Texas floods leave 51 dead, 27 girls missing, search ops underway
The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and several more people died in nearby counties.
PTI
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Photo: PTI
Kerrville, 6 July
Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled
trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris Saturday in an increasingly bleak
mission to locate survivors, including 27 girls who have not been seen since
their camp was slammed with a wall of water in a historic flash flood.
The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including
15 children, and several more people died in nearby counties.
Authorities still have not said how many people were missing
beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in
Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.
The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the
Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes
and vehicles. The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities
outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained
in effect.
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.
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.
Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and
residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and
whether enough preparations were made.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas 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
July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
“We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville
City Manager Dalton Rice said earlier.
Raging storm hit camp in middle of the night
“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one
of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It
was really scary.”
The raging storm, fueled by incredible amounts of moisture, woke
up her cabin just after midnight Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a
rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping
around their legs, she said.
Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones
and pleas for information.
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 just
up the road.
The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents,
campers and officials by surprise.
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National
Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.
Helicopters and drones used in frantic search
Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every
possible location,” Rice said.
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last
36 hours and there were heroic efforts at the camps to save children.
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