Texas floods leave dozens missing, including children 

At least 82 dead in catastrophic Texas floods as governor warns of more rain to come.

Live Updates: Harrowing Tales Emerge in Texas as Rescuers Keep Searching for Missing More than 80 people were killed in the disastrous floods that roared through Central Texas on Friday. Dozens, including 10 young campers, were still unaccounted for.

Here’s the latest.
Rescuers rushed on Sunday to find more survivors of devastating floods that killed at least 81 in Central Texas, as dramatic tales emerged of those who experienced the disaster and endured the agonizing wait for news of loved ones.

Survivors and family members shared stories about rescues and reunification, as well as accounts that ended in tragedy. In Kerr County, the hardest-hit region, a Christian girls’ summer camp was a hub of loss. A veteran high school teacher camping with his family near the Guadalupe River, which rose 20 feet in two hours on Friday, was also killed. So was a woman driving to work at Walmart when her vehicle was caught in rising waters.

By 8:30 p.m. local time, thunderstorms and the threat of flooding had shifted east from the Hill Country to the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and the San Antonio area. “We’re definitely seeing an uptick in thunderstorms in Bexar County,” home to San Antonio, said C.J. Magnussen, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “At this time the threat for additional flooding has decreased across the Hill Country.”

Mr. Magnussen said the biggest concern this evening was the possibility of thunderstorms forming repeatedly over the Interstate 35 corridor and dumping heavy rain for hours.

More than 600 people gathered on Sunday afternoon at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas for a prayer service for the Texas flooding victims. The church is the home parish of Lila Bonner, 9, one of several children who died at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp, where another 10 girls remained missing.

“This service is meant to be that safe, calm space where we come together to be reminded of God’s presence,” said the Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata in his opening remarks. Together, the congregation read Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.”

“This is the most important mission of my life,” says Texas flood helicopter rescuer

Airborne rescue crews in Texas working to save the lives of flood victims have been working around the clock since the deadly floods on July 4 to scour the Hill Country area for survivors, said one person involved in the effort who spoke with CNN.“It’s been nonstop turning and burning,” said the first responder, a reference to helicopters quickly off-loading those rescued and then quickly launching back into the skies to search for more survivors. “We train nonstop, but this is the most important mission of my life,” the person said, adding, “This is home.”

air assets from multiple local, state and federal agencies have descended upon the Texas Hill Country area to search for survivors.

“The helicopters are loud and get lots of attention,” the person said, “but don’t overlook the bravery of our ground teams rescuing people by good old-fashioned trucks.”Local and regional partners committed to "full review" of emergency notifications and systems
From CNN's Danya Gainor
Officials are committed to a “full review of the events and systems in place” following questions about emergency notifications with evacuation guidance, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said at a Sunday news conference.The local and regional partners will take “clear steps to strengthen our future preparedness,” Rice said. “We owe that commitment to the families who are suffering and to every member of our community.”Some context: The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening flooding” along the river in a series of early morning alerts. However, questions remain about how many people received those warnings, whether critical vacancies at forecast offices affected the dissemination of alerts, and whether warning fatigue had been growing among residents in a region described as one of the most dangerous in the country for flash flooding.

Camp Mystic owner Dick Eastland dies attempting to rescue campers, grandson says

Camp Mystic owner Dick Eastland died while trying to rescue campers during the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, as shared by his grandson in an Instagram on Saturday.

“If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way—saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,” George Eastland wrote. “That’s the kind of man my grandfather was. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and a mentor to thousands of young women. Although he no longer walks this earth, his impact will never fade in the lives he touched.”

A Camp Mystic employee, Glenn Juenke, told CNN Eastland died “remaining a true hero until the very end.”

“Eastland tragically lost his life while courageously attempting to save several young children,” Juenke said.Water levels rise in Kerr County as additional rain falls in flood-ridden areas
Waterways in some of the most devastated parts of central Texas are beginning to swell once again as more rain falls in the area.The rain, impacting the upper Guadalupe basin this afternoon, has led to a rise in Johnson Creek in Kerr County, where 68 people have died due to flash flooding as of Sunday evening.

“This water may lead to a rise of [one to two feet] downstream when it enters the Guadalupe river in Ingram,” the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post this evening.

