Tragedy has struck Texas, as severe flooding following a storm has claimed the lives of at least 24 people. Many others remain missing, including over 20 girls from a summer camp.
Flash floods of devastating power, unleashed when the Guadalupe River overflowed its banks before dawn on Friday, decimated homes and swept away vehicles throughout Texas Hill Country.
Authorities report hundreds of rescues around Kerr County, with at least 167 individuals airlifted to safety by helicopter, after the area received nearly a foot of rainfall.
While the exact number of missing individuals remains undetermined, the sheriff stated that the group includes between 23 and 25 girls who were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp located along the Guadalupe River.
Social media platforms are filled with desperate pleas from parents and families seeking information about their loved ones who were caught in the flood zone.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” recounted Elinor Lester, 13, one of the hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic.
“A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
Elinor described being awakened around 1:30 am on Friday (7:30 am BST) by a raging storm. She recounted that when rescuers arrived, they secured a rope for the girls to hold onto as they crossed a bridge with floodwaters surging around their knees.
The overnight flooding, occurring on the July 4th US holiday, took many residents, campers, and officials by surprise.
Officials have defended their preparations and response to the severe weather, acknowledging that they did not anticipate such an intense downpour, equating to months’ worth of rainfall for the region.
Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, noted that a US National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week had predicted only between three and six inches of rain.
“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he emphasized.
At a press conference Friday evening, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that 24 people had been found dead. Authorities reported that 237 people had been rescued thus far.
