Share this @internewscast.com

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — In central Texas, the risk of life-threatening flooding remained high on Monday with more rain expected, as crews urgently searched for the missing after a holiday weekend deluge that claimed at least 82 lives, including children at summer camps. Officials warned that the death toll was likely to rise.

In Kerr County, residents began cleaning mud and salvaging items from their demolished properties, recounting harrowing escapes from rapidly rising floodwaters late Friday.

Reagan Brown shared that his parents, who are in their 80s, managed to climb uphill to escape as water flooded their home in the town of Hunt. After learning that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they returned to rescue her.

“Then they were able to reach their toolshed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their toolshed, and they all rode it out together,” Brown said.

A few miles away, rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain filled with snakes continued their search for the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp that sustained massive damage.

Gov. Greg Abbott said 41 people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

In the Hill Country area, home to several summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said.

Ten other deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.

The governor warned that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more dangerous flooding, especially in places already saturated.

Families were allowed to look around the camp beginning Sunday morning. One girl walked out of a building carrying a large bell. A man whose daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point in the camp walked a riverbank, looking in clumps of trees and under big rocks.

One family left with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl had tears running down her face as they slowly drove away and she gazed through the open window at the wreckage.

Searching the disaster zone

Nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak.

Volunteers and some families of the missing came to the disaster zone and searched despite being asked not to do so.

Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in an area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County and said he would likely visit Friday: “I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way.”

“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” he told reporters.

Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican

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.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. The first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, saying, “I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”

Desperate refuge and trees and attics

Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics, praying the water wouldn’t reach them.

At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

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 up the road.

Two school-age sisters from Dallas were missing after their cabin was swept away. Their parents were staying in a different cabin and were safe, but the girls’ grandparents were unaccounted for.

Warnings came before the disaster

On Thursday the National Weather Service advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said authorities are committed to a full review of the emergency response.

Trump, asked whether he was still planning to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said that was something “we can talk about later, but right now we are busy working.” He has said he wants to overhaul if not completely eliminate FEMA and sharply criticized its performance.

Trump also was asked whether he planned to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year as part of widespread government spending cuts.

“I would think not. This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people there, and they didn’t see it,” the president said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Ex-Wife of Berkeley Professor Arrested for Alleged Involvement in Murder in Greece

(KRON) — The ex-wife of a UC Berkeley professor who was gunned…

Springfield resident receives 17-year prison sentence for distributing meth

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A 38-year-old Springfield man is going to spend…

Tragic Blast at LA Police Training Center Claims 3 Lives

() An explosion at a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department training center killed…

Authorities Confiscate Fire Truck in Upscale Los Angeles Area Amid Unusual Case

(KTLA) – Police and federal agents raided a California home Wednesday afternoon…

Increase in Attacks by Israeli Settlers on Palestinian Christians

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site…

Amazon Offer: Expedited Delivery of Hawaii-Grown Pineapples to Mainland

HONOLULU (KHON2) – A sweet new deal is taking flight in Hawaii.…

What’s Included in the Republican Bill Proposing a $9 Billion Reduction in Public Broadcasting and Foreign Aid?

WASHINGTON (AP) The Republican-led Congress has passed President Donald Trump’s request to…

Tennessee Ordered to Disable Inmate’s Heart Device for Execution by Judge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee judge has ruled that a device regulating…

EIU Football Aims for a Comeback in 2025

CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) — In 2024, Eastern Illinois football struggled throughout the…

Explore Over 50 Delicious Dining Spots in Polk County’s Burger Week Celebration

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Hope you’re hungry, it’s Burger Week in…

The EU Imposes Fresh Sanctions on Russian Energy Income and Covert Shipping Over Ukraine Conflict

BRUSSELS – On Friday, the European Union authorized another set of sanctions…

Family suggests Camp Mystic leader might not have seen warning before Texas floods occurred

The leader of Camp Mystic had been tracking the weather before the…