A total of 78 bodies have been recovered so far following the flood disaster in the US state of Texas. Kerr County is the worst affected, where, according to the sheriff's office on Sunday, 68 people were killed, including 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 41 people are still missing. The search for ten of the missing girls from a summer camp is also ongoing. US President Donald Trump accused the previous administration of possible failures in disaster management.
The flash flood and its effects were a "once-in-a-century disaster" that no one had anticipated, Trump told reporters on Sunday. In response to questions about why people in the region, where many camped along the riverbanks during the long holiday weekend in the US, had not been warned and evacuated earlier, the Republican Trump referred to the Democratic administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden. "That was not our organization," he said.
Since Trump took office in January, funding for the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NOAA) has been cut, and numerous scientists have been laid off. As local officials in affected Texas counties complained that they hadn't been warned about the floods, these measures have drawn criticism. Trump said on Sunday that he would not rehire the fired meteorologists at the agencies. Regarding his plans to disband the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), "we can talk later," he added.
Trump had previously allocated federal funds for the Texas disaster and announced that he would likely travel to the affected areas on Friday. In addition to the 68 dead in Kerr, at least ten bodies were recovered in the surrounding counties. Authorities expected more fatalities. Among the missing were ten of the girls and a counselor from the Christian summer camp "Camp Mystic," which had a total of 750 participants. The search for survivors continued on Sunday with around 17 helicopters. Hundreds of rescue personnel were deployed.
Local residents also used boats on the water and along the riverbanks to search for known or unknown victims and survivors. One volunteer reported finding one of the girls from the summer camp dead in a tree. "We want to help the families find closure," he said. "That's why we're here." The case of a missing young woman who wanted to spend the holiday weekend with friends in the countryside also caused concern. She sent her family a text message early Friday morning saying, "We're being washed away," and has not been reachable since.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Fox News about a summer camp counselor who smashed the window of a cabin so girls in their pajamas could get out and swim for their lives: "These little girls swam for 10 or 15 minutes. In the darkness, with the rushing water and logs coming at them, can you imagine?" Patrick said. Eventually, the children reached dry land.
While authorities began cleanup efforts in some areas on Sunday, the weather service warned of thunderstorms that could trigger further flash floods. The water level of the Guadalupe River rose by eight meters within 45 minutes on Friday. The flooding on the US Independence Day was triggered by heavy rainfall of up to 300 liters per square meter, one-third of the average annual rainfall in Kerr County.
Flash floods are not uncommon in the region of central and south Texas affected by the current disaster, known as "Flash Flood Alley." Such sudden flooding occurs when the ground cannot absorb heavy rainfall. However, scientists say climate change is causing extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heat waves to occur more frequently and with greater intensity than in the past.
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