(AP) KERRVILLE, TXAfter a storm dumped almost a foot of rain and caused flooding to overflow the Guadalupe River, at least 24 people were killed and a desperate search for numerous others who went missing in the Texas Hill Country, including over 20 from a girls camp, continued overnight.
Homes were washed out and cars were swept away by the destructive might of the rapidly rising waves just before dawn on Friday.
Authorities reported that at least 167 helicopter rescues were among the hundreds of rescues that took place around Kerr County. The sheriff stated that between 23 and 25 of the missing were females who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp beside the river; however, the exact number of missing people was unknown.
Families and parents made frantic requests for information about loved ones stranded in the flood zone on social media.
According to 13-year-old Elinor Lester, one of the hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic, the camp was totally devastated. After landing, a chopper began removing passengers. It was quite frightening.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, she claimed, a violent storm woke up her cabin. Rescuers came and tied a rope for the girls to grab while the youngsters in her cabin crossed a bridge while floodwaters whipped around their knees and calves.
Many locals, campers, and officials were taken aback by the flooding that occurred in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July vacation. Although officials defended their response and severe weather preparations, they acknowledged that they had not anticipated such a heavy downpour, which was effectively equivalent to months’ worth of rain for the region.
According to Nim Kidd, the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, one National Weather Service forecast this week only called for three to six inches of rain.
He claimed that it was unable to forecast the volume of rain that we experienced.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha announced 24 confirmed deaths at a news conference late Friday. According to authorities, 237 people have been saved thus far.
Helicopters, drones used in frantic search for missing
According to Bob Fogarty, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office, a river gauge at Hunt recorded a 22-foot rise in around two hours. After recording a level of 29-1/2 feet, the gauge failed.
“You won’t realize how bad it is until it’s on top of you because the water is moving so quickly,” Fogarty added.
Individuals shared photos of their loved ones and asked for assistance in locating them on the Kerr County sheriff’s office Facebook page.
According to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, at least 400 personnel were on the ground assisting with the response. Some people were being rescued from trees by nine rescue teams, fourteen helicopters, and twelve drones.
Pitch black wall of death
At 3:30 a.m., Erin Burgess woke up in Ingram to thunder and rain. She claimed that only twenty minutes later, water was rushing into her house across the river. She recounted a torturous hour spent clinging to a tree while they waited for the water to subside sufficiently to enable them to walk up the hill to a neighbor’s house.
While my boyfriend and my dog drifted away, my son and I floated to a tree and grabbed onto it. We found them, she replied, but he was lost for a while.
Fortunately, her 19-year-old son is more over six feet tall, Burgess added. Holding on to him was the only thing that kept me alive.
Kerrville resident Matthew Stone, 44, reported that he had not received any notification on his phone when police knocked on homes at 5:30 a.m.
There was no emergency alert. Stone stated that there was nothing. Then a wall of death, completely dark.
I was scared to death
Families wept and applauded as loved ones disembarked from cars carrying evacuees at a reunification site set up in Ingram. An elderly woman who was unable to descend a ladder was lifted by two soldiers. A woman in shorts and a dirty T-shirt was behind her, holding a little white puppy.
Later, a girl was crying in her mother’s arms while standing in a puddle wearing a white Camp Mystic T-shirt and white socks.
According to 54-year-old Barry Adelman, flooding forced everyone in his three-story home—including his 9-year-old grandson and 94-year-old grandmother—into the attic. Before it eventually subsided, the water began to seep through the attic floor.
He remarked, “I was horrified.” I was terrified on the inside, but I had to face my grandson and reassure him that everything would be alright.
No one knew this kind of flood was coming
Rain was predicted, and a flood watch for at least 30,000 people was raised to a warning for the night. However, Fogarty noted that totals in several locations surpassed projections.
Patrick pointed out that a wide area was at risk of flooding and severe rain.
“We’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land, but everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain,” Patrick said. Naturally, as night fell yesterday night, we entered the early morning hours, which is when the storm began to intensify.
Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official, responded, “We do not have a warning system,” when asked how Kerr County residents were informed so they could evacuate.
“Be assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming,” Kelly said in response to reporters’ questions about why greater preparations weren’t taken.
Popular tourism area prone to flooding
According to Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was gathering money to support NGOs assisting with the tragedy, the region is referred to as “flash flood alley” due to the hills’ thin soil layer.
According to Dickson, water does not seep into the ground when it rains. Down the hill it rushes.
An important component of the Hill Country economy is the river tourist sector. According to Dickson, children from all over the nation attend renowned summer camps that have been around for a century.
According to Dickson, it’s a relatively peaceful river with stunningly brilliant blue water that has drawn tourists for many years.
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The Associated Press’s Hanna Fingerhut and Jim Vertuno
