At least 13 dead in Texas flash flooding, 20-plus young campers missing
July 4 (Reuters) – Heavy rain brought deadly flash flooding to the Guadalupe River in south-central Texas on Friday, killing at least 13 people and leaving nearly two-dozen girls missing from a riverfront summer camp, officials said.
The U.S. National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, in Texas Hill Country, about 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, after thunderstorms with heavy rain dumped as much as a foot of rain.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told reporters the flooding hit before dawn with no warning, so authorities couldn’t issue evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River rose above flood stage.
“This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that couldn’t be predicted, even with radar,” Rice said. “This happened in less than a two-hour span.”
State emergency management officials had warned as early as Thursday that west and central Texas would see heavy rain and flash flooding “over the next couple days” citing National Weather Service forecasts ahead of the holiday weekend.
July 4th fireworks were cancelled in flood-stricken areas throughout the region, including Kerrville where the waterfront site for Friday night’s planned U.S. Independence Day celebration was underwater.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 13 people were found dead in the area, “I think there will be more when this is over.”
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at an earlier press conference that 6-10 bodies of adults and children were found, some in cars that were washed downstream.
PRAYERS FOR THE MISSING
He also said authorities were looking for 23 girls who were unaccounted for among over 700 children at several summer camps near the Guadalupe River when the site was inundated by floodwaters at around 4am.
“We’re praying for all those missing to be found alive,” Patrick said.
It was not clear if anyone unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a private Christian girls summer camp, was among the deceased countywide tallied by the sheriff.
Otherwise all campers were safe, authorities said, but campers could not be evacuated because roads were impassable. Camp Mystic’s director said in a message to reporters the facility’s power, water and internet was out.
“Everybody is doing everything they can to get these kids out,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said at a news conference earlier in the day.
Kelly said several scattered residential subdivisions, RV parks and campgrounds were hit hard.
Asked why more wasn’t done with stormy weather in the forecast, Kelly said a disaster of this magnitude was unforeseen.
“We have floods all the time.
This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,” he said. “We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what’s happened here. None whatsoever.”
In a Thursday alert, the Texas Division of Emergency Management said it had increased the readiness level of its operations center and “activated additional state emergency response resources” as parts of west and central Texas prepared “for continued heavy rainfall and flash flooding threats through the holiday weekend.”
Patrick said the Guadalupe River had risen 26 feet in 45 minutes with heavy rain in the area. Search teams were flying 14 helicopters and 12 drones and hundreds of personnel on the ground rescuing people from trees and swift water.
The Llano River in adjacent Mason County was also at flood stage and “a life threatening situation” according to the weather service.
With more rain in the forecast, Patrick said the threat for flash flooding continued from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA were activated to assist local authorities.
