More than 60 dead, many remain missing in Texas Hill Country flooding

By Dan McCaleb
The Center Square

At least 67 people are dead and several remain missing after torrential rainfall caused historic flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country.

Search and rescue crews Sunday morning continued to look for 11 girls and one counselor attending Camp Mystic in Kerr County, an all-girls private Christian camp.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during a Sunday news conference that 59 people have been confirmed dead in his county alone, including 38 adults and 21 children.

Leitha said 11 young girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic were still missing.

“We extend our sincerest condolences and prayers for every single family affected by this tragedy, and we continue to work around the clock and reunite these families,” Leitha said. “We will continue to search, our search efforts until everybody is found.”

In a statement posted on social media, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also vowed to continue searching for the missing girls until they were found.

“It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster,” Abbott said. “The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.”

President Donald Trump on Sunday declared a disaster in Kerry County, freeing up federal resources to aid in the recovery.

"These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing," Trump wrote on social media.

The National Weather Service faced heavy criticism about the lack of notification prior to the floods.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday that the Trump administration is working to update what she called "neglected" and "ancient" systems.