This article is from: srnnews.com
A July Fourth weekend deluge in Texas caused catastrophic flash flooding that has killed at least 85 people.
Camp Mystic in Kerr County says Monday morning that it is “grieving the loss” of 27 campers and counselors as the search continues for victims of the disaster. The flooding sent a wall of water through the century-old summer camp Friday.
The risk of life-threatening flooding was still high in central Texas with more rain on the way.
The Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps. Searchers there have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children. Ten other deaths have been reported in other parts of Texas.
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The bodies of 27 children are among those that have been recovered, officials said during a news conference.
Ten campers and one counselor remain missing, officials said.
Officials had previously said the death toll in Kerr County was 68. Ten other deaths have been reported in other parts of Texas.
Slow-moving, heavy rainfall is expected to reach up to 4 additional inches, the National Weather Service said.
The flood watch lasts through 7 p.m. local time.
The 10 a.m. Central news conference will be the first official update since Camp Mystic officials confirmed early this morning that they lost 27 campers and counselors when a wall of water swept through the campground in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July.
The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up.
Friday’s flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark, early morning hours.
▶ What to know about the flash floods
Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “ nobody saw this coming.” Various officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.
And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change.
Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.
Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.
Kerr County officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.
Organizers at a staging area in Center Point said more than 1,000 volunteers have been directed to the area about 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of Kerrville, and more are being sent.
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