The death toll from the Texas flash floods climbed to 119 on Wednesday, raising concerns that the figure could more than double with over 160 individuals still reported missing. Recovery crews in central Texas continued to sift through muddy debris from the July 4 floods, as Governor Greg Abbott ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in recognition of the tragedy.
Officials in Kerr County, the epicenter of the flooding, confirmed on Wednesday that 161 people were known to be missing within the county. Kerr County, part of the “Flash Flood Alley” region in central Texas, sustained the most severe damage, with at least 95 fatalities, including 36 children, as reported by Sheriff Larry Leitha. Among the missing were counselors and 27 girls from a summer camp who disappeared early Friday when the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks. As of Wednesday, five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic remained unaccounted for, along with another child not affiliated with the camp, Leitha stated. An AFP tally of official reports confirmed that two dozen other individuals had been found dead elsewhere in the state.
Over 2,000 rescue personnel, police, and experts have converged on the flood zone in what Sheriff Leitha described as an “all hands on deck” operation. Ben Baker, with the Texas Game Wardens, noted the difficulty of search and rescue efforts, which involve helicopters, drones, and dogs, due to the extensive water, mud, and debris. “When we´re trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it’s very hazardous,” Baker explained.
Meanwhile, questions intensified regarding whether US President Donald Trump´s government funding cuts had compromised warning systems and about the overall handling of the rescue operation. During sometimes tense news conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday, officials largely sidestepped questions concerning the speed of the emergency response. “There´s going to be an after-action” review of what happened, Sheriff Leitha said, adding that “those questions need to be answered.” However, officials emphasized that the immediate priority remained locating the missing and reuniting families.
“Door-to-Door” Heroic Rescues
Kerrville police officer Jonathan Lamb recounted heroic rescue efforts by authorities and volunteers who evacuated hundreds of people from their homes or vehicles. Lamb told reporters that officers went “door to door, waking people up” in Kerr County early Friday, and in some instances, “pulling them out of windows” of flooding homes and trailers. He added that the tragedy, “as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast scattered storms on Wednesday in the Hill Country, including isolated pockets of heavy rain. In the neighboring state of New Mexico, flash flooding resulted in three fatalities on Tuesday in Ruidoso, as stated on the village website, adding that the Ruidoso River swelled to a record-breaking 20 feet (six meters).
Bodies Discovered in Mud
In the Texas town of Hunt, an AFP team observed recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters hovering overhead. Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud in search of his grandmother, having already located the body of his grandfather. He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed ashore by the river.
President Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Friday with First Lady Melania Trump. “We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over… They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people,” Trump said, commenting on the response efforts. Shel Winkley, a weather expert at the Climate Central research group, attributed the extent of the disaster to a combination of geography and an exceptional drought, noting that dry soil absorbs less rainfall. “This part of Texas, at least in the Kerr County flood specifically, was in an extreme to exceptional drought…. We know that since May, temperatures have been above average,” Winkley informed reporters.
