Texas flood death toll rises to at least 51; 27 campers still missing
(NewsNation) — The death toll from flash floods that swept across Central Texas has risen to at least 51, and authorities continued searching late Saturday for 27 girls who were unaccounted for after their summer camp was overwhelmed by rushing water.
In hardest-hit Kerr County, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told reporters there were 43 dead, including 15 children.
"Our primary focus is on search and rescue," Rice said at a news conference. "We are finding bodies and stuff. We knew today was going to be that day."
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued so far, including 167 by helicopter. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who issued a disaster declaration for several counties, said a variety of state personnel and resources would continue to assist local authorities in finding the missing.
“Some were clinging to trees to save their lives," the governor said of people who have been found alive.
Girls from camp unaccounted for
Much of the nationwide focus in the wake of the natural disaster remained on the still-missing girls who had been staying at Camp Mystic near Hunt, Texas, when the nearby Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet within two hours early July 4.
Nearly 750 girls and young women had been staying at the Christian camp, which dates back to the 1920s. Most of the attendees were able to escape to safety, but others had been sleeping on lower ground at the time of the flash flood.
Family members confirmed to KXAN-TV in Austin that “multiple” girls did not survive.
The family of camper Lila Bonner told the station on Saturday the girl had been killed. “We ache with all who loved her and are praying endlessly for others to be spared from this tragic loss,” family members said in a prepared statement.
The mayor of Mountain Brook, Ala., released a statement expressing grief at the loss of Sarah Marsh, an 8-year-old camper who attended Cherokee Bend Elementary.
"This is an unimaginable loss for her family, her school, and our entire community," Mayor Stewart Welch said.
Who's accountable for the tragedy?
Officials face increasing scrutiny for the widening tragedy. At the Saturday evening news conference, someone asked Rice, the city manager, how the girls could have been allowed to stay at the camp as potential danger grew.
“That’s the question of the hour,” Rice replied.
He said severe-weather reports are not always taken seriously because predictions may not pan out — creating a “cry wolf” scenario. Rice added that the rain that fell Thursday into Friday was “almost double of what was anticipated.”
The National Weather Service had placed the county under a flood watch Thursday night, with a flash flood warning issued around 1 a.m.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly earlier told media outlets that there was no warning regarding the severity of the flood and said the county doesn't have a warning system.
By Friday morning, the Guadalupe River in western Kerr County had reached 29 feet, the second-highest level on record. The river surpassed flooding levels seen in 1987, when floods killed 10 teenagers near Comfort, Texas.
Texas Hill Country, which includes Kerr County, is known as "Flash Flood Alley" because of the way hills shed deluges of rain into the valleys and waterways below.
The next flooding update from officials in Texas will be Sunday morning. Abbott issued a proclamation declaring Sunday a “Day of Prayer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.