains around 135 miles (217 km) southeast of Albuquerque, the state's largest city. The flooding was sparked by heavy rain that fell on wildfire burn scars, causing a rapid runoff of water that saw the Rio Ruidoso River rise to a record 20 feet, five feet higher than its previous historical high, the village said in a statement. Scientists say climate change has made extreme flood events more frequent and damaging by creating warmer, wetter weather patterns. (Reporting by Jane Ross in Kerrville and Maria Alejandro Cardona in Hunt; Additional reporting by Rich McKay and Andrew Hay; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Frank McGurty and Bill Berkrot)
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Straits Times
Texas officials deflect mounting questions about response to deadly flood
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox KERRVILLE, Texas - Officials in flood-stricken central Texas on Wednesday again deflected mounting questions about whether they could have done more to warn people ahead of devastating flash flooding that killed at least 119 people on July 4. At a morning news briefing in Kerr County, where the vast majority of victims died, Sheriff Larry Leitha defended the actions of emergency responders as the tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours on Friday. Pressed about how long it took for officials to respond to "Code Red" alerts about the flash flooding, Leitha declined to respond directly, saying his focus was on finding missing people and that a full analysis of what, if anything, went wrong would come later. "We will answer those questions," he said. "We're not running, we're not going to hide from everything. That's going to be checked into at a later time. I wish I could tell you that time." As of Tuesday evening, there were more than 170 people still unaccounted for, according to figures provided by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, suggesting the death toll could still rise significantly. Searchers have not found anyone alive since Friday. The Kerr County seat, Kerrville, was devastated when torrential rains lashed the area early on Friday, dropping more than a foot of rain in less than an hour and swelling the Guadalupe River to a height of nearly 30 feet (9 meters). The death toll in Kerr County was 95 as of Wednesday morning, including three dozen children, Leitha told reporters. That figure includes at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls' summer retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe. In Hunt, a community in western Kerr County, Jose Olvera's family set up a shrine near the spot where he and his wife were swept away by floodwaters outside their ranch house. The family found Olvera's body next to a nearby stream, his foot protruding from underneath a tree branch. His wife remains missing. "This could have been avoided, something like this," said Olvera's son, Macedonio, sitting outside the home and surrounded by debris. "There are ways to detect things, appropriate alerts to let the community know what is happening." Abbott on Tuesday sought to push aside questions about who was to blame for the mounting death toll. Invoking American football as an analogy, he told reporters that blame was the "word choice of losers" in the sport revered in Texas. "Every football team makes mistakes," he said. "The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, 'Don't worry about it, man. We got this. We're going to make sure that we go score again and we're going to win this game.'" The governor said the Texas legislature would convene a special session later this month to investigate the emergency response and provide funding for disaster relief. COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES The state emergency management agency warned last Thursday on the eve of the disaster that parts of central Texas faced a threat of flash floods, based on National Weather Service forecasts. But twice as much rain as forecast ended up falling over two branches of the Guadalupe just upstream of the fork where they converge, sending all of that water racing into the single channel where it slices through Kerrville, City Manager Dalton Rice has said. The amount of rainfall in such a short period of time made it impossible to order evacuations without further endangering people, Rice said. He also noted that the county is sprawling and rural, with spotty cell phone service, creating communication challenges. County officials had considered installing an early-warning system about eight years ago but abandoned the proposal after failing to secure state grant money to fund it, according to the Houston Chronicle. Kerr County sits at the center of a section of Texas Hill Country that is particularly susceptible to flash floods, due to the terrain. Elsewhere on Tuesday, three people died in New Mexico, two of them young children, when a flash flood swept through the village of Ruidoso in mountains around 135 miles (217 km) southeast of Albuquerque, the state's largest city. The flooding was sparked by heavy rain that fell on wildfire burn scars, causing a rapid runoff of water that saw the Rio Ruidoso River rise to a record 20 feet, five feet higher than its previous historical high, the village said in a statement. Scientists say climate change has made extreme flood events more frequent and damaging by creating warmer, wetter weather patterns. REUTERS
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Yahoo
Canadians in ICE detention centres left in legal limbo as families try to secure release