“Please be aware if you are near the Guadalupe River or Johnson Creek,” the post said.The City of Ingram sits along the river, about 6 miles west of the City of Kerrville.

At least 82 people have died in flooding across central Texas. Here's a breakdown by county
From CNN's Danya Gainor
At least 82 people, including 28 children, have died as floods rushed through central Texas through the July 4 weekend. The total continues to rise as local emergency officials across the state carry out search, rescue and recovery efforts.Here’s a breakdown by county as of Sunday night:

68 deaths in Kerr County
6 deaths in Travis County
3 deaths in Burnet County
2 deaths in Kendall County
2 deaths in Williamson County
1 death in Tom Green County

2 dead in Williamson County, bringing total from flooding to at least 81
Two people in Williamson County have died as a result of Saturday’s USA flooding in the area, according to a statement from the county. At least 81 people across central Texas are now dead after floods devastated the state over the weekend.

“We have a long way to go in this recovery phase, but I know Williamson County is a caring and resilient community,” said County Judge Steven Snell.With dozens still missing across the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warns that flash flooding could still pose a danger for some regions over the next few days as “more heavy

rainfall” is expected.Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in the Big Country, Concho Valley, Central Texas and again in the City of Kerrville, where a majority of the destruction has been reported, Abbott said during a news conference today.Meanwhile, as the state broadens its emergency response efforts ahead of possible storms, Kerrville will remain a priority, according to Abbott.

Here’s the latest:

Death toll: Officials in several Texas counties have confirmed a total of 82 fatalities in connection with the flooding, including 68 in Kerr County, six in Travis County, three in Burnet County, two in Kendall County, one in Tom Green County and two in Williamson USA County. Among those deceased in Kerr County are 40 adults and 28 children, according to Sheriff Larry Leitha.
Missing campers: Officials in Kerr County say crews are continuing to search for 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls’ summer camp near the Guadalupe River that was swamped by flood waters.
Search and Rescue: At least 41 people are missing due to the flooding, according to state and local officials. To aid in the search, Texas Air National Guardsmen are using remotely piloted military drones typically used by the military to conduct surveillance.
Emergency readiness: USA Records show officials in Kerr County previously considered installing flood warning sirens, but the plan never came to fruition. And while the National Weather Service issued a slew of alerts before the storm, USA questions surround the agency’s staffing and ability to reach residents at the time of the disaster.

USA Texas man searching for his parents after home swept away in Kerr County flooding
From CNN's Danya Gainor
Robert Brake called his father at 4:44 a.m., USA urging him and his mother to evacuate from the Kerr County home where his parents had been staying.

“Dad, you got to get out of there,” Brake told him on the phone.

Less than 10 minutes later, Brake’s brother went to check on the home, located in an USA RV park, only to find that all the homes in the area had vanished in the flooding.

“We haven’t heard or seen of them since then,” Brake told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Sunday.Brake and his brother Lucas are now in Kerrville, Texas, as they continue in their search, where Brake says they regularly check in at the local funeral home that stages bodies of those recovered from search operations for word of their mom and dad’s whereabouts.

“It’s an emotional rollercoaster. You go, and you don’t want to hear they’re here, but when they say they’re not there, it’s just one more ounce of hope – and that’s all we can ask for,” Brake said tearfully.

Brake asked for prayers for his brother and family, and for everyone in Texas grieving over loved ones lost in the weekend’s tragic flooding.

“Every hint of kindness, every shared post, every prayer, every offer to help – it means something to everybody here, including the Brake family,” he said.

Camp Mystic night security guard hailed as hero for saving campers' lives

A man who worked as a USA night security guard at Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers after devastating floods struck the Kerr County, Texas, area on Friday.In a statement USA Glenn Juenke says he has served as the night watchman at the camp for the past four summers.He was on duty when the floodwaters began to rush in.Juenke explained the campers were inside a building called the Wiggle Inn, and when the water started to rise, he placed the girls on mattresses to help them ride it out safely.“I witnessed firsthand the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives,” Juenke said. “Each of those sweet girls (were) cold, wet, and frightened  but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their USA cabin.”

Pamela Brown was a camper at Camp Mystic 30 years ago, so she knows firsthand that it has been “a magical place” for generations of girls. Today she is back there, covering the aftermath of the flood tragedy, and how “so much innocence has now been lost.”

