The risk of life-threatening flooding remained high in central Texas on Monday as crews urgently searched for the missing following a weekend deluge that claimed the lives of at least 82 people, including children at summer camps.
Officials cautioned that the death toll was expected to rise.
Residents of Kerr County began the arduous task of clearing mud and salvaging what they could from their devastated properties, recounting harrowing escapes from the rapidly rising floodwaters on Friday night.
Reagan Brown shared that his parents, in their 80s, were able to escape to higher ground as floodwaters engulfed their home in Hunt. Upon learning that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they bravely returned and rescued her.
“They then reached their toolshed on higher ground, and neighbors began arriving throughout the early morning, seeking refuge together in the toolshed,” Mr. Brown recounted.
A few miles away, rescuers continued their search for the missing through challenging terrain, battling snakes and other obstacles. Among the missing were 10 girls and a counsellor from Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp that sustained significant damage.
Governor Greg Abbott stated that 41 people were unaccounted for across the state, with the potential for more to be missing.
In the Hill Country region, home to numerous summer camps, search teams have recovered the bodies of 68 individuals, including 28 children, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
An additional ten deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green, and Williamson counties, as confirmed by local authorities.
The Governor warned that further heavy rainfall expected into Tuesday could trigger more dangerous flooding, particularly in areas already saturated.
Families were granted access to the camp grounds starting Sunday morning. One girl was seen exiting a building carrying a large bell. A father whose daughter was rescued from a cabin on the highest point of the camp was seen scouring the riverbank, searching among trees and under large rocks.
One family departed with a blue footlocker. A teenage girl was visibly distraught, tears streaming down her face as they slowly drove away, her gaze fixed on the devastation through the open window.
Nearby, crews operating heavy machinery were engaged in removing tree trunks and tangled branches from the river. With each passing hour, the hope of finding additional survivors diminished.
Volunteers and some family members of the missing arrived at the disaster zone and participated in the search, despite requests from authorities to refrain from doing so.
Authorities faced increasing scrutiny regarding the adequacy of warnings issued in an area historically prone to flooding, and whether sufficient preparation measures were in place.
President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Kerr County on Sunday and indicated his intention to visit on Friday, stating, “I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way.”
“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible,” he told reporters.
Governor Abbott pledged that authorities would continue their efforts around the clock, noting that new areas were being searched as floodwaters receded. He also declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.