Relatives of Canadians detained by ICE in the United States say they're furious and frustrated by the treatment of their loved ones and the battles they're having to fight for even the most basic information. Global Affairs Canada said it's aware of roughly 55 Canadians in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, though it said that the numbers can fluctuate. Cynthia Olivera — born in Mississauga, Ont., but living in Los Angeles — was arrested last month when she and her husband went to an immigration office to complete an interview for her U.S. citizenship application. Paula Callejas of Montreal was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was arrested for a misdemeanor — and then transferred to an ICE facility. Olivera and Callejas's families told CBC News the weeks since their arrests have been a nightmare, filled with phone calls to lawyers and ICE bureaucracy. "We're completely concerned for her overall safety and health," a member of Callejas's immediate family told CBC News. CBC is not naming the family member over concerns they may have their own immigration issues while travelling to the U.S. Olivera's husband, Frank Olvera, said what was meant to be a routine immigration interview ended up feeling more like a trap. "We were flabbergasted," Olvera told CBC News. "No due process." Olivera, 45, moved to the U.S. with her family when she was young, her husband said. The two met in the '90s, married (she kept her last name), had children together and have been living in L.A. since then. "About two years ago, since the children are now older, we decided to hire a lawyer and start the immigration process the correct way," Olvera said. But instead of completing the interview, Olivera was arrested by immigration officials over a decades-old border issue, her husband said. "They lured us into our immigration appointment … took my wife, put her in handcuffs, swept her away," he said. "They didn't even give us an opportunity at the interview. Nothing." Olvera said that in 1999, Olivera had travelled to Canada to attend her mother's funeral and was initially denied re-entry because she was pregnant and told border agents she planned to have the child in the U.S. Olivera is now being held by ICE at a detention centre in El Paso, Texas, Olvera said. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a raft of executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of overseeing the largest deportation operation in American history. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and the main architect of Trump's immigration policies, has pushed ICE to aim for at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term. Earlier this week, Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem toured a new immigration detention facility in Florida that officials have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." "We are going after murderers and rapists and traffickers and drug dealers and getting them off the streets and getting them out of this country," Noem said after the facility tour. Callejas was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was charged with a misdemeanor in Florida. Although she pleaded not guilty to the charge, she was handed over to ICE and has been held for more than three months. The 45-year-old had been travelling to the U.S. in recent years with plans to expand her swimsuit business, according to her family. When reached for comment, ICE confirmed that both Callejas and Olivera are in custody but offered few details. Callejas's family said she has been transferred multiple times and last they heard she was in Arizona. But ICE told CBC News that it "seems" she is in El Paso. "We feel completely stressed out because we have no idea if one day she's going to be there or somewhere else," Callejas's relative said. Callejas's family is also now on the hook for her legal fees in both her criminal and immigration cases. They said they want her returned to Canada so she can deal with her misdemeanor charge. At least one Canadian detained by ICE was eventually released. Jasmine Mooney from B.C. was arrested and held for nearly two weeks after trying to get a work visa renewed. She returned to Canada in mid-March. Johnny Noviello, another Canadian citizen, died while in ICE custody last week. His death is under investigation. Olvera said his wife agreed to be deported so that she can at least continue her citizenship application in Canada before returning to her family. But he said there doesn't seem to be any urgency on ICE's part. "There is absolutely no reason why ICE cannot deport her. They're just taking their sweet old time and I don't know why," Olvera said. "We're willing to pay the ticket, whatever it takes. I'm willing to pay for an ICE agent to escort her to Canada if that's what's needed. I'm willing to pay for the ICE agent trip back." Like Callejas, Olivera has been transferred multiple times, her husband said. Both women's families raised concerns about the conditions of their detention. "The food is not great. The conditions of the sleeping arrangements — she tried to give us a hint that pretty much they get crammed up. It's really inhumane," Callejas's family member said, noting that all the calls are recorded. Olvera described a similar situation at the facility where his wife is being held. "It's horrible. They're treated like animals. Sometimes they get hot food, sometimes they don't," he said. Olvera — a third-generation American whose family immigrated from Mexico — said he typically votes Democrat but voted for Trump in November because he wanted a change. Now he appears to be questioning that decision. "I'm ashamed to be an American right now. I turn on the TV and I see them running around.… they're just chasing brown people nowadays," he said. On the day of his wife's arrest, Olvera said he and his lawyer weren't allowed to exit out the front of the building. "They escorted us out the back of the building by the trash cans, the loading dock," he said. "They didn't want to go back through the lobby where we entered from, because they're trapping a bunch of people at these immigration appointments." Unlike Olivera, Callejas may not want to return to the U.S. once her cases are resolved. "It was her dream to live in Florida just because of the business and [her] passion," the family member said. "After all of this, she's actually given up on that dream. She just wants to get out."
