Texas flash flood death toll rises to 24 as rescuers search for missing children
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Resident Naomi Peel watching the flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 4.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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- Flash floods in south-central Texas on July 4 resulted in at least 13 deaths, including children, with warnings of more casualties, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
- Around 23 girls from Camp Mystic are unaccounted for after the Guadalupe River rose 8m in 45 minutes, with the camp reporting "catastrophic level of flooding".
- A "mass casualty event" prompted deployment of 500 rescue personnel, 14 helicopters, and warnings of further rain, as stated by Mr Freeman Martin.
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KERVILLE, Texas - Rescuers were desperately searching for at least 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp, officials said on July 4, after torrential rain caused a catastrophic flash flood that killed at least 24 people as it swept through south-central Texas.
“At this point, we are at about 24 fatalities,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told an evening press conference as rescue teams scrambled to locate stranded residents in the region north-west of the city of San Antonio.
Texas Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick said at a previous news conference that some of the dead were children.
The county sheriff said there were “kids that are still missing”, adding that between 23 and 25 people were unaccounted for.
Lt-Gov Patrick had previously said “about 23” girls attending a summer camp in the flooded Kerr County were missing.
They were part of a group of around 750 children at Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp along the banks of the Guadalupe River, which rose 8m in 45 minutes with heavy rainfall overnight.
“That does not mean they have been lost, they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication,” Lt-Gov Patrick said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was signing a disaster declaration to boost resources in counties in the region.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on the night of July 4: “It is terrible, the floods. It is shocking.”
Asked if Texas would receive federal aid, he said: “Oh yeah, sure, we will take care of it. We are working with the governor.”
The flooded Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 4.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Rescue efforts
Massive rescue efforts were under way in the region, with around 500 personnel and 14 helicopters helping in the search for survivors.
Texas military official Thomas Suelzer told reporters at least 237 people had been rescued or evacuated by emergency personnel, with 167 rescues performed using helicopters.
Mr Freeman Martin, director of the state’s public safety department, told an evening press conference on July 4: “We had a hard time getting in this morning, with the weather the way it was.”
“As the day went on, it picked up, and we were able to rescue more and recover more. That will continue tomorrow,” Mr Martin added, calling the disaster a “mass casualty event”.
US media reported that trucks had arrived at Camp Mystic to transport stranded people.
State and local officials warned against residents travelling to the area, which includes camp grounds dotted along the river, with dozens of roads impassable.
Videos on social media showed houses and trees swept away by the overnight flash flood caused by heavy overnight rain of 30cm – one-third of Kerr County’s average annual rainfall.
Gov Abbott shared a video on X of a victim being plucked from the top of a tree by a rescuer dangling from a helicopter, as flood waters raged below.
“Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for,” he said.
The Texas National Guard sent rescue teams, and the US Coast Guard joined efforts as well.
‘Another wave’
Public safety official Mr Martin warned of “another wave” that could impact other counties in the state, adding that “this is not going to end today”.
Kerr County officials have repeatedly said they were unaware of an impending flood overnight from July 3 to July 4.
“We didn’t know this flood was coming,” Kerr County judge Rob Kelly said earlier on July 4, adding that the region has “floods all the time”.
“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,” he added, referring to the Guadalupe River.
First responders survey the rising flood waters of the Guadalupe River, after flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ms Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a local church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold.
“It has been years since we had a flood, but nothing like this,” Ms Reyna said.
“Nothing as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people’s houses and, you know, it is just crazy,” she added.
Forecasters issued a flood warning for Kerr County, urging those living near the Guadalupe River to “move to higher ground”.
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 like floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and intense.
In mid-June, at least 10 people were killed by flash floods in San Antonio following torrential rain.
Meanwhile, at least two people were killed when a tree fell onto their vehicle during a severe storm in the north-eastern state of New Jersey, local police confirmed on July 4. AFP
