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Flash floods that ravaged Texas implicit the play person killed astatine slightest 82 people and near galore others missing successful the authorities successful the confederate United States.
The deaths and demolition caused by the floods person brought the government’s effect and informing systems nether scrutiny. A informing for flash floods successful parts of Texas remains successful spot done Monday, and the hunt for missing radical continues.
Here is much astir what happened successful Texas and however the authorities has responded:
What happened and what caused the floods successful Texas?
While residents were inactive dormant aboriginal connected Friday, flash floods deed Texas Hill Country, a portion spanning cardinal and confederate Texas. In nether 2 hours, the Guadalupe River swelled beyond its banks, surging higher than two-storey buildings at astir 9 metres (30ft).
Drone footage taken connected Saturday showed full neighbourhoods inundated with precocious volumes of water.
Flash floods instrumentality spot erstwhile ample volumes of rainfall determination down rapidly and the crushed is not capable to sorb it. Central Texas is called “flash flood alley” due to the fact that it is particularly susceptible to flooding.
Where were the worst floods?
Kerr County was deed the hardest by the floods, which struck connected US Independence Day and the commencement of a agelong vacation weekend.
The county, location to much than 52,000 people, sits connected the Edwards Plateau successful cardinal Texas. The region is location to parks and outdoor sites arsenic good arsenic taste hubs, including the Museum of Western Art.
(Al Jazeera)What is Camp Mystic successful Texas?
Many girls were killed and others went missing arsenic the floods deed the riverside Camp Mystic, a backstage Christian summertime campy for girls. The campy is located successful the Hunt assemblage successful occidental Kerr County on the banks of the Guadalupe River astir 137km (85 miles) northwest of San Antonio.
Camp Mystic was founded successful 1926 by EJ “Doc” Stewart, a University of Texas American shot coach. Since its establishment, the campy has operated each summertime but for 3 years during World War II erstwhile the US authorities leased the campy to beryllium a betterment installation for Army Air Corps veterans.
The campy runs 3 sessions each summer, offering much than 30 activities, specified arsenic archery, aerobics, basketball, ceramics, kayaking and golf.
When the flood hit, astir 750 radical were staying astatine Camp Mystic. At slightest 23 radical from the campy are missing successful the aftermath of the flooding.
How galore radical person died?
At slightest 82 radical person been killed successful the flooding, officials said.
Those see 68 radical who died successful Kerr County alone, Larry Leitha, its sheriff, told reporters connected Sunday afternoon. Among the dormant successful Kerr County are 28 children.
Texas officials confirmed that astatine slightest 10 much radical had died successful adjacent regions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said connected Sunday that 41 radical crossed the authorities were missing. “You volition spot the decease toll emergence today,” Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin said astatine a quality conference.
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro reported from Washington, DC, that rescue workers had promised to “not springiness up until the precise past idiosyncratic is recovered – either live oregon their assemblage is recovered”.
Has the Guadalupe River flooded before?
Yes, Kerr County has historically seen flooding from the Guadalupe River.
The flood implicit the play evoked memories of a catastrophe that occurred successful July 1987. That flood began arsenic a tempest successful Mexico and moved crossed the border, hitting occidental Kerr County and dumping rainfall into the precocious portion of the Guadalupe.
The 1987 flood besides deed a summertime camp, sidesplitting 10 teenagers astatine the Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp adjacent Comfort, Texas, according to section media.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said the Guadalupe River connected Friday surged past those 1987 levels.
Why is the government’s effect being criticised?
President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made cuts to the NWS, reducing backing and slashing staff.
The Trump medication has besides projected cuts and modifications to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US authorities bureau that conducts clime alteration research. The NWS is portion of NOAA.
By aboriginal June, the NWS mislaid astir 600 employees, who were either laid disconnected oregon retired.
The Austin/San Antonio bureau of the NWS is abbreviated of six employees, and the adjacent San Angelo bureau is abbreviated of 4 employees, according to Tom Fahy, the legislative manager for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, a national that represents authorities employees, NBC News reported.
Some Democrats person argued that understaffing the NWS makes it hard to tackle upwind disasters specified arsenic the flash flooding successful Texas.
