Multiple fatalities confirmed in Texas Hill Country flooding : NPR

At least 43 people are dead following flooding that slammed Texas Hill Country early Friday morning, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Saturday evening. The deceased include 28 adults and 15 children. Of those, the identities of 12 adults and five children are pending.

At a Christian summer camp next to the Guadalupe River, 27 girls were among those missing. Officials said some of those campers may be stranded and unable to call for help.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference Friday night that the state is committing all the necessary resources to continue with a search and rescue mission, including members of the Texas National Guard and state troopers.

The governor issued a disaster declaration for several counties in the area of the state known as the Hill Country, about 70 miles north of San Antonio. Abbott expanded the disaster declaration on Saturday to add more counties impacted by flooding and signed a disaster declaration requesting assistance from the federal government.

W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said Saturday afternoon that officials are still “actively searching” for people alive but that those efforts “will turn into recovery at some point.”

“When you talk to the men and women that are up there in those helicopters and out in those boats and walking the ground, they’re looking for live people right now and doing everything they can to continue to search as fast as possible,” Kidd said during a press conference.

Abbott also said during the press conference he has instructed every state agency involved with search and rescue to “assume everybody missing is alive” and warned “every minute counts.”

Officials say more than 850 people have been rescued so far, and many of them were rescued by helicopters. Texas officials say some of the areas affected remain without power or internet access.

Leitha said in a Saturday morning news conference that rescue efforts were ongoing, but he could not give a timeline of how long it would take to recover everyone affected by the flood.

“This community is strong and will continue to pull together,” Leitha said. We are committed to finding every single person, no matter how long it takes. It will be a lengthy process, but we will not stop until everyone is accounted for. Leitha stated that authorities anticipate the number of fatalities may increase. “This is likely to take a couple of days,” Leitha mentioned during the previous press conference.

At an elementary school in Kerrville, acting as a reunification center, hundreds of people awaited news about their loved ones. While some parents were able to reunite with their children, others were still waiting to hear from them.

Tanya Powell’s 21-year-old daughter, Ella Rose, was among the missing. Powell explained, “She was with three friends near the camp at a house. They are college seniors from San Antonio who were here for the weekend. We lost contact with them around 4 a.m. and haven’t received any updates.”

One of the affected summer camps, Camp Mystic, is a long-standing all-girls Christian summer camp in the area.

Angela Trafton’s granddaughter was at the camp when the rain started pouring at night. Although the girl survived, Trafton was deeply affected by the experience. “We are so thankful,” she said, barely managing to speak amidst tears. “This is her seventh year as a camper.” I’m not sure if she’ll ever return now.” In Texas, the National Climate Assessment reports that the heaviest rainstorms now drop about 20% more rain than they did in the late 1950s. This increase in rainfall has led to devastating consequences in regions like Kerrville, Texas, where the Guadalupe River is currently cresting at 39 feet due to recent heavy rainfall. The terrain of the Hill Country makes it particularly susceptible to flood damage, as the limestone composition leaves little area for water to soak into the ground.

Kerr County officials have declared a state of disaster following the severe weather storm, which has caused significant property damage and loss of life. Judge Rob Kelly described the flood as “very devastating and deadly” during a press conference, emphasizing the monumental damages to public infrastructure and private properties. The full extent of the damage will only be known once the floodwaters recede. Given text is required. Could you please provide the text that needs to be rewritten?