“That river was the source of so much joy and fun for us,” Brown said while anchoring from Hunt, USA Texas, on Sunday evening.

USA Campers would spend “hours and hours” in the Guadalupe River, “The Situation Room” anchor said, jumping on an inflatable trampoline and looking for dinosaur fossils.

“To think that that same river is the source of this devastation,” she said, “it’s just hard to wrap my head around.”

Brown pointed out that “so much of the camp experience here is being in nature” while learning “good sportsmanship and a sense of belonging” at a young age.On Instagram, Brown posted a video of her old bracelet from camp, with a charm that “I LOVE CAMP MYSTIC.” “My heart is breaking,” she wrote.

USA anchor As swift floodwaters surrounded Camp Mystic early Friday morning, counselors at the all-girls camp were forced to guide campers to safety in the middle of the night.

The mother of three of those campers says the counselors saved the lives of her children.

“The counselors were heroes,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told CNN’s Pamela Brown, who attended Camp Mystic as a young girl.

At least 80 people have died in connection with the flooding, according to Texas officials. The death toll includes at least 28 children in Kerr County, where 11 girls and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, authorities said.Camp counselors, many of them teenagers, helped the children escape their cabins through the windows and move to dry land in the middle of the night, the woman told CNN Sunday.“Two counselors were in the rapids and one on the dry hill moving the kids from hand to hand,” she added. “A lot of them lost their shoes and then climbed up the rocky hill to safety.”Once safe, the children cuddled because they were cold and wet as they sang songs and prayed, she said.

Shelters and thermal cameras: How the federal government is helping central Texas
USA President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday, unlocking key federal resources as search and rescue efforts continue for a third day after flash floods in central Texas. The scale of the devastation has underscored how important a coordinated local, state and federal response will be in the days and months ahead.The US Coast Guard has been assisting with search and rescue efforts and has so far assisted with more than 230 rescues, USAaccording to a Department of Homeland Security official. There are three fixed-wing aircraft with thermal cameras, which can critically help identify movement from the air. The Coast Guard has also deployed two MH-65 dolphin helicopters to help with USAevacuations.Scott Ruskin, a member of the Coast Guard, has been a swimmer assisting with search and rescue efforts, and has assisted more than 165 people so far, the USAofficial said.The USAFederal Emergency Management Agency has opened seven shelters, which are also providing food and water for central Texas communities. The agency is deploying additional assets to the area, the official said.Trump previously said he would phase out USAat the conclusion of this year’s hurricane season. Asked Sunday whether he still planned to do so, Trump told reporters it was “something we can talk about later.”“Right now, they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” the president said.

Trump says cuts at federal forecasting agencies did not affect storm preparedness
President Donald Trump suggested cuts at the National Weather Service did not play a role in the tragedy surrounding the flash flooding in USATexas.

“If you look at that, what a situation that all is, and that was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup, but I wouldn’t blame Biden for it either,” Trump said today as he departed New Jersey after a weekend at his golf club there.

“I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe and it’s just so horrible to watch,” Trump went on.

Asked later whether he believed the federal government needed to hire back meteorologists who had recently departed amid personnel cuts under his administration, he suggested it was not necessary.

“I would think not,” Trump said. “This was the thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented people in there and they didn’t see it.”He said there was a lot of blame circulating but the flood’s scale made it unlikely anything could have made a difference.Some context: Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service employees’ union, told CNN while he believes the Austin-San Antonio and San Angelo offices had “adequate staffing and resources,” the Austin-San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist, a role serving as a crucial link between forecasters and emergency managers.

The vacancy in the Austin-San Antonio office, along with other key roles, were the result of early retirement incentives offered by the Trump administration to shrink the size of the federal USA government

President Donald Trump vowed continued federal support for Texas after devastating floods left scores dead and said he will “probably” visit the state on Friday.

Trump said his administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was working closely with state and local officials.

“We’ll continue to be there. And we’re working very closely with representatives from Texas, and it’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” Trump said as he departed New Jersey after a weekend at his golf club there.

“So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,” Trump said.

On FEMA: Asked about his plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Trump said it was a matter for another time.

“FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now, they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Trump said he expected to visit Texas on Friday., a NOAA official told.

Kerr County discussed establishing flood warning system 9 years ago
Records show officials in Kerr County, Texas, previously considered funding an early warning system with emergency sirens to better alert residents about floods but that effort apparently never came to fruition before recent deadly floods struck.In a 2016 meeting, a county commissioner described a plan to examine how to enhance Kerr County’s flood warning system. The following month, the same commissioner said the county was “probably the highest risk area in the state for flooding” and described the county’s warning system at the time as “pretty antiquated” and “marginal at the best.”

In 2018, local officials discussed how their application for a warning-system grant had not been accepted but described efforts to apply for other state funds, meeting minutes show.Again in 2021, meeting minutes show how county commissioners discussed possibly allocating funds for a flood warning system that specifically included sirens. An engineer said a county commissioner had “identified” $50,000 for the system.

But the county’s top elected official has said the county does not have such a system.“We do not have a warning system,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said at a news conference Friday.has reached out to Kerr County officials to comment on why it never implemented an enhanced flood warning system with sirens.

Since Friday’s flooding, local residents have launched a petition for such a system.

Local reporting shows emergency sirens were activated elsewhere on Friday, though the extent to which that would have made a difference in Kerr County is unclear.

USA Texas Air National Guardsmen are using remotely piloted military drones to help in the search for people who are missing after flash floods hit central Texas early Friday.

“The 147th Attack Wing are using MQ-9 drones for critical search and rescue missions today,” the Texas National Guard said in an X post Sunday.

“The unarmed MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), has tremendous technological capabilities to gather high-resolution imagery and assess the impact of flooding in surrounding areas,” the post said.

The unmanned drones, typically used by the military to conduct surveillance, are being launched from a Texas military base in Houston, a National Guard official said at a news conference Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration has cleared a specialized flight route across Texas airspace for the drones to make the voyage to conduct surveillance over the flooded Hill Country area, the official said.From CNN's Ed Lavandera, Isabel Rosales and Danya Gainor
Emergency officials in Hunt, an unincorporated community in western Kerr County, Texas, are urging CNN teams and others in the area to seek higher ground due to the potential for incoming floods.

DPS aircraft are monitoring for unconfirmed reports of a water wall in the area, W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said at a Sunday news conference.

staff received an emergency alert on their phones declaring “high confidence” of river flooding and urging people to move to higher ground.

“People in the reported areas … we’re asking them to get out of the water and out of the way so we don’t wind up having to do additional rescues,” Kidd said.

Eleven girls and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, officials previously said, which is nestled in Hunt along the Guadalupe River.

“It’s not gonna take the same amount of rain that caused this damage to make the current water levels rise up because the ground is already saturated, so any rain that falls can be perceived as life-threatening rain,” Kidd said.

Highway 39 from Hunt to Ingram, Texas, was inundated with cars as CNN teams and others worked to evacuate.

An emergency management official cautioned reporters in how to use the term recovery as search and rescue operations continue across central Texas for “live victims”

“We continue with our search, not only in Kerr County but everywhere that we know we have missing people,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. “I need your help in being very cautious. Let’s not get wrapped around the axle on the word recovery,” the official said.

“You’re going to start hearing the word ‘recovery’ used in a lot of different context, be very careful you use that word ‘cause I’m going to be careful how I use that word as well,” Kidd said.

Recovery operations will begin, which means, “debris cleanup, that is, opening roads,” Kidd said. “That (does) not mean we are no longer doing search for live victims because we still are.”

Search and rescue crews are still out there with hope and are “very much fueled by the compassion that we show for these families that we’re doing everything we can to find their missing loved ones,” Kidd said. “So please help me in making sure that we’re not wasting our time and efforts on debating over the meanings of words, let’s get clarity when we ask those questions.”

Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that flash flooding could still pose a danger for some regions of Texas over the next few days as “more heavy rainfall” is expected.

Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in the Big Country, Concho Valley, Central Texas and again in Kerrville, the governor said during a news conference.

He said there’s “nothing expected at this time to the magnitude of what was seen in Kerrville,” but noted the threat still remains.

Abbott said people in those regions “need to realize, for one, you’re in an area with land that’s already saturated with water. But for another, when more water comes down, it could lead to rapid flash flooding events.”

