Gov. Greg Abbott said at least 161 people have disappeared in a Texas county after a fatal and devastating flash floods hit part of the state.
Missing people in Kerr County, which suffered heavy losses, include five campers and a counselor from Mystic Camp, a Christian all-girl summer camp located on the banks of the Guadalupe River.
At least 109 people died in the disaster, including 94 in the Kerrville area, Abbott said in a press conference Tuesday.
Texas is not alone. New Mexico also experienced flash flood emergency, with the National Weather Service (NWS) warning of severe flooding Tuesday night.
In Texas, crazy search and rescue work continues, as Abbott vows emergency personnel to vow, “until every missing person is interpreted.”
Abbott added that in the coming days, more people who are missing will likely be added and urged people to report anyone they think is not blamed.
General Thomas Sulizer of the Texas National Guard said the search effort included Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters with rescue hoists.
He said 13 Black Hawk helicopters were helping in the search efforts, including four from Arkansas. He added that authorities are also using harvesters.
Respondents from various agencies are working together to carry out rescue efforts, including agents from Border Patrol, FBI and National Guard.
Only more than 250 responders from the Kerrville area were assigned to help with the search and rescue.
One of the rescue volunteers named Tim told the BBC that he had never seen any damage of this scale before.
“I caused flooding in eastern Texas and southeast Texas and in hurricanes, it was a nightmare,” he said.
Another rescue volunteer named Justin compared the effort to “try to find a hay in the haystack.”
“There is a huge series of destruction for miles and there aren’t enough corpse dogs to traverse all of this,” he told the BBC.
“It’s hard to access a lot with heavy machinery. The guys try to pick it up with tools and hands, and they don’t even place dents in it – not because of lack of effort.”
Regarding whether a question was raised Authorities have provided adequate flood warning Why didn’t people evacuate before the disaster.
Experts say there are many factors that have led to Texas tragedy, including extreme weather, the location of holiday homes and the location of timing.
The governor spent some time in the day investigating part of the flood zone, saying authorities issued a storm warning, knowing possible flash floods but “do not know the size of the storm.”
He said no one knew that this would lead to a “30-foot tsunami of water walls.”
The governor answered a question about who would “blame” for the huge death toll, saying: “That’s the choice for losers.”
He made a sports analogy and said that American football team made a mistake. The champion team is someone who has no “accusations”.
Most of the victims died in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River poured down before the blast on Friday on the fourth public holiday in July.
Mystic Camp earlier confirmed that at least 27 girls and staff had died.
Those who survive now focus on trying to rebuild.
Justin Brown has lived on the Guadalupe River for more than 25 years.
A week ago, he lived with two young daughters and dogs in a mobile home in Blue Oak RV Park. Now, there is a huge puddle where his house once stood – his RV sweeping in the flood.
“We are one of the parks for almost everyone,” Brown told the BBC, describing the efforts of landlords and emergency workers who evacuated all residents of the park.
He looked at the open space where his home once stood (now just fragments), and he said he hoped to move back as soon as possible.
President Donald Trump will travel to flooded areas with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday.
In addition, in New Mexico, the NWS announced a flash flood emergency on Tuesday and told Ruidoso residents to remain highly alert to the flood.
Officials are already working to rescue people trapped in the flood, and the houses are reportedly being washed away.
The NWS in Albuquerque said in an article on X that flooding on Rio Ruidoso reached 15 feet (4.5m).
CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner, said the waters were withdrawn about two hours later.
Officials had to do some quick ship rescues, and as of Tuesday night, some were not ruled.
