Texas flood toll tops 100 as search for survivors grows more desperate

The weary mayor of Kerrville, Texas, warned residents to expect a “rough week” as chances faded on Monday of finding anyone still alive from catastrophic flooding that killed at least 100 people across central Texas.

Ten girls and a counselor were still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, which said at least 27 of its young campers and staff members did not survive the surging waters from the nearby Guadalupe River.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said rescue crews would push forward with their searches, slashing through debris and downed trees even as they braced for the possibility of more downpours and flash flooding.

“We need your prayers,” Herring said at a news conference Monday.

Harrowing stories have emerged across the Hill Country, including accounts of rescues and reunions. In Kerr County, the hardest-hit area, the victims from Camp Mystic included girls as young as 8, as well as counselors and the camp’s director.

Officials faced new rounds of questions on Monday over whether more should have been done to give warning and evacuate areas around the river.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas acknowledged that flood-warning sirens might have saved lives if they had been along the river. He added that they needed to be in place by next summer. Kerr County officials had considered installing them but balked at the price tag. Patrick, speaking on Fox News on Monday, said that if local governments couldn’t afford it, “then the state will step up.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said there would be a “careful examination of what happened” to prevent the same loss of life in the future. “Next time there is a flood, I hope we have in place processes to remove especially the most vulnerable from harm’s way,” he added.

President Donald Trump was tentatively scheduled to travel to Texas on Friday, said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. The visit was being coordinated with local officials to ensure it does not disrupt recovery efforts, she said. Trump criticised President Joe Biden last year for not immediately visiting North Carolina, also to avoid interfering with relief efforts, after disastrous flooding there.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the Senate, asked the acting inspector general for the Commerce Department to investigate whether cuts and staffing shortages at the National Weather Service had contributed to the large death toll in Texas. The New York Times reported this past weekend on vacancies within the agency.

Much of central Texas, including the Hill Country, was under a flood watch on Monday, and there was a chance of more flash flooding through the day and overnight. The Weather Prediction Center cautioned that “any storms that move across this extremely vulnerable region will rapidly cause flash flooding.”

On Sunday, heavy rainfall led to a minor rise in the Guadalupe River, which has seen the worst devastation, prompting a brief pause in search-and-rescue operations.

River levels later returned to normal, said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist at the weather service office for Austin, San Antonio, and the surrounding areas.

Risk of further flooding “is there again today,” he said Monday. “If the heavy rain happens to be in the Guadalupe river basin, we could see some minor rises on the river.”