At least 13 fatalities were reported Friday as devastating floods slammed Texas’ hill country with water rescues taking place along the Guadalupe River, officials said.
The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said during a news briefing that 13 people have died in the flooding. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about six to 10 bodies have been found, and that the situation is fluid and ongoing. He said he expects the fatality count to rise.
“Within 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet and it was a destructive flood — taking property and sadly lives,” Patrick said during a news conference Friday afternoon.
He addressed parents of children at Camp Mystic, where there were 700 children at summer camp when the floods hit. The lieutenant governor, who is acting as governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is on vacation, said around 20 children were unaccounted for on Friday. He said they are praying for all those missing “to be found alive.”
“If they are alive and safe, we will find them and bring them home to you,” Patrick said.
The camp said in a statement, read by Patrick, that there has been a “catastrophic level” of flooding. He told parents watching the news conference that if they have not been contacted, their child is accounted for at this time.
Patrick said Camp Mystic is an all-girls summer camp in the area that has several camps with thousands of children attending for the summer.
“Search and recovery efforts are ongoing and will increase as the waters recede,” the city of Kerrville, Texas, said in a social media post.
Water rescues continue along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County with a number of local and regional emergency service organizations taking part. The river rose seven feet from midnight Thursday through the early morning, Kerrville city said. The Guadalupe River at Hunt reached its second-highest height on record, higher than the famous 1987 flood, the city said, citing the National Weather Service.
Texas issued flash flood emergencies in five counties in West Texas Friday as Hill Country continues to be slammed by severe rain and flooding.
Eric Gay / AP
Between 5 and 11 inches of rain have fallen in northwestern Bandera County, Central Kerr County, Northeastern Tom Green County, East Central Kerr County, and West Central Kendall County, according to the National Weather Service.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state has mobilized resources to assist those dealing with the floods.
“Texas is providing all necessary resources to Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt and the entire Texas Hill Country dealing with these devastating floods,” Abbott said in a statement. “The State of Texas today has mobilized additional resources in addition to the resources sent in preparation for the storms. I urge Texans to heed guidance from state and local officials and monitor local forecasts to avoid driving into flooded areas.”
