At least 6 dead and more missing in Texas Hill Country after severe flash flooding

Texas Hill Country was assailed by death and a disaster on Friday when at least six people were killed and that twenty girls assistant to a summer camp were missing after months of heavy rains fell in a few hours, leaving research teams to carry out boat and helicopter rescues in fast water.

Lieutenant-Governor Dan Patrick said that between six and 10 bodies had been found so far in the frantic research of the victims. Meanwhile, during a press conference carried out at the same time as the update of Patrick, the sheriff of the county of Kerr, Larry Leitha, reported that there had been 13 deaths due to the floods.

At least 10 inches of rain sank overnight in the center of the county of Kerr, causing sudden floods of the Guadalupe river and leading to desperate pleads for information on the missing.

“Some are adults, some are children,” Patrick said at a press conference. “Again, we don’t know where these bodies come from.”

The teams carried out dozens of rescues and the emergency stakeholders continued to search for those who were not counted.

Comments on a Facebook publication of the Kerr County Sheriff’s Bureau were riddled with photos of people in the flood zone. Relatives have published there, hoping that someone could offer an update on the fate of those they had not heard of. A woman said that she could not reach her daughter, who had rented a cabin hunting for her husband and two children, and pleaded for someone to publish the names of those who are already evacuated.

Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected in the county, confirmed the deaths of the flood and dozens of water resumes so far. He said it was advisable not to mention specific figures and that the authorities were still working to identify those whose life was lost.

“Most of them, we don’t know who they are,” Kelly said at a press conference. “One of them was completely naked, he had no identity document on him. We are trying to obtain the identity of these people, but we don’t have it yet.”

A family survives a terrifying test

The house of Erin Burgess is located directly opposite the river in the district of Bumble Bee Hills, west of Ingram. Friday, when she woke up in Thunder at 3:30 am, “it was raining quite heavy, but no serious,” she said.

Barely 20 minutes later, Burgess said, the water entered the walls and rushed through the front and rear doors. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree and waiting for the water to move enough for them to have set up the hill to that of a neighbor.

“My son and I floated to a tree where we are hung there, and my boyfriend and my dog ​​floated. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said, becoming emotional.

From his 19 -year -old son, Burgess said: “Fortunately, he measures more than 6 feet. It was the only thing that saved me, was hung on.”

A flooded watch published Thursday afternoon estimated the isolated quantities up to 7 inches of rising water. This moved to a flood warning for at least 30,000 people overnight.

Asked about the sudden sudden flooding overnight, Kelly said that “we have no warning system” and that “we did not know that this flood would arrive” – ​​even if local journalists stressed the warnings and pushed to respond why the precautions were not taken.

“Rest assured, no one knew that this kind of flood was going to happen,” he said. “We have floods all the time. It is the most dangerous river valley in the United States. ”

Texas governor Greg Abbott said the state provided resources to Hill Country communities dealing with floods, notably in Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt.

The Texas Hill Country, a picturesque and rocky bridge towards booming vineyards and holiday rentals, begins west of the state capital and is a popular outdoor summer getaway. The parts of the region are subject to sudden floods.

Dozens of people posted on Facebook requesting information on their children, nieces and nephews attending one of the many camps in the region, or family members who have been camping during the holiday weekend.

Ingram’s fire service published a photo of a Mystic camp declaration, saying that the private Christian summer camp for girls has experienced “catastrophic level floods”. Parents with an unacceptable girl were directly contacted, said the camp.

Another camp on the river located east of Hunt, Camp Waldemar, said in an Instagram post that “we are all safe and healthy”.

The Guadalupe river gauge in the community unheeded in Hunt Society, where The River Forks recorded a 22 feet increase in about two hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist from the National Service Austin / San Antonio. FOGARTY said the gauge had failed after saving a level of 29½ feet.

“This is the kind of thing that will surprise you,” said Fogarty. “The water moves so quickly, you will not recognize how bad it is until it is above you.”

Serious teachers in New Jersey

Meanwhile, strong thunderstorms were blamed for at least three dead in the center of New Jersey, including two men in Plainfield who died after a tree fell on a vehicle in which they were traveling at the height of a storm there, according to an article on Facebook of the city.

The men were 79 and 25, said officials. They were not immediately identified publicly.

“Our hearts are heavy today,” said Mayor Adrian O. Mapp in a statement. “This tragedy is a reminder that gives to reflect the power of nature and the fragility of life.”

The city has canceled its parade, a concert and a planned fireworks. MAPP said that the “devastating” storms had left “deep scars and generalized damage” in the community of more than 54,000 people and that it was time to “regroup and concentrate all our energy on recovery”.

Friday, continuous power outages and slaughtered trees were reported in southern New England, where some communities have received large amounts of hail. There were car reports that take off on the road in the northeast of Connecticut.

Fingerhut writes for the Associated Press.