Texas flood death toll rises to 131 as new storms loom with searches suspended
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Search and rescue operations being performed in the Guadalupe River in Texas, the US, on July 14.
PHOTO: AFP
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AUSTIN, Texas – The official tally of storm-related deaths across Texas
A US National Weather Service flood watch forecasting heavy downpours of up to about 15cm of rain was posted until on the morning of July 15 for a wide swath of central Texas extending from the Rio Grande east to San Antonio and Austin.
The advisory included Kerr County and other parts of Texas Hill Country along the Guadalupe still recovering from the July 4 flood disaster, which ravaged the county seat of Kerrville and a riverside Christian summer camp for girls in the nearby town of Hunt.
Riverfront residents as well as search teams still combing the banks of the waterway were advised to seek higher ground until the latest danger had passed. The search for additional victims along the Guadalupe was likewise suspended due to flood concerns on July 13.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on July 14 said storms had claimed at least 131 lives in Texas since July 4, the bulk of those deaths in and around Kerrville, up from 120 reported on July 11.
He said 97 people were still listed as missing in the greater Kerrville area, down from the 160-plus who the authorities said were unaccounted for last week.
About a third of the Kerr County dead victims are children, most of whom perished at Camp Mystic when floodwaters raged through the girls-only summer retreat before dawn on July 4.
The authorities have not recovered anyone alive since the day of the floods, when more than about 30cm of rain fell in less than an hour in the heart of a region known as “flash flood alley”, sending a deadly wall of water down the Guadalupe River basin.
Mr Abbott said state lawmakers would investigate the circumstances of the flooding, disaster preparedness and emergency response to the flooding at a special legislative session set to convene later in July.
The high casualty toll, ranking as one of the deadliest US flood events in decades, has raised questions about the lack of flash-flood warning sirens in Kerr County and vacancies left at National Weather Service offices amid staffing cuts under the Trump administration. REUTERS
