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GMA Network
08-07-2025
- Climate
- GMA Network
Death toll from Texas flash floods tops 100, with scores still missing
Items from inside a cabin sit on the ground at Camp Mystic, in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Sergio Flores) KERRVILLE —The death toll from the July Fourth flash flood that ravaged a swath of central Texas Hill Country rose on Tuesday to at least 109, many of them children, as search teams pressed on through mounds of mud-encrusted debris for scores of people still missing. The bulk of fatalities and the search for additional victims were concentrated in Kerr County and the county seat of Kerrville, a town of 25,000 residents transformed into a disaster zone when torrential rains struck the region early last Friday, unleashing deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River. The bodies of 94 flood victims, more than a third of them children, have been recovered in Kerr County alone as of Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a late-afternoon news conference after touring the area by air. He said 161 other people were known to be missing in the flood zone. The Kerr County dead included 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the Guadalupe near the town of Hunt. The camp director also perished. Five girls and a camp counselor were still unaccounted for on Tuesday, Abbott said, along with another child not associated with the camp. As of midday, 15 other flood-related fatalities had been confirmed across a swath of Texas Hill Country known as "flash flood alley," the governor said, bringing the overall death toll from the disaster to 109. Reports from local sheriffs' and media have put the number of flood deaths outside Kerr County at 22. Hindered by continuing intermittent thunderstorms and showers, rescue teams from federal agencies, neighboring states and Mexico have joined local efforts to search for missing victims, though hopes of finding more survivors faded as time passed. The last flood victim found alive in Kerr County was on Friday. "The work is extremely treacherous, time-consuming," Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens said at a press conference. "It's dirty work. The water is still there." More than a foot of rain fell in the region in less than an hour before dawn last Friday, sending a wall of water cascading down the Guadalupe River basin that killed dozens of people and left behind mangled piles of debris, uprooted trees and vehicles. Local, state and federal emergency officials have faced days of angry questions about whether they could have warned people in flood-prone areas sooner. At an earlier news briefing on Tuesday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha rebuffed questions about the county's emergency management operations and preparedness and declined to say who in the county was ultimately in charge of monitoring weather alerts and issuing a flood warning or evacuation orders. He said his office first started receiving emergency 911 calls between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday, several hours after the local National Weather Service station issued a flash-flood alert. "We're in the process of trying to put (together) a timeline," Leitha said. Beyond the fatalities in hardest-hit Kerr County, the death toll included seven in Travis County, seven in Kendall County, five in Burnett County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, plans to visit the devastated region this week, a spokesperson said. Democrats in Washington have called for an official investigation into whether the Trump administration's job cuts at the National Weather Service affected the agency's response to the floods.—Reuters
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Straits Times
Rescue teams find three more bodies after central Texas floods
Search teams continue searching for flood victims near Camp Mystic, in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY The death toll in Kerr County crept up to 87 on Tuesday as search and rescue teams recovered three more bodies in the flood-ravaged hills of central Texas, according to officials in the county worst hit by the disaster. Rescue teams from federal agencies, neighboring states and Mexico have joined local efforts to search for survivors, which have been hindered by thunderstorms and downpours. As they work through lists of people reported missing, the teams have not found a living survivor in Kerr County since Friday. The floods have killed at least 109 people including dozens of children. "The work is extremely treacherous, time-consuming," Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens said at the press conference. "It's dirty work. The water is still there." Torrential rains before dawn on Friday deluged the Guadalupe River, which burst its banks and killed dozens of people, leaving behind mangled piles of debris, trees and cars. Local and federal emergency officials have faced days of angry questions about whether they could have warned people in flood-prone Texas Hill Country sooner. At least 56 adults and 30 children have been killed in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a press conference in Kerrville, the county seat, with more than two dozen victims yet to be identified. Authorities have not determined if the 87th victim was an adult or child. Some of the flood victims were sleeping at Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian girls' summer camp near the town of Hunt; five children and one camp counsellor were still unaccounted for on Tuesday. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses The sheriff rebuffed several questions about the county's emergency management operations and preparedness, and declined to say who in the county was ultimately in charge of monitoring weather alerts and issuing a flood warning or evacuation order. He said his office first started getting 911 emergency calls between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday, several hours after the local National Weather Service station issued a flash-flood alert. "We're in the process of trying to put (together) a timeline," Leitha said. The floods killed at least another 22 people outside Kerr County, according to local sheriffs' and media reports, with seven dead in Travis County, seven dead in Kendall County, five dead in Burnett County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, plans to visit the devastated region this week, a spokesperson said. Democrats in Washington have called for an official investigation into whether the Trump administration's job cuts at the National Weather Service affected the agency's response to the floods. REUTERS
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Texas's worst flooding in decades
