Texas flooding latest: desperate search for survivors after dozens killed and girls at summer camp missing | Texas
Key events
What we know so far
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At least 24 people died And up to 25 girls are missing after torrential rains caused sudden floods along the Guadalupe river Friday in Texas.
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Rescue teams are looking for girls who attended Christian girls Mystic camp Summer camp just outside the city of Kerrville 104 km (64 miles) Northwest of San Antonio.
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Friday evening, the emergency staff had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 By helicopter, reports Reuters.
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THE Texas The emergency management division had 14 helicopters And Hundreds of emergency workersas well as dronesInvolved in research and rescue operations.
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A Monthly rain fell in a few hours. In less than an hour, the river increased by 26 feet (7.9 m) in what the Sheriff’s Bureau of Kerr County called “catastrophic floods”.
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The floods swept mobile houses,, vehicles And Holiday cabins Where people spent the weekend of July 4, the BBC said.
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A emergency has been declared in several counties.
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Addressing journalists on the Air Force One Friday, US President Donald Trump said, “We will take care of them” when asked federal aid for disaster.
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Kerr Rob Kelly’s county judgeThe high local elected official, said that a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen. “We had no reason to believe that it was going to look like what happened here,” he said. “None of anything.”
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No more rain is expected in the state, including around Wacoand the floods are planned downstream from County of Kerr.
The Associated Press reports the rescue operation by Texas Game Wardens has Mystic camp Friday afternoon and evacuated campers who had sheltered on higher grounds.
Elinor Lester, 13, said that she had been evacuated with her helicopter cabin comrades after wading through flood waters. She remembered surprisingly awakened around 1.30 in the morning while thunder was crackled and the water trampled on the window windows.
Lester was one of the older girls hosted on a high terrain known as the Senior Hill. Cabins housing young campers, who can start attending at eight years old, are located along the banks and were the first to flood, she said.
Campers in the lower cabins have sought a shelter on the hill. In the morning, they had neither food, power nor running water, she said. When the rescuers arrived, Lester said they attached a rope so that the girls could hold while they were crossing a bridge with flood waters whipping around their calves and their knees.
“The camp has been completely destroyed,” she said. “It was really frightening. Everyone I know personally is taken into account, but people I know is missing and we don’t know where they are. ”
Her mother, Elizabeth Lester, said her son was nearby Junta camp and also escaped. An advisor there woke up to find water rising in the cabin, opened a window and helped the boys swim. Junta camp and another camp on the river, Waldemar campsaid in Instagram messages that all campers and staff there were sure.
Elizabeth Lester sobbed when she finally saw her daughter, who hugged a little teddy bear and a book.
“My children are safe, but knowing that others are still missing is just eating me alive,” she said.
Kerr Rob Kelly’s county judgeThe best elected representative local official, said in a press briefing on disaster hours earlier:
Everyone does everything in their power to get these children out.
Kelly said that a number of dispersed residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and camping land have been hardly affected, reports Reuters.
Pressed by journalists why more precautions have not been taken with stormy time in forecasts, Kelly insisted that a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen.
“We have floods all the time. It is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,” said Kelly.
“We had no reason to believe that it was going to look like what happened here.
The teams carried out dozens of rescues as the emergency response continued.
The state senator, Pete Flores, said: “We are in research and rescue mode, and we know that these first 24 hours are very important.”
Friday evening, emergency staff had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter, reports Reuters.
No more rain is expected in the state, including around Wacoand the floods are planned downstream from County of Kerr.
People posted on Facebook asking for information on their children, nieces and nephews to attend one of the many camps in the region, or family members who went to camp during the holiday weekend.
THE Ingram fire department published a photo of a declaration of Mystic campSaying that the camp has experienced “catastrophic level floods”.
“We are currently working with research and rescue,” said camp in his communication. “The highway has taken hold so that we find it difficult to get more help. Please continue to pray and send help if you have contacts to do so. ”
Here are some images that happen to us on the wires:
Dalton Rice, city director for KerrvilleThe county’s seat, told journalists that extreme floods have been struck with little or no prior warning, preventing the authorities from issuing evacuation orders.
“It happened very quickly, over a very short period of time, which could not be planned, even with the radar,” said Rice. “It occurred in less than a two -hour period.”
23 people from the summer camp for girls among missing people
Friday afternoon, during a press conference, Lieutenant-Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, said that 23 children from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls, were not counted for 750 who stayed there at the time.
He asked people to stay away from the region, saying that the Texas emergency management division had 14 helicopters and hundreds of emergency workers involved in research and rescue operations. »»
Patrick said Donald Trump had been informed of the situation and replied: “Anyway, we can have.”
A hundred soldiers would also participate in research and rescue, said an official in Texas.
Desperate research of survivors after dozens killed by the floods of Texas
Edward Helmore
Friday, at least 24 people died after torrential rains sparked sudden floods along the Guadalupe river in Texas While the rescue teams rushed to save dozens of victims trapped by high waters or have been missing in the disaster, local officials said.
Among the missing, there were 23 to 25 people listed as not counted in a Christian summer camp for girls located on the banks of the rainy engine guadalupe, 65 miles (105 km) northwest of San Antoniosaid the authorities.
Friday, the region was assailed by death and disaster after months of heavy rains fell in a few hours. In less than an hour, the river increased by 26 feet (7.9 m).
The floods swept up mobile houses, vehicles and vacation cabins where people spent the weekend of July 4, said BBC.
Research teams lead boat and helicopter rescues in rapidly evolving water that has exceeded rivers and summer camps for children. But research was hampered by limited access to the area. The phones are broken down, which also made communication with difficult people.
The US National Weather Service declared a sudden flood emergency for certain parts of Kerr County, located in the South Center of Texas Hill Country, after the strong showers.
Kerr’s County Sheriff Larry Leitha said that at least 24 deaths had been confirmed by what his office called “catastrophic floods”.
A state of emergency has been declared in several counties and the White House offered additional help.
Addressing journalists in the Air Force One at the end of a day of public events on Friday, Trump said “We will take care of them”, interviewed on the federal aid for the disaster.
We will bring you the latest updates to this development story.
