性视界传媒

3:08 P.M. SUNDAY UPDATE:

Search and rescue efforts continued Sunday for 11 missing girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for young girls at the center of the catastrophic floods that swept the Texas Hill Country, local officials said at a news conference.

At least 59 people were killed by the flooding in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said. At least 11 additional deaths were confirmed in surrounding counties, pushing the storm's overall toll to at least 70. That surpassed the estimated 68 deaths directly caused by Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas in 2017.

More than 400 first responders from over 20 agencies were on the ground combing the area Sunday, Leitha said.

Among the 59 dead in Kerr County were 21 children and 38 adults. Twelve adults and five children were still unidentified.

"We have increased our number of personnel who are navigating the really challenging shores along the bank line, but we're continuing to make progress," said Dalton Rice, city manager of Kerrville.

Friends and families posted desperate messages online seeking help locating the missing campers. Many more people could still be unaccounted for, officials warned, noting that visitors to the area for the July 4th weekend make it difficult to assess an exact number of people unaccounted for.

"We will be relentless in going after and assuring that we locate every single person who's been a victim of this flooding event," Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference held earlier in the day with state and federal officials.

Abbott expanded the disaster declaration he issued Friday night to include Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Travis and Williamson counties given continued rain and ongoing flooding. And on Sunday, President Donald Trump approved Abbott's request for a federal disaster declaration, making Kerr County eligible for federal aid. The move opens up grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals recover from the effects of the disaster.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday said that the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Border Patrol had already been involved in rescue efforts while U.S. Customs and Border Protection were assisting with coordination.

In the span of 36 hours, first responders have rescued more than 850 people, some clinging to trees to stay safe amid the rising water, Abbott said.

In response to criticisms of the warning provided by National Weather Service ahead of the flood, Noem said upgrading its technology was among the reforms Trump sought to make at the department.

However, the agency has been dealing with staffing shortages after cuts by the Trump administration led to nearly 600 layoffs and retirements. Whether those cuts had any effect on the National Weather Service's ability to predict or warn people of the oncoming flood remains an open question. Though, the agency itself said it had adequate staffing.

As floodwaters receded in the Kerrville area, the damage was becoming clear. Dozens of tree trunks were snapped in half, some at 90 degree angles. Black and silver power lines were tangled with branches along the side of the road. A few tree trunks appeared to have been stripped bare of their bark from the rushing water.

At Cross Kingdom Church, Pastor Justin Carpenter started collecting clothing, nonperishable food, toiletries and cat and dog food Friday afternoon. They had reached capacity with donations and were turning other potential helpers away. So far, only about half a dozen people had shown up seeking help. Because the areas most affected has lost cell service, it性视界传媒檚 been hard to reach people in need.

性视界传媒淭he biggest thing would be to get the word out into the community that we性视界传媒檙e here and ready to give everything out,性视界传媒� he said.

Billy Lawrence, a 73-year-old San Angelo man, has dealt with this type of tragedy before. During flooding in the summer of 1987, he spent more than 30 days looking for bodies. The first one he found was of a child in a tree, 20 feet up.

But he said this flood is twice as bad as it was in 1987. On Saturday, he was back patrolling the river for bodies. A former volunteer with the Red Cross, he said he's gotten used to the morbid practice.

性视界传媒淚性视界传媒檓 used to death. I性视界传媒檝e been around it a lot," Lawrence said.

He noted there are about 20 camps along the river in this area and said the camp counselors should receive training to check the weather every night.

"I'm not blaming them. They just have to do that,性视界传媒� he said.

President Donald Trump expressed his condolences in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

"Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy," Trump wrote. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!"

About 10 inches of rain fell within a few hours, causing flooding along the Guadalupe River which rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.

The death toll in an area historically prone to major flooding has raised questions about whether people near the river, including many vacationers in town for the Fourth of July weekend, received sufficient warning.

The private forecasting company AccuWeather and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.

性视界传媒淭hese warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,性视界传媒� AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said in a statement that called the Texas Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.

Local officials defended their actions Friday while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.

One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week had called for up to 6 inches of rain, said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

性视界传媒淚t did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,性视界传媒� he said.

However, Porter emphasized that people and officials should always take safety precautions when there is a potential for flooding.

"People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast," Porter said. "Flash flood warnings indicate an immediate risk to life and property in the warned area."

