Flash floods that ravaged Texas over the weekend have killed a minimum of 82 folks and left many others lacking within the state within the southern United States.
The deaths and destruction brought on by the floods have introduced the federal government’s response and warning techniques below scrutiny. A warning for flash floods in components of Texas stays in place by Monday, and the seek for lacking folks continues.
Right here is extra about what occurred in Texas and the way the federal government has responded:
What occurred and what precipitated the floods in Texas?
Whereas residents have been nonetheless asleep early on Friday, flash floods hit Texas Hill Nation, a area spanning central and southern Texas. In below two hours, the Guadalupe River swelled past its banks, surging larger than two-storey buildings at about 9 metres (30ft).
Drone footage taken on Saturday confirmed total neighbourhoods inundated with excessive volumes of water.
Flash floods happen when giant volumes of rain pour down quickly and the bottom just isn’t capable of soak up it. Central Texas is named “flash flood alley” as a result of it’s particularly vulnerable to flooding.
The place have been the worst floods?
Kerr County was hit the toughest by the floods, which struck on US Independence Day and the beginning of an extended vacation weekend.
The county, house to greater than 52,000 folks, sits on the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. The county is house to parks and out of doors websites in addition to cultural hubs, together with the Museum of Western Artwork.
What’s Camp Mystic in Texas?
Many women have been killed and others went lacking because the floods hit the riverside Camp Mystic, a personal Christian summer time camp for ladies. The camp is situated within the Hunt neighborhood in western Kerr County alongside the banks of the Guadalupe River about 137km (85 miles) northwest of San Antonio.
Camp Mystic was based in 1926 by EJ “Doc” Stewart, a College of Texas American soccer coach. Since its institution, the camp has operated each summer time besides for 3 years throughout World Struggle II when the US authorities leased the camp to be a restoration facility for Military Air Corps veterans.
The camp runs three classes each summer time, providing greater than 30 actions, corresponding to archery, aerobics, basketball, ceramics, kayaking and golf.
When the flood hit, about 750 folks have been staying at Camp Mystic. At the very least 23 folks from the camp are lacking within the aftermath of the flooding.
How many individuals have died?
At the very least 82 folks have been killed within the flooding, officers stated.
These embody 68 individuals who died in Kerr County alone, Larry Leitha, its sheriff, advised reporters on Sunday afternoon. Among the many useless in Kerr County are 28 kids.
Texas officers confirmed that a minimum of 10 extra folks had died in close by areas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on Sunday that 41 folks throughout the state have been lacking. “You will notice the dying toll rise in the present day,” Texas Division of Public Security Director Freeman Martin stated at a information convention.
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro reported from Washington, DC, that rescue staff had promised to “not surrender till the final particular person is discovered – both alive or their physique is recovered”.
Has the Guadalupe River flooded earlier than?
Sure, Kerr County has traditionally seen flooding from the Guadalupe River.
The flood over the weekend evoked reminiscences of a catastrophe that occurred in July 1987. That flood started as a storm in Mexico and moved throughout the border, hitting western Kerr County and dumping rain into the higher a part of the Guadalupe.
The 1987 flood additionally hit a summer time camp, killing 10 youngsters on the Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp close to Consolation, Texas, in line with native media.
The Nationwide Climate Service (NWS) stated the Guadalupe River on Friday surged previous these 1987 ranges.
Why is the federal government’s response being criticised?
President Donald Trump’s Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) made cuts to the NWS, lowering funding and slashing employees.
The Trump administration has additionally proposed cuts and modifications to the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US authorities company that conducts local weather change analysis. The NWS is a part of NOAA.
By early June, the NWS misplaced practically 600 staff, who have been both laid off or retired.
The Austin/San Antonio workplace of the NWS is wanting six staff, and the close by San Angelo workplace is wanting 4 staff, in line with Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the Nationwide Climate Service Staff Group, a union that represents authorities staff, NBC Information reported.
Some Democrats have argued that understaffing the NWS makes it exhausting to deal with climate disasters such because the flash flooding in Texas.
“I don’t suppose it’s useful to have lacking key personnel from the Nationwide Climate Service not in place to assist forestall these tragedies,” Joaquin Castro, a Democratic member of the US Home of Representatives from Texas, advised CNN.
