Flash floods that ravaged Texas over the weekend have killed at least 82 people 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 programs below scrutiny. A warning for flash floods in components of Texas stays in place via Monday, and the seek for lacking individuals continues.
Right here is extra about what occurred in Texas and the way the federal government has responded:
What occurred and what induced the floods in Texas?
Whereas residents had 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 greater than two-storey buildings at about 9 metres (30ft).
Drone footage taken on Saturday confirmed complete neighbourhoods inundated with excessive volumes of water.
Flash floods happen when massive volumes of rain pour down quickly and the bottom isn’t in a position to soak up it. Central Texas is known as “flash flood alley” as a result of it’s particularly vulnerable to flooding.
The place had been the worst floods?
Kerr County was hit the toughest by the floods, which struck on US Independence Day and the beginning of a protracted vacation weekend.
The county, dwelling to greater than 52,000 individuals, sits on the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. The county is dwelling to parks and outside websites in addition to cultural hubs, together with the Museum of Western Artwork.
What’s Camp Mystic in Texas?
Many women had been killed and others went lacking because the floods hit the riverside Camp Mystic, a personal Christian summer season camp for women. The camp is positioned within the Hunt group 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 season 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 periods each summer season, providing greater than 30 actions, resembling archery, aerobics, basketball, ceramics, kayaking and golf.
When the flood hit, about 750 individuals had been staying at Camp Mystic. No less than 23 individuals from the camp are lacking within the aftermath of the flooding.
How many individuals have died?
No less than 82 individuals 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 lifeless in Kerr County are 28 kids.
Texas officers confirmed that a minimum of 10 extra individuals had died in close by areas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on Sunday that 41 individuals throughout the state had been lacking. “You will note the loss of life 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 hand over till the final individual 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 recollections 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 season camp, killing 10 youngsters on the Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp close to Consolation, Texas, in keeping 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 workers, who had been both laid off or retired.
The Austin/San Antonio workplace of the NWS is wanting six workers, and the close by San Angelo workplace is wanting 4 workers, in keeping with Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the Nationwide Climate Service Staff Group, a union that represents authorities workers, NBC Information reported.
Some Democrats have argued that understaffing the NWS makes it exhausting to sort out climate disasters such because the flash flooding in Texas.
“I don’t assume it’s useful to have lacking key personnel from the Nationwide Climate Service not in place to assist stop these tragedies,” Joaquin Castro, a Democratic member of the US Home of Representatives from Texas, advised CNN.
What emergency warnings did the federal government difficulty?
Regardless of the cuts, the federal government did difficulty 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 assets. Later that afternoon, the Austin/San Antonio workplace of the NWS posted on X: “Scattered reasonable to heavy showers proceed to develop and broaden 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 should 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 attainable,” the NWS web site stated.
On Friday, the NWS upgraded the flood watch to a flood warning, which implies a flood is imminent or occurring. At 1:26am (06:26 GMT), the NWS posted on X “flash flooding probably in a single day with important impacts attainable”. 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 swimsuit a short while later.
What has the federal government stated?
The Trump administration has dismissed allegations that understaffing of climate monitoring businesses was in any technique to blame for the disaster, sustaining that the dimensions 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 observe.”
Scientists usually use phrases like “100-year flood” or “500-year flood” to discuss with a flood that’s of unprecedented depth in contrast with historic data, in keeping with the US Geological Survey.
Trump added that he would go to Texas “most likely on Friday”.
When Trump was requested if the meteorologists who had left the NWS due to the DOGE cuts needs to be rehired, the president stated he “wouldn’t know”, including, “I’d assume not. This was the factor that occurred in seconds. No person anticipated it. No person noticed it. Very gifted individuals 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 assets on the federal authorities” for search and restoration operations.
“For many years, for years, all people is aware of that the climate is extraordinarily tough to foretell, but additionally the Nationwide Climate Service over time at occasions has executed properly and at occasions now we have all wished extra time and extra warnings,” Noem stated.
She added that the Trump administration was “upgrading the know-how” that the NWS makes use of.
What rescue efforts are going down?
About 17 helicopters had been deployed over the weekend to search for missing people. 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 individual 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 isn’t executed with flooding dangers but.”
* Vital replace at 10 PM: Newest indications are that our space isn’t executed with flooding dangers but. Newest mannequin information signifies further 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 “tough to pinpoint actual areas the place remoted heavier [rainfall] quantities happen”, including that any further 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 areas the place remoted heavier quantities happen. Any further heavy rainfall will result in speedy runoff and flash flooding. pic.twitter.com/9AHwr7Vkg5
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 7, 2025
