Texans are reeling from the major flood disaster over the holiday weekend that killed at least 108 people, with the majority of the deaths taking place in Kerr County. At least 23 people remain missing. The number of victims is expected to rise as authorities continue searching the affected areas.
On Friday, heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River in central Texas to rise rapidly in a short amount of time.
The resulting flooding hit Kerr County, where a nearly 100-year-old, all-girls Christian summer camp is located. At least 27 campers and counselors were initially unaccounted for, according to the camp’s website. That number has since gone down.
“At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters on Tuesday morning.
Kerr County officials said they will hold another press conference at 5 p.m. local time Tuesday.
The latest on the rescue efforts
Search and rescue efforts continued Tuesday, with more rainfall expected Wednesday. Local, state, and federal authorities are working to find the missing girls and clear through the debris.
President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration to assist the emergency response in Kerr County. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) issued a state-level disaster declaration on Friday and has since expanded it to include additional counties.
More than 850 people have been rescued so far, and officials have said they are committed to searching until everyone is accounted for.
In Kerr County, 87 bodies have been recovered as of Tuesday morning. Of those, 56 were adults and 30 were children.
What officials are saying
Visiting Texas over the weekend, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the Trump administration is committed to using “all the resources at the federal government” to help in the search and rescue operations.
Texas Republicans at the federal level, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX), have said they are closely monitoring the situation in their state as it develops.
“There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), whose district includes Kerr County. “There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.”
Trump said he plans to visit the areas hit hardest by the natural disaster “probably” on Friday.
“We wanted to leave a little time,” he told reporters on Sunday. “I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way. Probably Friday.”
The president confirmed on Monday that he will visit Texas on Friday.
NWS staffing cuts questioned
The unexpected flooding surprised Texans and even the local National Weather Service office.
The agency issued several flash flood warnings into Friday morning before issuing flash flood emergencies, leading to evacuations. By then, the water was already accumulating at a rapid pace. The downpour caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.
The National Weather Service has undergone staff shortages, which experts say may have been associated with the agency’s underestimate of the torrential rain. It remains uncertain if there is a correlation between the staff cuts and the agency’s forecast.
On Sunday, Trump said the staff shortages under his administration’s cost-cutting agenda had nothing to do with the faulty forecast. The White House also said the blame on insufficient staffing for the flood response is “false” and “disgusting.”
Earlier this year, state lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have established a grant program for rural counties in particular to build new emergency communication infrastructure. The bill was inspired by devastating wildfires in the Texas Panhandle last year.
Local officials have said they were caught off guard by the flooding and defended their actions.
Cruz said the criticisms of the National Weather Service are “contradicted by the facts.”
“If you look at the facts in particular, No. 1, these warnings went out hours before the flood became a true emergency level,” Cruz said. “But No. 2, the National Weather Service here … had additional manpower. In fact, they had three additional people working that night, anticipating that it was going to be a very dangerous weather situation.”
What is Camp Mystic?
Established in 1926, Camp Mystic is a summer camp for girls aged 7 to 17. It has been owned by the same family for generations.
Over 750 girls were present at the camp when the flooding started. About two dozen were initially considered missing.
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Among the campers were Rep. Buddy Carter’s (R-GA) granddaughters, who safely evacuated but lost their cousin.
“Camp Mystic is an incredible Texas institution,” Cruz said at a Monday press conference. “For a century, it has made a profound difference helping young girls become strong women in Texas and across the country. I’m praying for these campers. I’m praying for all the campers, and I hope we come together and stand as we’re doing that.”