Three days after flash floods first ravaged south-central Texas and claimed more than 70 lives, local officials are still searching for 10 missing campers as another “wall of water” heads to the area.
Flash floods slammed Kerr County and its surrounding areas at the start of the holiday weekend, leaving locals, campers, and July 4th visitors swept up in the catastrophic floods.
Rescue efforts were still in full force Sunday as emergency crews raced against the clock to find 11 girls from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp along the Guadalupe River that was devastated by the floods.
“We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins,” Governor Greg Abbott said in a Saturday evening statement.
The region is now bracing for more heavy rainfall, potentially complicating the search efforts and endangering even more people.
There are reports of an additional “wall of water” heading toward Kerr County, Nim Kidd, Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. Kidd warned: “Because the ground is already saturated, any rain that falls can be perceived as life-threatening rain.”
What happened?
The National Weather Service had predicted between 1 and 3 inches of rain, with some areas possibly getting 5 to 7 inches. But the reality was a torrential downpour along the Guadalupe River late Thursday that led to unexpected flash floods, with parts of Kerr County getting pummeled with 10 to 15 inches in just a short span.
The river surged from 8 feet to 29 feet in a matter of hours early Friday morning. Camp Mystic, which sits along the river, was “horrendously ravaged,” Abbott said.
At least 27 people at Camp Mystic have died as a result of the floods, the camp told NBC News in a statement.
“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,” the statement read.
The search for 10 missing girls and one counselor continues. In total, at least 40 people across Texas counties were missing as of Sunday afternoon, the governor said, while dozens of others have died due to the flash floods.
Who are the victims?
The death toll rose to 79 people on Sunday.
Dick Eastland, the director of Camp Mystic, and Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor at the camp, both lost their lives in the floods, according to reports.
Jonathan Eades, head of the Kinkaid School from where Childress recently graduated, told the New York Times that she lost her life upholding a “selfless and fierce commitment to others.”
Several campers, not even 10 years old, also died in the floods, their families confirmed.
Julian Ryan, a 27-year-old dishwasher in Ingram, Texas, lost his life after water poured into his trailer home. The rest of his family was spared. “He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost,” his fiancee Christinia Wilson told the Times. “He died trying to save us.”
Jane Ragsdale, camp director and co-owner of Heart O’ the Hills, a summer camp along the Guadalupe River, was killed in the floods, the camp said in a statement. “She embodied the spirit of Heart O’ the Hills and was exactly the type of strong, joyful woman that the camp aimed to develop with the girls entrusted to us each summer,” the statement read.
More than two dozen other victims, including children, have yet to be identified, officials said Sunday.
What’s the scale of the search?
Federal, state and local entities have been working on search and rescue efforts for a third day.
On Saturday, officials said more than 850 people had been rescued or evacuated. The Texas Military Department has conducted 525 rescues and evacuations, both by air and by ground, an official said at a Sunday afternoon press conference. The Coast Guard has saved or assisted in saving 223 lives, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday.
As of Sunday, there are 230 Texas Military Department personnel working on the response. They are operating eight helicopters as well as some high-profile military vehicles to help evacuate people from high-water areas, officials said.
The personnel are still in Kerrville and have expanded their operations to include San Saba and Burnet. There are also some behavior health officers and chaplains working in those areas.
In Kerr County alone, there were 400 first responders working on Sunday, with more than 100 air, water, and ground vehicles conducting search and rescue efforts, the sheriff’s office said.
What has the political response been?
President Donald Trump signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas on Sunday, providing federal resources to the ravaged area, he said in a statement Sunday morning.
“These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State,” the president wrote. “Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
Former President George W. Bush, who served as the 46th governor of Texas, offered his condolences in a statement shared to social media on Sunday.
“On this day of prayer, Laura and I are holding up our fellow Texans who are hurting. We are heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling. Those who have lost their precious children are facing a grief no parents should ever know,” the former president said.
“We are grateful to the first responders and volunteers who are working to find the missing and comfort the grieving at Camp Mystic and along the Guadalupe. We know our words cannot help, but we believe the prayers of so many Americans will,” the statement continued.
Former President Barack Obama also said he was praying for those affected by the floods, calling the disaster “heartbreaking.”
“The flash flooding in Central Texas is absolutely heartbreaking. Michelle and I are praying for everyone who has lost a loved one or is waiting for news — especially the parents. And we’re grateful to the first responders and rescue teams working around the clock to help,” he wrote.
