More heavy rain expected as Texas floods toll hits 108

Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain. As of Tuesday morning, authorities in the worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters. The deceased include […]

Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain.

As of Tuesday morning, authorities in the worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.

The deceased include at least 27 girls and counsellors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

“At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counsellor still remain unaccounted for,” Leitha added.

At least 108 flood-related deaths were reported in total across central Texas, according to local officials.

Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.

“When we’re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker said.

“It’s extremely treacherous, time-consuming. It’s dirty work, the water is still there.”

He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders’ mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.

In the town of Hunt, the epicentre of the disaster, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead, as hopes dimmed for finding any survivors.

Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.

“We’ve had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that’s going to impact the search and recovery efforts,” said Baker.

He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but “it won’t deter them.”

‘Trump not responsible’

US President Donald Trump planned to visit Texas on Friday, as the White House slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems.

“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.

She said the National Weather Service, which The New York Times reported had several key roles in Texas unfilled before the floods, issued “timely and precise forecasts and warnings.”

Trump has described the floods that struck in the early hours of Friday as a “100-year catastrophe” that “nobody expected.”

The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.

‘Tragedy’

Kerr County, through which the Guadalupe River runs, was the hardest hit, with at least 84 people killed including 28 children, according to the local sheriff’s office.

The toll includes 27 who had been staying at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp that was housing about 750 people when the floodwaters struck.

Camps are a beloved tradition in the long US summer holidays, with children often staying in woods, parks and other rural areas.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz described them as a chance to make “lifetime friends – and then suddenly it turns to tragedy.”

But some residents were questioning the absence of more robust flood-warning systems in this region of south and central Texas – where such deluges are so frequent that it is known colloquially as “Flash Flood Alley.”

Experts stress the NWS sent out timely forecasts, and climate scientist Daniel Swain pinned the problem on a failure of “warning dissemination.”

San Antonio mother Nicole Wilson – who almost sent her daughters to Camp Mystic – launched a petition on Change.org urging Governor Greg Abbott to approve a modern warning network.

“Five minutes of that siren going off could have saved every single one of those children,” she told AFP.

At a candlelight vigil in San Antonio on Monday night, Texans gathered to pray for the victims of the floods and voice lingering fears.

“I was pretty shocked on the gravity of the situation and how big it was, and I wouldn’t necessarily expect that our rivers would rise so quickly,” said Rebeca Gutierrez, 29.

“Hopefully, there’s preventative efforts happening in similar areas to make sure nothing to this degree happens.”

Height of two-story building

In a terrifying display of nature’s power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls at the camp slept.

Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.

Volunteers were helping search through debris from the river, with some motivated by personal connections to the victims.

“We’re helping the parents of two of the missing children,” Louis Deppe, 62, told AFP. “The last message they got was ‘We’re being washed away,’ and the phone went dead.”

Months’ worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and rain has continued in bouts since then.

The Guadalupe surged around 26 feet (eight meters) – more than a two-story building – in just 45 minutes.

Flash floods occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall.

Human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense in recent years.