A man looks out at flooding caused by a flash flood at the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
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Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
In the early hours of Friday, floods swept across Texas Hill Country. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet within 45 minutes, according to state officials.
The flooding killed at least 14 children and 18 adults, officials said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Frantic search efforts continue for 27 girls from a local Christian summer camp — Camp Mystic — who remain missing, as well as other missing individuals. Officials added that more than 850 people have been rescued, including over 100 airlifted from the region.
On Friday, when asked why the summer camps in the area were not evacuated, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official, said, “I can’t answer that. I don’t know.”
On Wednesday the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) activated state emergency response resources, saying there were “increased threats of flooding in parts of West and Central Texas.” Swift water rescue teams, along with other types of rescue equipment, were moved to the area because some modeling predicted high levels of rainfall.
“But listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service….It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd on Friday.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who was in the area for the July 4th celebrations, asked for people to focus on the ongoing rescue work. “I’d just [ask] everybody like, pause, take a breath for the recriminations and the Monday morning quarterbacking,” he said on Saturday.
Let’s prioritize locating those who are accessible, and then we can evaluate our next steps moving forward. The water level on the south fork rose from about seven feet to 29 feet in a matter of minutes, as recalled by Rice during Friday’s events. Following the 1987 flood, alarms were installed along the river, but Rice noted that he believes they are located south of Kerrville and not everywhere on the river.
Deciding when to issue evacuation orders is a challenging task, according to Rice. There is a delicate balance between causing chaos on the roads by evacuating and potentially risking people getting stranded, especially in hill country with many low water crossings. The plan often involves sheltering in place until rescue is possible.
The City of Kerrville’s Police Department issued the first warning about the severe weather at 6:16 a.m., urging those near the Guadalupe River to move to higher ground immediately. The Kerr County Sheriff also posted about the flooding at 6:32 a.m.
As search and rescue operations continued, Texas Emergency Management Chief Kidd mentioned that pre-positioned boats and equipment were immediately put to use as soon as the rain began falling and 911 calls came in. Lt. Gov. Patrick highlighted the efforts of rescue teams, helicopters, drones, and swimmers in rescuing individuals from dangerous situations.
City Manager Rice mentioned that search and rescue teams relied on helicopters and specialized equipment to locate stranded individuals, with operations continuing through the night. On Saturday morning, ground operations commenced with teams navigating difficult terrain southwest of Hunt, TX to gather information.
More than 1,000 local, state, and federal personnel were involved in the rescue efforts, with Gov. Greg Abbott emphasizing the power of prayer during the natural disaster. He highlighted the importance of coming together in prayer during such challenging times.
