(Plainfield) Floods in Texas left between six and ten dead, including children, according to an initial assessment announced on Friday by the deputy governor of the State, Dan Patrick.
Of some 750 children who participated in a summer camp in Kerr County, in the center of Texas, “we are without news of twenty,” Patrick also said at a press conference.
The Texas Hill Country region was struck by the disaster on Friday, equivalent to several months of precipitation, fallen in a few hours. The quantities of water forced the research teams to carry out boat resumes, while the bright waters threatened the local local communities and the children’s holiday colonies.
During the night, up to 25 centimeters of rain fell in a few hours in the center of the County Kerr, causing sudden floods on the Guadalupe river.
The teams carried out dozens of rescues and the emergency services continued, an indefinite number of people being still missing. People with children and relatives in the holiday colonies in the region have requested information on their loved ones threatened by floods.
Judge Rob Kelly, the main elected representative of the county, confirmed the dead due to the floods and the dozens of rescues at sea carried out to date. He said that he was advised not to give specific figures and that the authorities were still trying to identify the victims.
“We do not know who are most of them,” said judge Kelly at a press conference. “One of them was completely naked, without any identity document. We try to identify them, but we don’t have it yet. »»
Authorities taken from short
An flood alert issued Thursday afternoon estimated isolated water levels up to 17 centimeters. This alert was transformed into a flood alert for at least 30,000 people overnight.
Asked about the suddenness of the sudden flood, the magistrate said that the county did not have a alert system and that the authorities were not warned of the arrival of the flood when local journalists were urging him to answer questions about the reasons why additional precautions had not been taken.
“Be reassured, no one knew that this kind of flood would happen,” he said. We have floods all the time. It is the most dangerous river valley in the United States. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, assured that the State provided resources to the communities of Hill Country faced with the floods, notably in Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt.
Image Michael Moad, supplied by Reuters
In this image drawn from a video obtained from social media, we can see trees which are partially overwhelmed after storms caused massive floods because of the flood of the Guadalupe river in Kerrville, Texas, on July 4, 2025.
The Texas Hill Country region extends west of the state capital to the west and constitutes a popular summer destination for outdoor activities. Some areas in the region are subject to sudden floods.
Dozens of people have published messages on Facebook to ask for information on their children, nieces and nephews participating in one of the many camps in the region, or on their family members camping during the holiday weekend.
Ingram firefighters published a photo of a press release from the Mystic camp, indicating that this private Christian summer camp for girls had undergone “catastrophic floods”. Parents with which a girl was missing were contacted directly, said camp.
Another camp located on the river, east of Hunt, the Waldemar camp, “said on Instagram:” We are all safe. »»
The Guadalupe river gauge, located in Hunt, where the river split, recorded a rise of 6.7 meters in just two hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist at the Austin/San Antonio office of the national weather service. Mr. Fogarty said the gauge had broken down after having recorded a level of 9 meters.
“This is the kind of thing that takes you off guard,” he said. The water flows so quickly that we only realize the severity of the situation when it is too late. »»
Dead elsewhere
New Jersey also records dead due to bad weather.
In addition, at least three dead have been attributed to violent thunderstorms in the center of New Jersey, including two men in Plainfield, who died after the fall of a tree on their vehicle at the height of the storm, according to a Facebook publication of the city.
The men were 79 and 25, the authorities said. Their identity was not immediately revealed publicly.
“We are heavy today,” said Mayor Adrian O. Mapp in a statement. “This tragedy forcefully reminds us of the power of nature and the fragility of life. »»
Persistent power outages and slaughtered trees were reported on Friday in southern New England, where some communities have received significant amounts of halles. Cars have slipped off the road in northeast Connecticut.