“I don’t deliberation it’s adjuvant to person missing cardinal unit from the National Weather Service not successful spot to assistance forestall these tragedies,” Joaquin Castro, a Democratic subordinate of the US House of Representatives from Texas, told CNN.
What exigency warnings did the authorities issue?
Despite the cuts, the authorities did contented a bid of flood warnings for Texas. On Wednesday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced determination was a menace of flooding, activating authorities exigency effect resources. Later that afternoon, the Austin/San Antonio bureau of the NWS posted connected X: “Scattered mean to dense showers proceed to make and grow to the Hill Country.”
On Thursday, the TDEM successful an X station said occidental and cardinal Texas continued to look a flood threat. The NWS said connected X: “Pockets of dense rainfall are expected and whitethorn effect successful flooding.”
The NWS besides issued a flood watch, which is an alert that upwind conditions are favourable for flooding. “It does not mean flooding volition occur, but it is possible,” the NWS website said.
On Friday, the NWS upgraded the flood ticker to a flood warning, which means a flood is imminent oregon occurring. At 1:26am (06:26 GMT), the NWS posted connected X “flash flooding apt overnight with important impacts possible”. About 4am (09:00 GMT), the NWS posted: “A precise unsafe flash flooding lawsuit is ongoing. … Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”
An hr later, the San Angelo bureau of the NWS issued a uncommon flash flood emergency, and the Austin/San Antonio bureau followed suit a abbreviated clip later.
What has the authorities said?
The Trump medication has dismissed allegations that understaffing of upwind monitoring agencies was successful immoderate mode to blasted for the crisis, maintaining that the standard of the floods was unexpected and could not person been predicted.
Trump told reporters: “This is simply a 100-year catastrophe, and it’s conscionable truthful horrible to watch.”
Scientists typically usage presumption similar “100-year flood” oregon “500-year flood” to notation to a flood that is of unprecedented strength compared with humanities records, according to the US Geological Survey.
Trump added that helium would sojourn Texas “probably connected Friday”.
When Trump was asked if the meteorologists who had near the NWS due to the fact that of the DOGE cuts should beryllium rehired, the president said helium “wouldn’t know”, adding, “I would deliberation not. This was the happening that happened successful seconds. Nobody expected it. Nobody saw it. Very talented radical successful determination and they didn’t spot it.”
Speaking astatine a quality league with Abbott, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Trump was utilizing “all the resources astatine the national government” for hunt and betterment operations.
“For decades, for years, everybody knows that the upwind is highly hard to predict, but besides the National Weather Service implicit the years astatine times has done good and astatine times we person each wanted much clip and much warnings,” Noem said.
She added that the Trump medication was “upgrading the technology” that the NWS uses.
What rescue efforts are taking place?
About 17 helicopters were deployed implicit the play to search for missing people. Additionally, the Texas National Guard was called up to assistance with the hunt operation.
“We proceed our 24/7 hunt & rescue cognition until each missing idiosyncratic is found,” Abbott wrote connected X connected Sunday.
What is the latest concern connected the ground?
An country northeast of Austin to westbound of San Antonio successful Texas Hill Country and on the Interstate 35 road corridor remained nether menace of flash floods connected Monday, the NWS Austin/San Antonio bureau wrote successful an X station astir 3am (08:00 GMT) connected Monday.
About the aforesaid time, the San Angelo bureau of the NWS besides posted connected X saying “latest indications are that our country is not done with flooding risks yet.”
* Important update astatine 10 PM: Latest indications are that our country is not done with flooding risks yet. Latest exemplary information indicates further showers/storms with dense rainfall could make by sunrise implicit our southeast counties & past dispersed westward Monday morning. #sjtwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/ouhOU93xzq
— NWS San Angelo (@NWSSanAngelo) July 7, 2025
In an earlier station a small aft midnight (05:00 GMT connected Monday), the Austin/San Antonio NWS bureau said it was “difficult to pinpoint nonstop locations wherever isolated heavier [rainfall] amounts occur”, adding that immoderate further rainfall would pb to flash flooding.
There remains a menace of flash flooding overnight and done the time connected Monday determination implicit the Flood Watch area. Difficult to pinpoint nonstop locations wherever isolated heavier amounts occur. Any further dense rainfall volition pb to accelerated runoff and flash flooding. pic.twitter.com/9AHwr7Vkg5
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 7, 2025
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