Texas floods: Rescuers battle time as death toll rises to 59, nearly 30 children still missing

Rescue teams in Texas are battling against time as rain continues to batter the state. At the same time, the death toll from the deadly floods has now risen to 59 people, while searches continue for nearly 30 children who remain missing.

The force of the water swept away even entire houses, while the water level in the Guadalupe River rose by eight meters within an hour. Furthermore, citizens report that the evacuation message arrived after the disaster had already struck. A characteristic example of the intensity with which everything happened is a video showing citizens running to escape before the water covered them.

The floods were caused by torrential rains that hit central Texas on Friday, Independence Day for the USA.

“We have identified 43 dead in Kerr County,” of whom 28 are adults and 15 are children, said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Litha during a press conference.

Litha added that 27 children are still missing, out of approximately 750 who participated in a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

The Missing Girls

Rescue teams have been searching since Saturday for 27 girls missing from a summer camp on the banks of a river in the US state of Texas.

It is noted that Nim Kidd, head of the Texas emergency management agency, acknowledged that the chances of finding more survivors are decreasing with each passing hour.

Texas Floods: 27 Girls Still Missing from Camp Mystic, Over 800 Rescued

Dalton Rice, Mayor of Kerrville, stated that 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River, are still missing.

He added that other individuals who were in the area but not at the camp might also be missing.

Over 800 People Rescued

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, authorities reported that approximately 850 people had been rescued, while more than 1,700 individuals participated in the search and rescue operations.

Of the bodies recovered, 12 adults and five children remained unidentified, according to authorities.

It is noted that rescuers are using helicopters and drones to search for victims and rescue individuals who had been isolated by the floodwaters.

Hopes Remain Alive for the Missing

Although the death toll is almost certain to rise, hopes remain that some of those affected will be found alive. “They could be in trees, they could have lost communication,” said Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor of Texas. “We pray that all the missing are found alive.”

In the flood-affected area of Texas, parents and families posted photos of their missing loved ones and appeals for information.

What Eyewitnesses Report

Eyewitnesses spoke to The Guardian and described their experience from the moment the rains swept through the state of Texas.

Erin Burgess stated that she was woken by thunder and rain at midnight on Friday. Twenty minutes later, water was entering her home, located across the river. She described hanging from a tree and waiting for the water to recede enough to climb the hill and reach a neighbor’s house.

“My son and I floated onto a tree where we held on, while my friend and my dog were swept away,” she said. “He was lost for a bit, but we found him.” Regarding her 19-year-old son, Burgess said: “Luckily he’s over 6 feet tall. That’s all that saved me – hanging onto him.”

Matthew Stone, 44, from Kerrville, said that police were knocking on doors, but that he had not received any warning on his mobile phone. “We didn’t get any emergency alerts. There was nothing” until suddenly a “black wall of death” appeared, Stone said.

“We Don’t Have a Warning System”

When asked how Kerr County residents were informed so they could move to a safe place, Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s highest elected official, said: “We don’t have a warning system.”

Following this statement, reporters asked once again why more precautionary measures had not been taken, to which Kelly replied: “Rest assured – no one knew such a flood would happen.”