At least 51 dead as search continues for missing girls in Texas flood

Search and rescue efforts have been ramped up after flash flooding in Texas, Anna Geary reports

Rescuers continue to scour mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in Texas, after a devastating flood that killed at least 51 people, including dozens of girls at a summer camp.

Authorities say about 27 young girls are still missing since a Christian summer camp near the Guadalupe River was slammed with a wall of water. It was there that most of the dead were recovered.

Among those confirmed dead were an eight-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and the director of another camp just up the road.

The official death toll is 43, including 15 children, according to Kerr County authorities.

The fast-moving water rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes early on Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The rain continued on Saturday.

Girls from Camp Waldemar, near the North fork of the Guadalupe River, are reconnected with their families / Credit: AP

Search teams used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.

Gov. Greg Abbott said new areas were being searched as the water receded.

He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state: “I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines.”

Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said.

Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last 36 hours.

One reunification centre at a primary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.

“We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much,” said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.

The hills along the Guadalupe River in Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where families have been coming to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday.

A Sheriff’s deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River. / Credit: AP

‘The camp was completely destroyed’

“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

The raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight on Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.

Erin Burgess in Ingram woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonising hour clinging to a tree with her teen son.

“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.

Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and nine-year-old grandson.

“I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,” he said.

Onlookers walk along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Louise Hays Park. / Credit: AP

Authorities under scrutiny

Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether people received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday.

AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.

The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.

Authorities said they did not expect such an intense downpour.

Locals know the place as “flash flood alley.”

“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. “It rushes down the hill.”