The search for missing people entered its seventh day on Thursday after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas last week.
At least 120 people, including 36 children, have been killed following torrential downpours that began Thursday after the Guadalupe River burst from its banks on Friday, rising by 20 feet in roughly 95 minutes. A further 173 remained missing, with officials fearing the death toll could soar.
Twenty-seven young girls and staff members were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River.
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 Wednesday 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.
Authorities said at least eight people were killed in Kendall County, seven in Travis County, five in Burnett County, three in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County.
In Kerr County, first responders were forced to navigate uprooted trees, swept-away buildings, and large piles of debris during their operations. There were also power outages thanks to 40 downed power lines, officials said.
Five girls from Camp Mystic and one counselor remained missing on Wednesday evening. The camp reported that the floods had killed 27 campers and staff members.
“That’s every parent’s nightmare,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz told reporters.
Responding to a question about an emergency warning system, Cruz said Monday there had always been a risk of flooding along the river and that everyone would evacuate if they could go back in time.
“Evacuation is a delicate balance,” said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice at the same press conference.
“Because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses or cars or vehicles or campers on roads into low-water areas trying to get them out, which then can make it even more challenging. Because these flash floods happen very quickly.”
First responders had been swept off the road while trying to help, he added.
City leadership and local forecasters have been the subject of intense scrutiny regarding emergency response, including the timing of alerts and the dissemination of information from the National Weather Service on Friday morning.
