AUSTIN, July 7 (TNF): Deadly floods in Texas have killed at least 78 people, including 28 children, officials said on Sunday. Search teams are still looking for girls missing from a summer camp. Fears of more flooding have forced evacuations of volunteers helping with rescue efforts.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 68 people died in his county alone. This included 28 children. Kerr County, in Texas Hill Country, has been the center of the disaster.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 10 more people died in other parts of the state. He confirmed 41 people are still missing.
President Donald Trump offered condolences. He said he may visit Texas on Friday. His administration is in touch with Governor Abbott.
“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,” Trump told reporters before leaving New Jersey.
The flood hit Camp Mystic hard. The Christian summer camp for girls has stood for nearly 100 years. Ten campers and one counselor remain missing, Leitha said.
“It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through,” said Abbott. He toured the area on Saturday. He promised to continue efforts to find the missing.
Flooding began when the Guadalupe River overflowed after heavy rain on Friday, July 4.
Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the floods killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green, five in Travis, and one in Williamson County.
“You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow,” said Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Rescue teams saved over 850 people. Some clung to trees as water rose fast. The storm dropped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain about 140 km northwest of San Antonio.
Kidd warned of more danger. He said unconfirmed reports spoke of another wall of water moving down creeks. Officials evacuated areas along the river as a precaution.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now helping. The agency stepped in after Trump declared a major disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard joined search efforts with helicopters and planes.
Trump’s disaster response plans have drawn criticism. Experts say cuts to the National Weather Service and NOAA may have hurt flood warnings.
Former NOAA head Rick Spinrad said job cuts weakened forecasting abilities. He did not confirm if this affected the Texas floods specifically.
Trump denied that staff cuts hurt the disaster response. “That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup,” he said, though he added, “I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the National Weather Service had issued only a moderate flood watch before the rains. She said the system is being upgraded.
Congressman Joaquin Castro warned that fewer weather experts could cost lives. “When you have flash flooding… it could lead to tragedy,” he told CNN.
At Camp Mystic, counselor Katharine Somerville described the terror. Her 13-year-old campers panicked as their cabins flooded and lost power.
“Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y’all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen,” she told Fox News.
Military trucks evacuated Somerville’s campers. All were safe.
On Saturday, Camp Mystic lay in ruins. Mud lines six feet high marked the flood. Mud-caked bed frames, mattresses, and belongings filled cabins. Some buildings had shattered windows or missing walls.
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