Horror floods swept across Texas on the weekend, with search and rescue operations still ongoing in the area
A desperate search for at least 10 girls missing in the deadly Texas floods is continuing as the death toll rose to at least 82 so far.
The group of girls and one councillor are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
At Camp Mystic, at least 27 people died, the camp confirmed in a statement to NBC News.
“This tragedy has devastated us and our entire community. Our hearts are broken alongside the families that are enduring this tragedy, and we share their hope and prayers,” Camp Mystic added.
The camp thanked the local community, as well as first responders and officials for “the outpouring of support”, and asked for continued prayers as searches continue.
A further 41 people remain missing across the state.
Rescue crews have already saved hundreds of people and will work around the clock to find those still unaccounted for, Texas governor Gregg Abbott pledged.
But what has happened and how did the floods start? Here is all we know:
When did the floods start?
In the early hours of Friday, heavy rain fell and floods swept across Texas Hill Country. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet within 45 minutes, according to state officials, and broke banks - devastating the area.
At least 82 people have died in the floods, with 59 of the confirmed deaths occurring in Kerr County.
What happened in the lead up?
Forecasters predicted heavy rainfall, and plans were put in place to help the area in advance - although ultimately, it was not enough.
On the Wednesday before rainfall, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) put in place state emergency response resources, saying there were "increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas."
Water rescue teams, along with other types of rescue equipment, were moved to the area just in case with the predictions of high levels of rainfall.
But those in the area say that, despite these plans, the weather was more extreme than any foresaw.
Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said: “Listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service….It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw.”
On Friday in the early hours it became clear the rainfall, which started at around 1am, that the weather was more extreme than first thought.
At 1:26 a.m., the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said "flash flooding likely overnight with significant impacts possible”.
As much as 10 inches - 25cm - of heavy rain fell in just a few hours causing the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst at around 4am local time.
By 5:15 a.m. the National Weather Service realised things were worse than first thought and posted on X that there was a flash flood emergency.
The Austin/San Antonio office posted on its X account about the emergency at 5:23 a.m.
They wrote: “This type of alert is exceedingly rare and used when there is a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage.”
What is going on now?
Search and rescue teams, as well as local residents, are continuing to do all they can to locate missing people and help those affected and hurt in the floods.
Officials added that more than 850 people have been rescued so far, including over 100 airlifted from the region as rescue.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas said: "I'd just [ask] everybody like, pause, take a breath for the recriminations and the Monday morning quarterbacking.
“Let's focus on finding those who can be found, then we can always assess what we need to do later, going forward."
What is the weather like in Texas now?
Rescue efforts are ongoing but more heavy rain is forecast for the area today, which could hamper efforts.
As a result of the forecast, the National Weather Service has kept flood warnings in place across central Texas.
The warnings, which include rainfall of between two and four inches, rising up to 10 inches in some locations, are in place until 7pm local time (1am UK time) for San Antonio, Austin and the devastated Kerr County.
What has Trump said?
Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration yesterday for Kerr County, which grants the area access to financial support and manpower.
He called the flash flooding in Texas "absolutely horrible" and vowed to ensure first responders "immediately have the resources they need".
He said Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, would continue to be in Texas, and said he would also go along to visit the area himself, but saying he would probably go later in the week when things have calmed.
He said: "We want to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we would just be in their way, probably Friday."