Kerrville remains a priority despite focus broadening to other parts of state, Texas governor says

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state is now broadening its efforts as more storms are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours but emphasized Kerrville remains a priority.

“We’re in Austin today as opposed to Kerrville because of deadly storms have swept across central Texas and areas outside of the Kerrville area and because of more expected storms that will pose life-threatening danger over the next 24 to 48 hours,” Abbott said during a Sunday afternoon news conference.

He added, “I want to emphasize, however, even though we now are broadening the area that we’re focused on, we are not at all reducing our focus on Kerrville.”

Abbott said the city remains “a key focus in so many different ways. We continue 24/7 operations to search for anybody who was affected by that deadly storm,” he said, adding state and federal resources are still assets available to Kerrville.

At least 41 missing due to flash flooding, Gov. Abbott says

At least 41 people are missing in connection with the flash floods that struck central Texas early Friday, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.

“Across the state, in all the areas affected by flooding, there are 41 known missing,” Abbott said during a news conference Sunday afternoon.

Friends and family of those with confirmed information about a missing loved one are asked to contact local authorities, Abbott said, but noted any calls made based on unconfirmed information could slow down the search and rescue process.

“If you’re doing that, you’re interrupting official business, and that could be potentially illegal,” Abbott said. “Call only if you have specific information.”

On the ground: Local mini marts and residents are doing their part to support rescue crews

At a mini mart in Center Point, Texas, a sign at the cash register informs first responders that ice, drinks, and deli food are free for the police, firefighters and other officials that are part of the search and rescue teams.One of the store employees tells CNN they couponed out $1,000 yesterday, and that mini marts across this area are all doing the same thing.Down the street from the store, Casey White and his team from Martin County, Texas, worked through the night to prepare food in the San Angelo area. They brought it over to Center Point to distribute.It’s a team effort that started with White, his cousin and his friend, but, “it’s growing it’s growing every minute,” and, “now we have like 20 people here helping,” White said.People have been dropping off more food and donations, and the group has served about 250 people today and expects to stay until dark.The team has a grill going in the back of a truck, cooking and serving pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and pasta salad along with drinks. They are waving signs up to cars that say, “Jesus is Alive,” and, “Free Food and Water.”

At one point, a fire truck that drove by honked at the team serving food, prompting cheers from the group.

Former President George W. Bush said in a statement on Sunday he and his wife are “heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling.”

“Those who have lost their precious children are facing a grief no parents should ever know,” Bush, who served as Texas governor before his presidency, said in a statement. “We are grateful to the first responders and volunteers who are working to find the missing and comfort the grieving at Camp Mystic and along the Guadalupe.”

Former First Lady Laura Bush used to be a counselor at Camp Mystic, a spokesperson for the couple, Freddy Ford, confirmed on Sunday.

Former President Barack Obama said in a statement he and his wife, Michelle, “are praying for everyone who has lost a loved one or is waiting for news — especially the parents.”

Watch as floodwaters took over part of Center Point, Texas, in just under 40 minutes

A Center Point, Texas, resident captured a video that shows how quickly floodwaters took over the area in just under 40 minutes.Gavin Walston told CNN he began filming around 7:10 a.m. local time and let the camera roll to show what was unfolding.The video starts out by showing water from the Guadalupe River quickly flowing in from around the corner and rushing into the area.The loud rush of the waters can be heard along with the cracking of trees nearby.

As the flow of water continues, the piles of debris can be seen in larger amounts as tree trunks and branches float along the river.

Within just a few minutes the area, which was nearly barren before, is completely overtaken by the rushing waters.

At one point the flow begins to overtake the bridge, sending debris and water onto the roadway as cars drive by. Eventually local authorities arrive and urge those on the bridge to get off.

About 34 minutes into filming, a house can be seen floating down the river and toward the bridge.

It eventually comes into contact with a tree and pile of debris. Windows can be heard shattering as it becomes lodged against the bridge as water flows by.

Hundreds of volunteers combed the banks of a tributary of the Guadalupe River on Sunday, searching for those still missing after deadly flooding struck Kerr County, Texas, on Friday.

Authorities acknowledge that the likelihood of finding survivors decreases as time passes, but community members remain determined, hoping to at least provide closure for those still missing loved ones.

