At least six people have died and 20 girls attending a summer camp were reported missing in Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding.
A month’s worth of heavy rain fell on the US state in a matter of hours on Friday, leaving search teams to conduct boat and helicopter rescues in the fast-moving water.
Lieutenant governor Dan Patrick said somewhere between six and 10 bodies had been found so far in the frantic search for victims.
Meanwhile, during a news conference conducted at the same time as Lt gov Patrick’s update, Kerr County sheriff Larry Leitha reported that there were 13 deaths from the flooding.
At least 10 inches (25 centimetres) of rain poured down overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe river and leading to desperate pleas for information about the missing.
“Some are adults, some are children,” Lt gov Patrick said during a news conference. “Again, we don’t know where those bodies came from.”
Teams conducted dozens of rescues, and emergency responders continued to search for those who were unaccounted for. Comments on a Facebook post from the Kerr County sheriff’s office were riddled with photos of people in the flood zone.
Loved ones posted there, hoping someone could offer an update on the whereabouts of those they had not heard from. One woman said she could not reach her daughter, who had rented a cabin in Hunt for her husband and two children, and pleaded for someone to post the names of those already evacuated.
Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far. He said he was advised not to cite specific numbers and said authorities are still working to identify those whose lives were lost.
“Most of them, we don’t know who they are,” Mr Kelly said during a news conference. One of them was completely naked, he didn’t have any ID on him at all. We’re trying to get the identity of these folks, but we don’t have it yet.”
He had earlier said: “Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming,” he said. “We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.”
Texas governor Greg Abbott said the state was providing resources to Hill Country communities dealing with the flooding, including in Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt.
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. Parts of the region are prone to flash flooding.
Dozens of people posted on Facebook asking for any information on their children, nieces and nephews attending one of the many camps in the area, or family members that went camping during the holiday weekend.
Ingram Fire Department posted a photo of a statement from Camp Mystic, saying the private Christian summer camp for girls experienced “catastrophic level floods”.
Parents with a daughter not accounted for were directly contacted, the camp said. Another camp on the river located east of Hunt, Camp Waldemar, said in an Instagram post that “we are all safe and sound”.
“I urge Texans to heed guidance from state and local officials and monitor local forecasts to avoid driving into flooded areas,” Mr Abbott said in a statement.
The Guadalupe’s river gauge at the unincorporated community of Hunt, where the river forks, recorded a 22 foot rise (6.7 metres) in just about two hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office.
Mr Fogarty said the gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet (nine metres). “We think the river’s higher than that,” Mr Fogarty said. “The gauge is completely underwater.
“This is the kind of thing that will catch you unaware. The water’s moving so fast, you’re not going to recognise how bad it is until it’s on top of you.” – Reuters
