KERRVILLE, Texas 鈥 Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls鈥 camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country.
The storm killed at least 37 people across the state, including 14 children.
About 36 hours after the floods, authorities didn鈥檛 give a number of how many people in total are still missing beyond the 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.
The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger wasn鈥檛 over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.
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People look at debris on the banks of the Guadalupe River on Saturday聽after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.聽
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
鈥淲e will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,鈥 said Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
The number of victims climbed as more rain continued around Austin and a massive search continued in the nearby Hill Country. At least three people died and 10 others were missing in Travis County, home to the state鈥檚 capital.
Two people died in Burnet County, where a firefighter was among the missing after he was swept away by floodwaters while responding to a rescue, the county Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio said.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people were recovered so far in the devastated Hill Country: 18 adults and 14 children.
Authorities came under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 even want to begin to estimate at this time,鈥 said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.
A wall is missing on a building Saturday聽at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.聽
Raging storm hit camp
鈥淭he camp was completely destroyed,鈥 said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. 鈥淎 helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.鈥
A raging storm fueled by incredible amounts of moisture woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.
Frantic parents and families posted photos on social media of missing loved ones and pleas for information.
On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup truck tossed onto its side and a building missing its front wall.
The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.
Officials comb the banks of the Guadalupe River on Saturday聽after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.聽
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.
鈥淭hese warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,鈥 AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.
Officials defended their actions while saying they didn鈥檛 expect such an intense downpour.
One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week 鈥渄id not predict the amount of rain that we saw,鈥 said Kidd.
People are reunited after flash flooding hit the area Friday in Ingram, Texas.
Search by air
Search crews faced harsh conditions while 鈥渓ooking in every possible location,鈥 Rice said.
Authorities said about 850 people were rescued. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters flew in to assist.
One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.
鈥淲e still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We鈥檝e had a little success, but not much,鈥 said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will travel to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground.
A truck rests on a tree outside sleeping quarters Saturday聽at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.聽
鈥楴o one knew鈥
The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.
鈥淓verything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we鈥檙e not exactly sure where it鈥檚 going to land,鈥 Patrick said. 鈥淥bviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that鈥檚 when the storm started to zero in.鈥
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county鈥檚 chief elected official, said: 鈥淲e do not have a warning system.鈥
When pushed on why more precautions weren鈥檛 taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.
The slow-moving storm brought more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.
The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.JIM VERTUNO, JULIO CORTEZ ///and JOHN SEEWER
Associated Press
KERRVILLE, Texas 鈥 Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls鈥 camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country.
The storm killed at least 37 people across the state, including 14 children.
About 36 hours after the floods, authorities didn鈥檛 give a number of how many people in total are still missing beyond the 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.
The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger wasn鈥檛 over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.
Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
鈥淲e will not stop until we find everyone who is missing,鈥 said Nim Kidd, chief of Texas Department of Emergency Management, at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
The number of victims climbed as more rain continued around Austin and a massive search continued in the nearby Hill Country. At least three people died and 10 others were missing in Travis County, home to the state鈥檚 capital.
Two people died in Burnet County, where a firefighter was among the missing after he was swept away by floodwaters while responding to a rescue, the county Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio said.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the bodies of 32 people were recovered so far in the devastated Hill Country: 18 adults and 14 children.
Authorities came under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.
The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.
The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.
鈥淭hese warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,鈥 AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.
