At least 28 children killed in Central Texas floods, as death toll rises
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A volunteer looks for missing people, following severe flash flooding that occurred during the July 4 holiday weekend, in Hunt, Texas, on July 6. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
Flash flooding in Texas has led to at least 68 deaths in Kerr County, Texas, after severe weather inundated central parts of the region, including the Camp Mystic summer camp, where some campers remained missing Sunday.
The big picture: Across the state, around 82 people have been reported killed in the catastrophic flooding that began early Friday on the Guadalupe River, in an area about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio.
The latest: Multiple flash flooding warnings and a flood watch were in effect in Central Texas, per the National Weather Service.
- "A Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) remains in effect" through Monday morning "as scattered instances of flash flooding remain possible," the NWS said in a forecast discussion.
- "Scattered storms are expected to continue into tomorrow (Monday) which will maintain at least an isolated flash flooding threat particularly for already hard hit areas where grounds remain saturated. The current expectation is that rainfall chances going into Tuesday should be much more isolated."
Zoom in: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a Sunday briefing that 41 people were confirmed missing, but he noted there were others unaccounted for who were not on the known missing list.
- Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a Sunday afternoon briefing 40 adults and 28 children were confirmed to have died in flooding in the county.
- At least six people died in Travis County, home to Austin, and three others were confirmed dead in Burnet County, to the city's northwest.
- Two deaths each were confirmed in Kendall and Williamson counties and one death was reported in Tom Green Counties.
What's happening: The Texas Rangers were collecting DNA samples to identify those recovered and will have answers in hours, said Freeman Martin, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, at the Sunday press conference.
- President Trump on Sunday announced he signed a major disaster declaration for the county, adding federal officials were coordinating with state and local authorities amid the ongoing search efforts.
- He told reporters he would visit the disaster area, "probably on Friday."
In Kerr County, 11 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a private girls' camp along the Guadalupe River, were unaccounted for.
- Abbott said what he saw on his visit to the camp was "nothing short of horrific."
- He added, "we will remain 100% dedicated searching for every single one of the children who were at Camp Mystic, as well as anybody else."
Situation report: The identities of the dead are beginning to trickle out, including campers at Camp Mystic.
- Dick Eastland, the director of the camp, was among those who died in the flood.
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the effort to locate the missing campers "is intense," noting that the state and other localities have sent resources to the area.
- That process will become more difficult if the water starts to rise again, he told CNN's Dana Bash, but he estimated there are "hundreds and hundreds of folks" searching.
What they're saying: At a funeral home on Saturday, "I got to see first-hand many of the body bags, and it breaks my heart," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said at a press conference in Kerrville, Texas.
Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, on Sunday offered his condolences "to all the families who have lost loved ones — in particular their daughters who were at summer camp" during the flooding.
- "We pray for them," he said.
Between the lines: In response to a question about why more people weren't warned ahead of time about flooding risk, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said at the press conference in Texas, "Everybody wants more warning time, which is why we're trying to upgrade the technology that has been neglected for far too long."
Zoom out: The rain continues to fall — nearly 18 inches of rain had fallen by Saturday afternoon in an area to Austin's northwest in the previous 24 hours.
- The rainfall numbers are "unbelievable," Avery Tomasco, a meteorologist with CBS News, said on air, describing the storm as a "rain bomb."
Meanwhile, the Lower Colorado River Authority has launched flood operations at its dams to manage the water flowing through Austin.
- As of Saturday afternoon, Lake Travis, one of the chief reservoirs in central Texas, had jumped 13 feet in the previous 24 hours.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and has been updated with new information.
