Texas floods live updates: State reveals Camp Mystic emergency plan approved days before disaster

Ingram Volunteer Fire Department Chief Diana Baccus fought back tears as she described seeing people

The veteran firefighter, who worked the deadly Hill Country floods in 1978 and 1987, is leading a team of 700 responders sweeping a 70-mile area.

In five decades working in Central Texas, the Fourth of July flooding of the Guadalupe River was the worst she had ever seen.

“I’ve spent about 35 years trying to suppress a memory from 1987 and in about 30 seconds it came back in a rush, literally, with 30ft of water on top of my head,” she told KHOU 11 on Tuesday.

“I saw RVs being slammed up against trees and literally exploding. I saw children floating in the water begging for help that we could not reach,” she continued. “That takes it out of you. I can’t say I’m OK. But I’m going to do my job.”

What began as a routine flood watch quickly devolved into a deadly disaster.

The National Weather Service predicted between one and three inches of rain, with some isolated spots possibly getting five to seven inches. Instead, parts of Kerr County were slammed with 10 to 15 inches, and in some places, over 20 inches, within a few hours.

The storm is believed to be fueled by warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and leftovers from Tropical Storm Barry, according to San Antonio Express-News meteorologist Anthony Franze.

A Chinook and 13 Black Hawk helicopters have joined search efforts in Central Texas, after the missing person count soared past 170 on Tuesday, officials say.

General Thomas Suelzer from the Texas National Guard said that four of the Black Hawk helicopters arrived from Arkansas.

Authorities have also deployed reaper drones as they scramble to find survivors.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott grew irate when asked whether officials were at fault for any potential failures in the response to the deadly floods.

Abbott shot back at a reporter Tuesday evening when he was asked about who was to blame for the devastation.

“You ask, and I’m going to use your words, ‘Who is to blame?’” Abbott said. “Know this, that’s the word choice of losers.”

Making a segue into a football metaphor, he continued: “Every square inch of our state cares about football. Every football team makes mistakes. The losing teams are the ones who try to point out who is to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, ‘Don’t worry about it man, we got this.’”

TiK ToK singer Kesha cancelled her scheduled concert at Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion on Tuesday evening “because of the weather and for all of your safety.”

The 38-year-old pop star made the announcement in a statement on X, tweeting: “I wanted to say thank you for coming out to support an independent artist. I have been so excited for tonight and to celebrate my freedom and go t**s out with all of you, but due to the weather and what yall here in Texas have been facing, I have to put your safety first.

“My heart is with you Texas. I’m so sorry that I can’t play this show tonight because of the weather and for all of your safety.”

The singer said she will return to Dallas this evening to perform.

“Get home safe, let’s party tomorrow,” she added.

The search for missing people entered its sixth day on Wednesday after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas last week.

Maps reveal the devastation seen in Kerr County, where authorities revealed 28 children were among the 87 victims in the flood-ravaged region.

Authorities said Tuesday afternoon that at least 161 people were missing in the region alone, with no rescues made there since Friday. “There could be more added to that list,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

The Independent has mapped the locations of fatalities and where flash flooding hit last week:

A flood warning went into effect Tuesday evening along the San Saba River in San Saba County.

Lowland flooding is expected as floodwaters rise about four feet above the river’s capacity, breaching its banks.

An update is expected at 8.45 a.m. CDT this morning.

Eight-year-old Jenna Burgess was staying at a nearby camp when her family’s RV was swept away by raging Guadalupe River floodwaters.

Her father, Jack Burgess, 39, and mother, Julia Anderson Burgess, 38, were both killed Friday morning while staying at Blue Oak RV Park, just 13 miles away from Camp Mystic, near the bank of the river.

Her younger brothers Jack, 5, and James, 1, are still missing and presumed dead.

The young girl faces growing up alone after her entire immediate family was either confirmed or feared dead.