Death toll in Texas flash floods rises to 13, 23 girls from summer camp missing

The death toll in catastrophic Texas flash floods rose to 13 as Thunderstorms and torrential rain wreaked havoc in the state. On Friday, floods swarmed the Guadalupe River, killing 13 people and leaving many wounded. Not only this, the authorities noted that over 20 girls from a summer camp went missing in the rains, fearing the death toll to increase further.

The region was beset by death and disaster on Friday after months’ worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours. Search teams used boats and helicopters to rescue survivors stuck in fast-moving water that overtook riverfront communities and children’s summer camps.

In light of this, the US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County, located in south-central Texas Hill County.

Texas governor urges residents to stay indoors

While speaking at a news conference on Friday afternoon, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said that 23 children from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls, were unaccounted for out of 750 who were staying there at that time, The Guardian reported

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He urged people to stay away from the flooded areas, adding that the Texas division of emergency management had 14 helicopters and hundreds of emergency workers involved in search-and-rescue operations. Patrick also mentioned that the emergency crew had recovered between 6 and 10 bodies as of now. “Some are adults, some are children. At this point, we don’t know where they all came from,” he said.

He maintained that US President Donald Trump has been informed about the situation, and Trump made it clear to him that: “Whatever we need, we can have.” The region was left in shambles when five to 10 inches of rain fell overnight as part of an intense and slow-moving storm across Kerr and Kendall counties.

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The state senator Pete Flores said: “We are in search-and-rescue mode, and we know that these first 24 hours are very important.” Meanwhile, weather agencies warned that more rain is expected in the state, including around Waco, and flooding is anticipated downriver from Kerr County.

The matter is concerning since there are more than a dozen summer camps dotted in the rural region that would now be filled with kids. The Texas Hill Country, a scenic and rocky gateway to booming vineyards and vacation rentals, begins west of the state capital and is a popular outdoor summer getaway. However, parts of the region are also prone to flooding.

In light of this, the Ingram fire department posted a photo of a statement from Camp Mystic, saying the camp experienced “catastrophic level floods”. Parents with a daughter not accounted for had been directly contacted, the camp said. “We are working with search and rescue currently,” the camp said in its communication. “The highway has washed away, so we are struggling to get more help. Please continue to pray and send any help if you have contacts to do so.”

It is pertinent to note that the rains in the region came after a long drought that has left the soil bone-dry, increasing the chances of runoff leading to flash flooding. The rains in central Texas are expected to continue until later Friday.

With inputs from agencies.