Texas floods latest: Death toll rises to 120 as Camp Mystic cabins ‘found to be in extremely hazardous’ flood zone – The Independent
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Questions are swirling over whether officials could have done more to warn residents ahead of the floods
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At least 120 people have been killed and 173 others are missing as Texas officials deflect questions over the state’s response to the catastrophic flash floods.
Kerr County remains at the center of the disaster after the Guadalupe River burst its banks on Friday. Ninety-six people in the county are dead, including 36 children, officials said Thursday. At least 161 others were still missing in the county.
Questions are mounting over whether local, state and federal officials could’ve done more to warn residents about the floods. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said his office is “in the process” of assembling a timeline of the actions that local officials took ahead of the disaster.
Among the dead are 27 girls and staff members from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River. Five campers and one 19-year-old counselor remained missing.
Several of the cabins were built on “extremely hazardous” floodways where water moves at its highest velocity and depth, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Just two days before the flood, the camp passed its annual state safety inspection and had a written disaster plan in place.
People near and far are coming together in Texas to assist with search and rescue missions in the wake of the deadly floods.
Kerrville Police Officer Jonathan Lamb told reporters that one off-duty officer tied a garden hose around his waist while two other officers held the hose and waded into rushing water to save two people.
One man from Colorado has even traveled to Texas to help with the efforts, telling local outlet Fox 26 he was inspired to assist in any way he could after seeing photos of the devastation.
Some are also using innovative methods to help the community recover.
Kourtney Rand, a volunteer in Ingram, Texas, told CNN the local volunteer fire department is using horses to navigate water-logged areas. That’s because they can typically navigate the treacherous terrain better than people can on foot.
NASA has also deployed two aircraft to help map the damage from the floods, while the Texas National Guard is helping the search via land and air.
Texan Brandon Ayers, owner of the restaurant Buddy’s BBQ, is serving free food to local first responders and rescue crews working in the aftermath of the devastating floods.
“No matter what you go through in life, as a state, we all come together,” Ayers told NBC News.
“Everybody wants to work together, everybody wants to help each other…every person we’ve met has been amazing,” he added.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency faced bureaucratic obstacles as staff tried to coordinate a response to the deadly Texas floods, CNN reports, citing four officials.
These officials say Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s new cost-cutting measures are to blame.
Noem has ordered that all grants and contracts over $100,000 require her approval. This has stripped the agency of the autonomy it needs and hinders preparation efforts, one long-time FEMA staffer told CNN.
“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” the official said. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that FEMA is “shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens.”
The search for missing people entered its seventh day on Thursday after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas last week.
Here are the latest maps of the affected areas:
Thad Hartfield told CNN he is still searching for his 22-year-old son Aiden after he was caught in the devastating floods on Friday.
“I received a call from Aiden at 4 a.m. on the Fourth. He was telling me that there was four inches of water in the house.”
Hartfield told his son to get to the highway — which was higher ground — but the water was too fast and too high, blocking their path.
Another person who was with Aiden said he was hit by debris and swept into the water as he tried to help his friends stabilize themselves, Hartfield told CNN.
“Aiden is a very kind and gentle soul,” Hartfield said. “I know that his spirit is motivating me to continue this search and stay strong.”
State Senator Paul Bettencourt, a Republican, told CNN he’s planning to introduce a bill that would allow Texas officials to install emergency sirens.
“When you got a 28-foot wall of water coming at you in 45 minutes, you’ve got to get a notice,” he told CNN.
Bettencourt added that many local counties need state assistance to make it happen.
“You’ve got 4,000 governments in Texas. It’s a big place. Not everybody has the resources to get it done,” he added.
At least 120 people are dead and 173 are missing in central Texas after the Guadalupe River swelled early Friday, causing destructive flash flooding throughout Kerr County.
Now, new before-and-after satellite photos of several sites throughout Kerry County show the devastation caused by the floods as crews embark on a seventh day of search and rescue efforts.
Kerrville Police Officer Jonathan Lamb says the community is grateful for the outpouring of support they’ve received for search and recovery efforts.
“We’re so grateful for the amount of people who want to come to this community to help, and we’ve had people from all over the state and all over the country volunteer their services,” Lamb said.
“It’s important that we have certified professional search teams out there,” he added. “Right now, we have compiled a database of volunteers who have made themselves available, and if and when that time comes that we are able to call upon them, we will be calling upon them.”
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