Nearly Fifty Die as Severe Flooding Sweeps Through Texas
(MENAFN) Severe flash flooding across central Texas has claimed at least 49 lives and left numerous individuals unaccounted for, as rescue operations continue in affected areas, local officials reported over the weekend.
In Kerr County, the death toll has reached 43, including 28 adults and 15 children, after heavy rains triggered flash floods early on Friday, according to Sheriff Larry Leitha.
Meanwhile, 27 children remain missing, most of whom were campers at Camp Mystic, a private Christian girls’ camp situated along the Guadalupe River, said Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville. The camp, which serves approximately 750 children annually, has been at the heart of the ongoing search efforts.
"We've been rescuing people out of these camps by the hundreds all day," Rice stated.
In Travis County, a local broadcaster reported that four fatalities have been confirmed, with 13 people still missing, according to County Judge Andy Brown.
Rescue operations in Burnet County continued through Saturday afternoon. The sheriff’s office confirmed two deaths, with two individuals still unaccounted for.
On Saturday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott expanded the state's disaster declaration, now covering six additional counties, bringing the total number of counties affected by the flash floods to 20.
In Kerr County, the Guadalupe River's water levels surged from 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) to an alarming 29.5 feet (9 meters) in just three hours on Friday morning, reaching the second-highest level in recorded history, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).
Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, stated on Friday that the NWS’s earlier rainfall predictions had significantly underestimated the extent of the downpour that led to the devastating flooding.
This year alone, Texas has already faced multiple severe flooding events. Additionally, the U.S. has experienced a record-breaking number of flash flood emergencies in 2024, as reported by AccuWeather.
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