“You’re searching for something you hope you don’t find,” said Fred Hernandez. “But at the same time, if you’ve got family members that are missing, you hope there are people out there looking.”

Searching through difficult terrain and debris can be difficult, Hernandez noted.

“It’s obviously an unorganized mess,” he said.

34 years living in the community, she has received flash flood warnings but has never seen anything close to the devastation of this weekend.

Lovelady said it was important for her to join the search effort. She personally knows a 26-year-old who is missing, around the same age as her own children. Among the missing and dead are “pillars of the community,” whose loss will impact many people, she noted.

Joseph Eisenbach, a rancher from Central Texas, brought a couple of horses to assist in the search. He said the horses help cover more ground as they look.

“If it was my babies, I would want somebody looking, so that’s why I’m here,” he said.Elizabeth Schumacher searched on horseback alongside Eisenbach. She told CNN it has been an emotionally charged day.She said seeing personal belongings — like boots, clothes, and furniture — scattered across the terrain has been difficult to take in.“You know somebody’s whole life just was swept away, and hopefully not them as well, but you have to be aware that that’s also happening,” she said.

Like the other volunteers, she knows she is searching for something no one wants to find.

“Do I necessarily want that person to be me who finds them? Maybe not. I’m not that brave. But I hope we do find them, because I can’t imagine not knowing what happened,” she said.

Under rain and thunderstorms, search and rescue efforts have continued in earnest today in Hunt, Texas, outside Camp Mystic, the summer camp where 11 girls and one counselor are still missing following this weekend’s flash floods.State and local law enforcement are working alongside volunteers to search through debris along the Guadalupe River. Uniformed officers are guiding K-9s to look through brush around the camp and water’s edge, while volunteers use chainsaws to cut apart trees.Wearing a medical boot, Brooks Holzhausen of San Antonio worked with others from his group 300 Justice to clear the brush.“We’ve got some retired

SEALs that are with us, so a bunch of strong backs,” Holzhausen said. “So we’re trying to get to the bottom of all of this.”

It’s hard work, not only physically but emotionally for an area close to his family.“Having daughters, that … sorry,” he said, trailing off as he got emotional. “Daughters that went through Mystic as counselors years ago. So, special place.”Holzhausen said his daughters are heartbroken at the news about the camp.

FEMA has been activated in Texas, the Department of Homeland Security said, after President Donald Trump announced Sunday he signed a major disaster declaration for the state following deadly flooding in Kerr County.“We are currently deploying federal emergency management resources to Texas first responders, and will work closely with state and local authorities to ensure the people of Texas get the support they need as search efforts continue and recovery begins,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requested the federal aid on Saturday, saying at a news conference that Trump is “deeply concerned” about the situation and understands the “magnitude of devastation.”State and local leaders in central Texas have said that they are getting everything they need from the federal government so far as search and rescue efforts enter a third day.

“These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State,” Trump said in a post on social media Sunday morning.The US Coast Guard is flying “two helicopters in the Llano, Texas area and is assisting with two helicopters and three C-144 airplanes equipped with thermal cameras to find more survivors,” the Department of Homeland Security said, noting that 850 people have been rescued.Search and rescue efforts continue across central Texas as the death toll rose to more than 60 people in connection with the catastrophic flooding due to torrential rains early Friday.River levels in the areas of central Texas affected by the floods have now largely receded to where they were before the storm, according to National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration flood gauges.

Here’s the latest:

Death toll: Local officials in several Texas counties have now confirmed a total of 67 fatalities in connection with the flooding, including, 59 in Kerr County, four in Travis County, three in Burnet County and one death in Kendall County. During a news conference this morning, Kerr County officials said among the 59 victims there, 38 are adults and 21 are children. Of those, 18 adults and four children have yet to be identified.
Missing campers: 11 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp near the Guadalupe River, remain missing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Sunday morning.
Evacuation questions remain: Officials in Kerrville, Texas, did not directly answer questions about why camps were not evacuated, despite the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s warning days earlier a storm like this could occur. When pressed by reporters Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said, “That, that is a great question, but again, we want to make sure that we continue to focus. We still have 11 missing children that we want to get reunited with our families.”

 

Posted on 2025/07/07 01:25 PM