- Rescuers searched for 27 missing girls swept away by floods in Central Texas
- Kerr County reported 43 deaths, including 15 children, from the floods
- Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, causing severe flash flooding
Multiple flash flood warnings remained in place across central Texas in the United States, after water surged through communities, with the Guadalupe River rising by 26 feet (eight meters) in just 45 minutes. Rescuers searched Saturday for 27 missing girls who were swept away by devastating floods in Central Texas, United States, where at least 59 people died, with the likelihood of finding more survivors appearing to diminish.
The worst affected by torrential rains was Texas's Kerr County, where 43 people, including 15 children, died, followed by Travis County, where four people died.
"We still have heavy rains today, and we lost others. We're now up to 59. We expect that to go higher, sadly," Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Fox News.
Rescuers Race Against Time
In Kerr County, the waterways gorged by thunderstorms tore through a Christian girls' camp--where hundreds were staying-- trapping families inside trailer homes and sweeping people into the currents. According to authorities, some two dozen campers remained unaccounted for, and there was "no cap" to the broader tally of the missing.
Authorities said the search operations were now a race against time, but they refused to relinquish hope of finding more survivors.
A view inside a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding. Photo Credit: AFP
Texas Department of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said air, ground and water-based crews were scouring the length of the Guadalupe River for survivors and the bodies of the dead."We will continue the search until all those who are missing are found," he said.
Massive Losses
Videos from Texas posted on social media showed bare concrete platforms on lands where houses used to stand, with piles of rubble lining the banks of the river.
Rescuers lifted people from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
Call For More Resources
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was expanding a state disaster declaration and was requesting additional federal resources from President Donald Trump. The President 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.
But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honour that request.
President Donald Trump said he and his wife, Melania, were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media.
Inaccurate Warning
The flooding began Friday -- the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend -- as months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours.
People stand near debris following flash flooding in Kerrville, Texas. Photo Credit: Reuters
Kristi Noem 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.
The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad.
A view of a damaged building at Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding. Photo Credit: AFP
He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.
"People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage," he said.
More Rains Predicted
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of more rain in its forecast, saying that "excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations."
A helicopter passes in the distance after a deadly flood in Kerrville, Texas. Photo Credit: Reuters
In Kerrville on Saturday, the usually calm Guadalupe was flowing fast, its murky waters filled with debris.
"The water reached the top of the trees. About 10 meters or so," said resident Gerardo Martinez, 61. "Cars, whole houses were going down the river."
Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual. But scientists say that in recent years, human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
