The death toll from catastrophic flash floods in central Texas surpassed 100 late Monday, as search and rescue teams continued to look for survivors and more rain threatens to swamp the region.
The operators of Camp Mystic — an all-girls Christian summer camp in Texas Hill —Country announced they lost 27 campers and counsellors in the floods. At least 10 campers and one counsellor are still missing.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” a statement on the camp website read.
“We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected,” the statement added.
Searchers have recovered the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, in Kerr County — home to several summer camps. The number of missing persons from nearby camps has not yet been released.
The Guadalupe River rose 8 metres in just 45 minutes following an intense downpour north of San Antonio in the early hours of Friday.
The sudden surge triggered raging flash floods — among the nation's worst in decades — which slammed into camps and homes, pulling sleeping people from their cabins, tents, and trailers, and dragging them past floating trees and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.
Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, local officials said.
Authorities investigate warning systems
Officials warned that the death toll is likely to rise as additional rain and flood warnings threaten the region.
They vowed to investigate whether sufficient emergency warnings were issued ahead of the flooding and ask why camps failed to evacuate or move to higher ground in the flood-prone area.
That will include a review of how weather warnings are sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor cellphone service, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said.
“We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,” Rice said. “We’re looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.”
Local officials have faced questioning over what kind of flood warning and evacuation systems were in place in the area.
Senator Ted Cruz denied allegations that recent government spending cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service delayed warnings to the campers.
“There’s a time to have political fights, there’s a time to disagree. This is not that time,” Cruz said. “There will be a time to find out what could been done differently. My hope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood.”
The weather service first advised of potential flooding on Thursday and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare step that alerts the public to imminent danger.
Some residents say they never received any warnings. Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official, said "nobody saw this coming."
US President Donald Trump, who signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, announced he plans to visit the state on Friday, a week after the deadly floods took place.
