Latest news with #TexasDepartmentOfPublicSafety
South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Texas officials trying to figure out who's really missing from deadly floods
This week in Texas, estimates put the number of people still missing from the Hill Country floods at more than 170, a daunting figure atop at least 120 deaths confirmed by authorities. Advertisement But that missing person tally might not be as precise as it seems. Confusion and uncertainty can take hold after a shocking disaster and, despite best efforts by local authorities, it can be difficult to pin down how many people reported missing are actually unaccounted for. Some people on a list after California's Camp Fire wildfire in 2018 were later found to be OK the whole time. The death count in the 2023 Maui fire was 102, far below the 1,100 people initially feared missing. Men place crosses along the Guadalupe River in memory of flood victims. Photo: AP In Texas, several hundred people were reported missing to officials in Kerr County after the Fourth of July floods, said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Investigators whittled that number down by Tuesday after learning that some were counted twice and others were found alive.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas floods: Death toll hits 78, 10 campers remain missing
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Families sifted through waterlogged debris Sunday and stepped inside empty cabins at Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp ripped apart by flash floods that washed homes off their foundations and killed at least 78 people in central Texas. Rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain continued their desperate search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from the camp. For the first time since the storms began pounding the Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. In Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and other youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said in the afternoon. He pledged to keep searching until 'everybody is found' from Friday's flash floods. Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials. The death toll is certain to rise over the next few days, said Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The governor warned Sunday that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated. The governor warned Sunday that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding, especially in places already saturated. Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man, who said his daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp, walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks. RELATED: What we know about victims of devastating Texas floods One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face looking out the open window, gazing at the wreckage as they slowly drove away. While the families saw the devastation for the first time, nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the water as they searched the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so. Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made. President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas. 'These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,' Trump posted on social media. List: Some of the deadliest US floods in the last 25 years The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours. Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. 'I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,' he said in a statement. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History's first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, 'I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.' The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn't reach them. At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs. 'God was with us': Texas woman describes surviving in tree after being swept away by floods Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. Two school-age sisters from Dallas were missing after their cabin was swept away. Their parents were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but the girls' grandparents were unaccounted for. Locals know the area as ' flash flood alley' but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings. The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger. At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday. Families confirm multiple Camp Mystic campers, camp director did not survive deadly flooding Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
A Frantic Search for Flooding Survivors by Air, Water and Land
Downed power lines, flooded roads and spotty cellphone service were among the challenges rescue workers in Texas were facing on Friday as they searched for survivors of a deadly flood along the Guadalupe River. As many as 500 emergency personnel from numerous local and state agencies were deployed to the affected area on Friday. They were using 14 helicopters and several boats to search for people who survived the flood and to guide ground teams, officials said. 'We have plenty of resources on the ground,' Freeman F. Martin, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told reporters on Friday afternoon. Officials said they had received offers from residents who wanted to assist with the search. But they urged people to stay home and warned residents in the area to refrain from launching drones or using private helicopters, saying that doing so could endanger rescue workers. 'We don't need any more first responders,' Mr. Martin said. 'We don't want anybody to self deploy.' Mr. Martin said that emergency workers had managed to reach people who were stranded but safe in several locations in the flood zone. Officials were waiting for road conditions to improve before evacuating them. 'We're able to bring food and water to them,' he said. 'It's just taking time to get them out of there.' Mr. Martin said that as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, about 25 roads in the area were impassable. He said that people should not try to drive or wade through flooded areas. 'If you can't tell how deep it is, the best advice is to stay home,' he said.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
UPDATE: 11-year-old last seen in Grand Prairie found after Amber Alert
UPDATE: 11-year-old Jeana Rodriguez was found at around 8:54 p.m. on Sunday after the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a LOCAL Amber Alert to help find her. GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (KETK) – The Texas Department of Public Safety has issued a LOCAL AMBER ALERT for Jeana Rodriguez, an 11-year-old Black girl who was last seen in Grand Prairie. Have you seen them? Texas children that have been missing, unidentified for over 45 years Jeana is described as an 11-year-old Black girl with brown eyes and brown hair who weighs around 95 pounds and is around 4'11'. She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt, pink shorts and brown boots near 1410 State Highway 161 in Grand Prairie at around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Anyone who's seen her or knows anything about her location is asked to contact the Grand Prairie Police Department at 972-237-8700. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
