Rescuers in Texas raced Sunday to find dozens of missing people swept away by flash floods that have killed at least 68 people, while meteorologists warned of more flooding.
Texans joined the rescue and search efforts for the missing, including 11 girls at a Christian summer camp on the riverbank.
Several flood warnings remained in place across Central Texas as the Guadalupe River rose eight meters in just 45 minutes on Friday.
River waters reached the tops of trees and roofs of the camp's dorms as the girls slept, sweeping some away in a scene of devastation.
Chaos erupted at the Kerr County summer camp, which hosted hundreds of girls, with blankets, toys, and other belongings covered in mud.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the Mystic Camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, where about 750 girls were staying when floodwaters swept through, was "horrifically devastated in ways I have never seen in a natural disaster." "We won't stop until we find all the girls who were in the affected shelters," he added in a post on the X platform after visiting the site.
For his part, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick warned that the heavy rains were likely to cause further flooding.
"We expect the number to rise, unfortunately," he told Fox News.
US officials and media reported that nine people were killed in other Texas counties, bringing the death toll to 68.
Earlier, officials reported that 27 girls were missing from the camp. However, Dalton Rice, a Kerrville city official, said at a press conference on Sunday that the number now stands at 11, without providing details about the sharp drop.
The National Weather Service also warned on Sunday that thunderstorms threatened further flash flooding over waterlogged lands in Central Texas.
The flooding began on Friday, with months of rainfall falling in just a few hours.
Several victims were found in other areas far from the summer camp.
The owner and manager of Camp Mystic also died, according to Kerville. The same fate befell the manager of a nearby summer camp.
While flooding, caused by the ground's inability to absorb rainwater, is not uncommon, scientists say that human-driven climate change has made phenomena like floods, droughts, and heat waves more frequent and severe.
Meanwhile, while at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, US President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Texas, releasing resources to the state.
Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd confirmed that air, land, and water rescue crews were combing the Guadalupe River for survivors and bodies.
He added, "We will continue to search until all of the missing are accounted for."
Officials said the speed and scale of the flooding were shocking.
.jpg)
0 Comments