What emergency warnings did the federal government challenge?
Regardless of the cuts, the federal government did challenge a sequence of flood warnings for Texas. On Wednesday, the Texas Division of Emergency Administration (TDEM) introduced there was a risk of flooding, activating state emergency response sources. Later that afternoon, the Austin/San Antonio workplace of the NWS posted on X: “Scattered reasonable to heavy showers proceed to develop and increase to the Hill Nation.”
On Thursday, the TDEM in an X put up stated western and central Texas continued to face a flood risk. The NWS stated on X: “Pockets of heavy rain are anticipated and will lead to flooding.”
The NWS additionally issued a flood watch, which is an alert that climate situations are beneficial for flooding. “It doesn’t imply flooding will happen, however it’s potential,” the NWS web site stated.
On Friday, the NWS upgraded the flood watch to a flood warning, which suggests a flood is imminent or occurring. At 1:26am (06:26 GMT), the NWS posted on X “flash flooding possible in a single day with important impacts potential”. About 4am (09:00 GMT), the NWS posted: “A really harmful flash flooding occasion is ongoing. … Flip Round, Don’t Drown!”
An hour later, the San Angelo workplace of the NWS issued a uncommon flash flood emergency, and the Austin/San Antonio workplace adopted go well with a short while later.
What has the federal government stated?
The Trump administration has dismissed allegations that understaffing of climate monitoring companies was in any option to blame for the disaster, sustaining that the size of the floods was sudden and couldn’t have been predicted.
Trump advised reporters: “This can be a 100-year disaster, and it’s simply so horrible to look at.”
Scientists sometimes use phrases like “100-year flood” or “500-year flood” to confer with a flood that’s of unprecedented depth in contrast with historic information, in line with the US Geological Survey.
Trump added that he would go to Texas “in all probability on Friday”.
When Trump was requested if the meteorologists who had left the NWS due to the DOGE cuts must be rehired, the president stated he “wouldn’t know”, including, “I’d suppose not. This was the factor that occurred in seconds. No one anticipated it. No one noticed it. Very proficient folks in there they usually didn’t see it.”
Talking at a information convention with Abbott, US Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem stated Trump was utilizing “all of the sources on the federal authorities” for search and restoration operations.
“For many years, for years, everyone is aware of that the climate is extraordinarily troublesome to foretell, but additionally the Nationwide Climate Service over time at instances has completed effectively and at instances now we have all needed extra time and extra warnings,” Noem stated.
She added that the Trump administration was “upgrading the expertise” that the NWS makes use of.
What rescue efforts are going down?
About 17 helicopters have been deployed over the weekend to seek for lacking folks. Moreover, the Texas Nationwide Guard was referred to as as much as assist with the search operation.
“We proceed our 24/7 search & rescue operation till each lacking particular person is discovered,” Abbott wrote on X on Sunday.
What’s the newest state of affairs on the bottom?
An space northeast of Austin to west of San Antonio in Texas Hill Nation and alongside the Interstate 35 freeway hall remained below risk of flash floods on Monday, the NWS Austin/San Antonio workplace wrote in an X put up about 3am (08:00 GMT) on Monday.
About the identical time, the San Angelo workplace of the NWS additionally posted on X saying “newest indications are that our space just isn’t completed with flooding dangers but.”
* Necessary replace at 10 PM: Newest indications are that our space just isn’t completed with flooding dangers but. Newest mannequin information signifies extra showers/storms with heavy rain might develop by dawn over our southeast counties & then unfold westward Monday morning. #sjtwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/ouhOU93xzq
— NWS San Angelo (@NWSSanAngelo) July 7, 2025
In an earlier put up a little bit after midnight (05:00 GMT on Monday), the Austin/San Antonio NWS workplace stated it was “troublesome to pinpoint actual places the place remoted heavier [rainfall] quantities happen”, including that any extra rain would result in flash flooding.
There stays a risk of flash flooding in a single day and thru the day on Monday someplace over the Flood Watch space. Tough to pinpoint actual places the place remoted heavier quantities happen. Any extra heavy rainfall will result in fast runoff and flash flooding. pic.twitter.com/9AHwr7Vkg5
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 7, 2025
