Texas floods: 133 dead as report claims Camp Mystic leader received flood warning hour before disaster
Flash flood warnings remain in effect across parts of Central Texas Tuesday morning as thunderstorms and torrential rain continue to soak the region
A fresh wave of floods battered Central Texas on Monday, delaying some rescue efforts as the death toll climbed to 133.
Officials ordered volunteer crews to suspend search operations near the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, as the area hit hardest by catastrophic flash flooding on July 4 faced further flood threats.
A broad swath of the Hill Country remained under flood watch alerts Tuesday morning, while officials warned of “life-threatening” flash floods across parts of South Central Texas.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said that the number of people missing statewide had fallen to 97, a significant reduction from the 173 unaccounted for that he announced almost a week ago.
It comes amid a Washington Post report that Richard “Dick” Eastland, the Camp Mystic executive director who died in the July 4 disaster, received a severe flood warning on his phone an hour before floodwaters slammed into the all-girls summer camp.
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Thank you for following our rolling coverage of the floods in Texas.
We are now closing this live blog, but will continue to track the latest developments from the Texas Hill Country as the recovery efforts continue.
Armies of Texas volunteers dig out, clean up, after fatal floods
It began with a stranger asking “Do you need help?”
“Yes,” Paul Welch told the man in a pickup truck, “I desperately need some help."
A day later, dozens of people pulled up outside the modest cabin where Welch and his partner lived overlooking the Guadalupe River until Texas' July 4 floods.
Keep reading:
Armies of Texas volunteers dig out, clean up, after fatal floods
Texas recovery efforts could take six months, sheriff says
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said crews could continue search and recovery efforts for up to six months following the deadly floods on Independence Day.
“I think we’ll still go strong for another month or two, up to maybe six months winding down,” Leitha said.
More than 2,000 people are helping the search efforts.
Crews paused on Sunday as the Guadalupe River continued to rise due to heavy rain.
“Emergency management it’s a process, and you do it one step at a time and you work through it one step at a time,” Leitha added.
Kerrville city councilmember requests security
A Kerrville city council member has requested that additional security be provided for local officials as they receive threats following the July 4 floods in Kerr County.
“We’re not only dealing with all the aftermath from this tragic event, but now we have to worry about threats that are coming to staff,” Brenda Hughes said at a city council meeting Monday. “I want it on the record that I would like additional security here and I’m not leaving here until we get it.”
Monday’s meeting marked the first since the floods.
Death toll at 131, governor says
The deadly floods in central Texas have killed 131 people, Governor Greg Abbott said Monday.
At least 101 people still missing
At least 101 people are still missing in central Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said on Monday.
Ninety-seven people are missing in and around Kerr County, Governor Greg Abbott said. Three people are also missing in Travis County, and one person is missing in Williamson County, the governor said.
At least 131 people were killed by the floods in the region.
Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
Even before the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, the state was by far the leader in U.S. flood deaths due partly to geography that can funnel rainwater into deadly deluges, according to a study spanning decades.
Keep reading:
Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
Texas Governor expresses gratitude for support from other states
Texas Governor Greg Abbott thanked the states that sent crews to assist with search and rescue efforts in central Texas.
At least 25 states have sent assistance to Texas.
“You can see one thing that's quite obvious, and that is doesn't matter if they're a red state or blue state, they're fellow Americans, and when times get tough, Americans come together,” he said.
Trump approves request to make more Texas counties eligible for disaster assistance
President Donald Trump approved a request to make more Texas counties eligible for federal disaster assistance after flash flooding on July 4 devastated communities along the Guadalupe River.
With the new addition of Burnet, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, and Tom Green counties, 10 counties are now approved for the FEMA Public Assistance program.
“President Trump’s approval of my request to add more counties to his disaster declaration is another critical step to get Texans the support they need to recover,” Abbott said in a statement Monday.
He added: “I thank President Trump for swiftly approving my request to approve these additional counties. Texas continues to work around-the-clock to help every impacted community heal and rebuild.”
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