04-07-2025
Canadians in ICE detention centres left in legal limbo as families try to secure release
Relatives of Canadians detained by ICE in the United States say they're furious and frustrated by the treatment of their loved ones and the battles they're having to fight for even the most basic information. Global Affairs Canada said it's aware of roughly 55 Canadians in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, though it said that the numbers can fluctuate. Cynthia Olivera — born in Mississauga, Ont., but living in Los Angeles — was arrested last month when she and her husband went to an immigration office to complete an interview for her U.S. citizenship application. Paula Callejas of Montreal was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was arrested for a misdemeanor — and then transferred to an ICE facility. Olivera and Callejas's families told CBC News the weeks since their arrests have been a nightmare, filled with phone calls to lawyers and ICE bureaucracy. Enlarge image (new window) Paula Callejas from Montreal has been in ICE custody for more than three months after being charged with a misdemeanor in Florida, her family says. (Name withheld) Photo: (Name withheld) We're completely concerned for her overall safety and health, a member of Callejas's immediate family told CBC News. CBC is not naming the family member over concerns they may have their own immigration issues while travelling to the U.S. Olivera's husband, Frank Olvera, said what was meant to be a routine immigration interview ended up feeling more like a trap. We were flabbergasted, Olvera told CBC News. No due process. Olivera, 45, moved to the U.S. with her family when she was young, her husband said. The two met in the '90s, married (she kept her last name), had children together and have been living in L.A. since then. About two years ago, since the children are now older, we decided to hire a lawyer and start the immigration process the correct way, Olvera said. Decades-old U.S. entry refusal But instead of completing the interview, Olivera was arrested by immigration officials over a decades-old border issue, her husband said. They lured us into our immigration appointment … took my wife, put her in handcuffs, swept her away, he said. They didn't even give us an opportunity at the interview. Nothing. Olvera said that in 1999, Olivera had travelled to Canada to attend her mother's funeral and was initially denied re-entry because she was pregnant and told border agents she planned to have the child in the U.S. Olivera is now being held by ICE at a detention centre in El Paso, Texas, Olvera said. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a raft of executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of overseeing the largest deportation operation in American history. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and the main architect of Trump's immigration policies, has pushed ICE to aim for at least 3,000 arrests a day, up from about 650 a day during the first five months of Trump's second term. Earlier this week, Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem toured a new immigration detention facility in Florida that officials have dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. We are going after murderers and rapists and traffickers and drug dealers and getting them off the streets and getting them out of this country, Noem said after the facility tour. Callejas was in the process of finalizing a work visa when she was charged with a misdemeanor in Florida. Although she pleaded not guilty to the charge, she was handed over to ICE and has been held for more than three months. The 45-year-old had been travelling to the U.S. in recent years with plans to expand her swimsuit business, according to her family. When reached for comment, ICE confirmed that both Callejas and Olivera are in custody but offered few details. Callejas's family said she has been transferred multiple times and last they heard she was in Arizona. But ICE told CBC News that it seems she is in El Paso. We feel completely stressed out because we have no idea if one day she's going to be there or somewhere else, Callejas's relative said. Callejas's family is also now on the hook for her legal fees in both her criminal and immigration cases. They said they want her returned to Canada so she can deal with her misdemeanor charge. At least one Canadian detained by ICE was eventually released. Jasmine Mooney from B.C. was arrested and held for nearly two weeks (new window) after trying to get a work visa renewed. She returned to Canada in mid-March. Johnny Noviello, another Canadian citizen, died while in ICE custody last week (new window) . His death is under investigation. Olvera said his wife agreed to be deported so that she can at least continue her citizenship application in Canada before returning to her family. But he said there doesn't seem to be any urgency on ICE's part. There is absolutely no reason why ICE cannot deport her. They're just taking their sweet old time and I don't know why, Olvera said. We're willing to pay the ticket, whatever it takes. I'm willing to pay for an ICE agent to escort her to Canada if that's what's needed. I'm willing to pay for the ICE agent trip back. Like Callejas, Olivera has been transferred multiple times, her husband said. Both women's families raised concerns about the conditions of their detention. The food is not great. The conditions of the sleeping arrangements — she tried to give us a hint that pretty much they get crammed up. It's really inhumane, Callejas's family member said, noting that all the calls are recorded. Olvera described a similar situation at the facility where his wife is being held. It's horrible. They're treated like animals. Sometimes they get hot food, sometimes they don't, he said. 'I'm ashamed to be an American' Olvera — a third-generation American whose family immigrated from Mexico — said he typically votes Democrat but voted for Trump in November because he wanted a change. Now he appears to be questioning that decision. I'm ashamed to be an American right now. I turn on the TV and I see them running around.… they're just chasing brown people nowadays, he said. On the day of his wife's arrest, Olvera said he and his lawyer weren't allowed to exit out the front of the building. They escorted us out the back of the building by the trash cans, the loading dock, he said. They didn't want to go back through the lobby where we entered from, because they're trapping a bunch of people at these immigration appointments. Unlike Olivera, Callejas may not want to return to the U.S. once her cases are resolved. It was her dream to live in Florida just because of the business and [her] passion, the family member said. After all of this, she's actually given up on that dream. She just wants to get out. Darren Major (new window) · CBC News