性视界传媒� Berenice Garcia, Jessica Shuran Yu and Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune

ORIGINAL STORY:

More than 50 people have died and dozens of children are missing in Texas Hill Country after catastrophic flooding, leaving officials struggling to explain if they had done enough to warn people of the fast-rising waters.

At least 27 campers from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, remain unaccounted for, officials said at a briefing. They said they are maintaining that number even as more bodies were discovered. Of the dead in Kerr County, 28 were adults and 15 were children. At least eight others have died in nearby counties.

Authorities are warning the casualty count will climb as more rain is forecast, increasing the risk of further flash floods in the coming days. Officials declined to give a figure for the total number of people missing, in part because so many visitors came to the area to camp during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

The flood took Texas officials by surprise. Thunderstorms, combined with the remnants of short-lived Tropical Storm Barry, produced much more rain than had been forecast.

性视界传媒淭his is the most dangerous river valley in the United States. And we deal with floods on a regular basis,性视界传媒� Kerr County Judge Robert Kelly told reporters. 性视界传媒淲e had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what性视界传媒檚 happened here. None whatsoever.性视界传媒�

The Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a briefing Friday. The National Weather Service had predicted only 3 to 6 inches of rain in the area.

Gov. Greg Abbott expressed gratitude to the first responders who had poured into the area, and said the search for survivors continues. At a news conference earlier on Saturday, Abbott, flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, thanked the federal government for providing assistance.

Abbott later said in a post on X that he visited Camp Mystic on Saturday. Mystic is one of several youth camps in the Hill Country that cater to families from Dallas, Houston and Austin who send kids for month-long getaways at places like Camp Longhorn and Camp Waldemar. Authorities were able to confirm that no other camps have missing children.

When the unexpected deluge hit Friday, there were about 750 children at Camp Mystic, which is about 85 miles northwest of San Antonio. The Hill Country sprawls across all or part of more than 20 counties in Central Texas, with booming Austin and San Antonio on the region性视界传媒檚 eastern fringe driving a transformation from ranchland to suburbia.

The camp and 性视界传媒渢he river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I性视界传媒檝e seen in any natural disaster,性视界传媒� Abbott wrote. 性视界传媒淭he height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won性视界传媒檛 stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.性视界传媒�

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that federal officials are working with state and local counterparts.

性视界传媒淥ur Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best,性视界传媒� Trump wrote. 性视界传媒淕OD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!性视界传媒�

The National Weather Service warned of more extreme rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding in parts of the region, issuing flood watches and warnings in Central Texas, including parts of Austin and San Antonio. The service also reported numerous water rescues.

A rapid analysis by Colorado State University climatologist Russ Schumacher shows the six-hour rainfall totals made this a 1,000-year event 性视界传媒� that is, it had less than a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said weather predictions underestimated the severity of the storms. 性视界传媒淭he amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of the forecasts,性视界传媒� Kidd said.

The weather service 性视界传媒渋s heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County,性视界传媒� according to an emailed statement late Saturday that included a timeline of its flood-hazard outlook and warnings.

Noem said federal officials will look at whether more warning could have been provided.

性视界传媒淔or decades, for years, everybody knows that the weather is extremely difficult to predict, but also that the National Weather Service, over the years, at times, has done well, and at times we have all wanted more time and more warning and more alerts and more notification,性视界传媒� she said.

Officials have rescued around 850 people, and are using helicopters, boats and drones to search for others in need of assistance, Abbott said. Many roads were washed out, limiting access to some areas.

At Camp Mystic, aging bunks with names of former campers carved in the rafters sat on a slope near the river. Some were washed away by the surging waters.

Its website was overloaded with visitors Saturday, according to an error message. Photos said to be of missing children spread on social media, but officials declined to release names of any of the missing.

President Lyndon Johnson性视界传媒檚 daughters spent several summers at Mystic among the live oak trees and cedar brush, and former first lady Laura Bush was a Mystic counselor in college, according to Texas Monthly.

Posts on a Facebook page called Kerrville Breaking News were filled with photos of people and pets said to be missing. One woman said she was trying to locate a 19-year-old counselor at Mystic.

性视界传媒淧eople need to know today will be a hard day,性视界传媒� said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring.

性视界传媒� Joe Lovinger and Mar铆a Paula Mijares Torres, Bloomberg News