Flood in Texas: Two girls are still missing, at least 24 dead

Destructive Fast Water Along the Guadalupe River, it rose 26 feet (8 meters) just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, washing away homes and cars. The danger was not over as heavy rain was expected on Saturday and flash flood warnings were expected.

Authorities are undergoing more scrutiny about whether the camp and others in the area have received appropriate warnings and whether adequate preparations have been made.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to search for victims and rescue people who were stranded. The total number of missing people was unknown, but one sheriff said that 24 of them were girls attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

Desperate parents and family posted for photos and information about their missing loved ones.

“The camp has been completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, one of Camp Mystic’s hundreds of campers. “The helicopters landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

A violent storm woke up shortly after midnight Friday and when rescuers arrived they tied the ropes for the girl to hold her as the flood slapped her on the legs and walked across the bridge, she said.

At a press conference late Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leesa said 24 people have been confirmed dead, including children. Authorities said about 240 people had been rescued.

The midnight flood on the holiday on July 4th surprised many residents, campers and officials. Located northwest of San Antonio, Texas Hill Country is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially during summer holidays.

Accuweather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service had sent warnings about potential flash floods hours before the devastation.

“These warnings should have provided staff with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and make people safe,” Accuweather said in a statement calling Texas Hill County, which is one of the most prone areas in the United States due to its topography and many water intersections.

Officials defended their actions on Friday, saying they didn’t expect such a heavy downpour, but that amounted to months of rain for the area.

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, said earlier this week that one National Weather Service forecast called for up to six inches (152 millimeters) of rain. “It didn’t predict the amount of rain we saw,” he said.

Helicopters, drones used in desperate searches for missing

The river gauge near Camp Mystic recorded a 22-foot rise (6.7 meters) in about two hours, said Bob Fogerty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office. After recording a level of 29 and a half feet (9 meters), the gauge broke down.

“The water moves so fast, you don’t realize how bad it is until it’s on top of you,” Fogerty said.

More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue squads, helicopters and drones were used, and some people were picked from trees. US Coast Guard helicopters flew to help.

“The Black Wall of Death”

In Ingram, Erin Burgess was woken up to lightning and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, the river had poured water into the house, she said. She explained that she was clinging to a tree with her teenage son, waiting for the water to retreat enough to safely climb the hill.

“Thankfully, he’s over six feet tall, and that was the only thing that saved me and I was sticking to him,” she said.

“My son and I were floating on the tree we were hanging over it, my boyfriend and my dog ​​were floating. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.

Matthew Stone, 44, of Carville, said police knocked on the door but he was not warned by phone.

“There were no emergency warnings. There were none,” Stone said. Then there’s the “white wall of death.”

“I was so scared I could die.”

The family cried and cheered as their loved ones got out of the rescue vehicle at Ingram’s Unified Center. The two soldiers were brought with them an older woman who could not descend the ladder. Behind her, a woman clenched the little white dog.

Afterwards, a girl in a white “Camp Mystic” T-shirt and white socks stood in a puddle and sobs into her mother’s arms.

Barry Adelman said the water thrusts the entire three-storey home, including his 94-year-old grandmother and nine-year-old grandson, into the attic. Water began to come from the attic floor before I retreated.

“I was terrified,” he said. “I looked at my grandson on my face and told him everything was fine, but inside I was so scared I could die.”

“No one knew there was a flood of this kind.”

The forecast for the weekend was raining. Flood clocks were upgraded to warnings on Friday for at least 30,000 people.

Texas Lt. Colonel Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covers a wide area.

“Everything was done to lift your head that there could be heavy rain, and I don’t know exactly where we’re going to land,” Patrick said. “It was obviously dark last night, and we entered a delicious morning of time, when the storm started to go to zero.”

“We don’t have a warning system,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, a county elected official.

When pushing for reasons why more precautions were not taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flooding was coming.

Pockets for heavy rain are expected

The slow storm stuck in central Texas is expected to rain on Saturday, according to Jason Lanien of the National Weather Service.

The threat could remain overnight and Sunday mornings, he said.

Popular Tourist areas that are prone to flooding

The area is known as a “slash waterway” because of its thin layers of soil in the Hills, said Austin Dixon, CEO of the Texas Hill Country Community Foundation.

“When it rains, the water doesn’t get into the soil,” Dixon said. “It runs down the hill.”

The river tourism industry is an important part of the hill country’s economy. The famous, old-century summer camp brought children from all over the country, Dixon said.

“In general, it’s a very quiet river with very beautiful, clear blue waters that people have been attracted to for generations,” Dixon said.