Frames hang from a wall with flood marks at Camp Mystic near Hunt, Texas, on Monday. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters A law enforcement member works in recovery operations following flooding on the Guadalupe River in Camp Mystic, on Monday. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters Towels and clothing hang on a clothesline outside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, on Saturday. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images A rescue team searches for missing people on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on Sunday. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images A family provides supplies in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas, on Sunday. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters Search and rescue workers look through debris for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on Sunday. Photograph:Salvaged photographs in a family's home after it flooded in Center Point, Texas, on Sunday. Photograph:Kerrville, Texas, on Sunday. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Onlookers surveil damage along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Kerrville, Texas, on Friday. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP The Guadalupe River in Kerrville on Sunday. Photograph:A table of refreshments is set up in a parking lot during a drive-up prayer service in Kerrville, on Sunday. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters Campers' belongings at Camp Mystic, on Monday. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters People look on as law enforcement and volunteers continue to search for missing people near Camp Mystic. Photograph: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images A flood gauge marks the height of water flowing near Kerrville, on Friday. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP People comfort each other in Kerrville on Saturday. Photograph: Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP Search and rescue workers dig through debris in Hunt, on Sunday. Photograph:A volunteer holds a sign for free food for people in need of relief in Center Point, on Sunday. Photograph:Heal-Corp Search and Rescue volunteers near Camp Mystic, on Monday. Photograph:Texas department of public safety troopers load a recovered body into the back of a vehicle near the Guadalupe River in Ingram, on Monday. Photograph: Eli Hartman/AP The Guadalupe River flows over a bridge in Kerrville, on Saturday. Photograph: Dustin Safranek/EPA
Japan Today
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Japan Today
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit
By Sergio Flores, Rich McKay and Tim Reid The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including at least 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp entered a third day and fears of more flash flooding as rain fell on saturated ground prompted fresh evacuations. Larry Leitha, the Kerr County Sheriff in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicenter of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and 41 confirmed missing. The governor did not say how many of the dead outside Kerr were children. Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp. Sheriff Leitha said on Sunday that 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor were still missing. "It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through," said Abbott, who said he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing. The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said at the press conference on Sunday afternoon the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County. "You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow," said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday. Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. "Everyone in the community is hurting," Leitha told reporters. A WALL OF WATER Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of "an additional wall of water" flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday's rains. He said aircraft were sent aloft to scout for additional floodwaters, while search-and-rescue personnel who might be in harm's way were alerted to pull back from the river in the meantime. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and advisories for central Texas that were to last until 4:15 p.m. local time as rains fell, potentially complicating rescue efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and planes are helping the search and rescue efforts, the department said. SCALING BACK FEDERAL DISASTER RESPONSE Trump, who said on Sunday he would visit the disaster scene, probably on Friday, has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm. Trump's administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said. Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees NOAA, said a "moderate" flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic U.S. congressman from Texas, told CNN's "State of the Union" program that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous. "When you have flash flooding, there's a risk that if you don't have the personnel ... to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy," Castro said. 'COMPLETE DEVASTATION' Camp Mystic had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flooding. Katharine Somerville, a counselor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night. "Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y'all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen," Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday. Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe. The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 meters) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Why weren't Texas camps evacuated during devastating floods? Surprising details emerge after Camp Mystic tragedy
At least 59 people were killed in Kerr County due to the catastrophic, swift-moving waters that commenced before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country, according to authorities on Sunday. The number of individuals still missing is unknown. Camp Mystic tragedy: Furnitures lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S., July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores(REUTERS) The majority of the dead were retrieved from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp near a river in Kerr County, but 11 girls and a camp counselor were among those still missing. As authorities launched one of the biggest search and rescue missions in recent Texas history, they are coming under greater scrutiny to explain their preparations and why locals and youth summer camps near the river were not notified earlier or instructed to leave. According to the National Weather Service, it issued flash flood emergencies, a rare warning of impending danger, after issuing an array of warnings about flash floods in the early hours of Friday. Local authorities have justified their efforts, claiming that no one anticipated the possibility of flooding. Republican U.S. Representative Chip Roy, who represents Kerr County, said, 'There's going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking. There's a lot of people saying 'why' and 'how,' and I understand that.' Also Read: Melania Trump's Texas floods post sparks outrage as she offers just two things to victims; 'You and your husband…' Why weren't the camps evacuated? During a press conference on Friday, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly admitted that 'we do not have a warning system,' adding that he 'can't answer' why camps weren't evacuated. He even stated that officials did not know that flood was coming. 'Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming. We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever.' Nicole Wilson, 42, was 'blown away' when she watched the press conference from her San Antonio home. Speaking to KXAN, she revealed her friends' kids were at Camp La Junta and Camp Mystic. All three kids have been rescued. However, one of her relatives' kids is still unaccounted for. The city of Kerrville's Facebook page advised campers to 'move to higher ground immediately' in wake of flash flood warnings issued by the National Weather Service. However, campers at Camp Mystic probably were not aware of that as a recent list of directions, cell phones, smart watches, iPads, and anything with Wi-Fi capability were deemed "unacceptable electronic devices" to bring and 'not allowed.' Meanwhile, officials have urged those in need of assistance to report missing loved ones to call 830-258-1111.
