More than 100 killed in Texas floods as search and rescue enters fifth day
We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.
The death toll from the flash floods that struck central Texas on Friday has passed 100 and is expected to rise further as search efforts continue into a fifth day.
At least 84 of the victims – 56 adults and 28 children – died in Kerr County, the worst affected area, where the Guadalupe River rose to critical levels in multiple locations.
And many were in attendance at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls’ summer camp that has confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who were killed. At least ten girls and a camp counselor are reported to remain unaccounted for.
Other counties in Texas have reported casualties, including seven deaths in Travis County, six in Kendall, four in Burnet, two in Williamson, and one in Tom Green.
The New York Times and CNN are among the media outlets to be reporting that at least 104 people have been killed across the entire flood zone.
Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, said that rescuers are continuing to search for dozens of missing people across the state, with over 20 state agencies and 1,750 personnel responding to the floods.
The Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8 meters) in 45 minutes in Friday’s pre-dawn hours, after a downpour north of San Antonio. Much of the water has returned to normal levels.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.
Key events
Texas’s worst flooding in decades – in pictures
Here are some of the latest images coming out from Texas after devastating floods forced authorities to launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in the state’s recent history:
The deadly Texas floods could signal a new norm in the US, as Donald Trump and his allies dismantle crucial federal agencies that help states prepare and respond to extreme weather and other hazards, experts warn.
More than 100 are dead and dozens more remain missing after flash floods in the parched area known as Texas Hill Country swept away entire holiday camps and homes on Friday night – in what appears to have been another unremarkable storm that stalled before dumping huge quantities of rain over a short period of time, a phenomena that has becoming increasingly common as the planet warms.
It remains unclear why the early warning system failed to result in the timely evacuation of Camp Mystic, where 700 girls were camped on a known flood plain on the Guadalupe River, but there is mounting concern that the chaos and cuts instigated by Trump and his billionaire donor Elon Musk at the National Weather Service (NWS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) may have contributed to the death toll.
Samantha Montano, professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said:
This is the exact kind of storm that meteorologists, climate scientists, emergency management experts have been talking about and warning about for decades at this point, and there’s absolutely no reason that this won’t happen in other parts of the country.
This is what happens when you let climate change run unabated and break apart the emergency management system – without investing in that system at the local and state level.
You can read the full story by my colleagues, Nina Lakhani and Oliver Milman, here:
Texas governor says every missing person will be found as he warns of threat of heavy rain
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement yesterday, reassuring residents that the state was continuing to “work around the clock” in its response to the flooding tragedy and promised that work won’t stop until every missing person – which is reportedly 24 – is found.
He added:
There is still a threat of heavy rain with the potential to cause flooding in the Central Texas, Hill Country, Big Country, and Concho Valley regions. Texans are urged to remain weather aware, heed the guidance of local officials, and regularly monitor weather forecasts.
Texas will remain engaged until every missing person is found and every Texan recovers from this disaster.
Abbott has advised Texans to regularly check weather updates. Citing the National Weather Service, the government agency which provides weather forecasts in the US, the governor said “rain with potential to cause flooding is anticipated for large portions of the state including Central Texas, the Hill Country, Big Country, and the Concho Valley over the next couple of days”.
Photograph: Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP
More than 100 killed in Texas floods as search and rescue enters fifth day
We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.
The death toll from the flash floods that struck central Texas on Friday has passed 100 and is expected to rise further as search efforts continue into a fifth day.
At least 84 of the victims – 56 adults and 28 children – died in Kerr County, the worst affected area, where the Guadalupe River rose to critical levels in multiple locations.
And many were in attendance at Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls’ summer camp that has confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among those who were killed. At least ten girls and a camp counselor are reported to remain unaccounted for.
Other counties in Texas have reported casualties, including seven deaths in Travis County, six in Kendall, four in Burnet, two in Williamson, and one in Tom Green.
The New York Times and CNN are among the media outlets to be reporting that at least 104 people have been killed across the entire flood zone.
Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, said that rescuers are continuing to search for dozens of missing people across the state, with over 20 state agencies and 1,750 personnel responding to the floods.
The Guadalupe River rose 26ft (8 meters) in 45 minutes in Friday’s pre-dawn hours, after a downpour north of San Antonio. Much of the water has returned to normal levels.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.
