Texas seeks missing after floods that left at least 79 dead

Rescue teams continued to search for missing people at floods that left at least 79 dead in the US state of Texas. The population joined the authorities in search of the missing, including 10 girls and a counselor of a Christian group that camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

At Kerr County camp it was possible to observe blankets, plush bears and other objects that belonged to muddy girls. The force of the current destroyed the chalets’ windows. Texas governor Greg Abbott said there were about 750 minors at the Mystic camp when the river overflowed. The place was “destroyed in a way that I had not seen in any natural disaster,” he said.

“The water hit the top of the cabins,” Abbott described on social network, after visiting the disaster area. “Let’s not stop until we find all the girls who were in the cabins,” added the Republican governor. State Deputy Governor Dan Patrick warned that the rains will cause new floods. Texas authorities confirmed the death of ten other people in neighboring regions.

Patrick reported that a Mystic Camp employee attacked the chain to break the window of a cabin and allow the escape of a group of girls, who could drown. “To save themselves, the girls swim for 10 or 15 minutes. Can you imagine, in the darkness, with the waters hectic, trees passing by them and crashing stones on top?” He reported.

In a previous balance, the search operations coordinators reported that 27 camp girls were missing, but Dalton Rice, an employee of the Government of the municipality of Kerrville, where the Mystic Camp is destroyed this number to 11 on Sunday.

The president of the United States, Donald Trumptoday signed a severe catastrophe statement, which allows the release of federal funds to the state of Texas. “This is an unprecedented catastrophe in 100 years, and it’s simply horrible to watch,” said Trump. He said he should visit Texas next Friday.

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Rainfall

The National Meteorology Service (NWS) issued an alert on Sunday to the risk of new storms, as torrential rainfall are expected in areas of Texas where the soil is saturated. “It is possible to fall between 50 and 100 millimeters of rain, with isolated pockets of almost 250 mm,” he said. “It’s very difficult to predict exactly where the strongest rains will occur.”

On Friday, the Guadalupe River level rose nearly eight meters in 45 minutes, after a drop of over 300mm of rain over one night, a third of the average rainfall expected for the whole year. Sudden floods are not pleasant in the south and center of Texas, as the soil is unable to absorb torrential rain.

The area where a great storm occurred over the weekend is known as the “runner of sudden floods”. “The water reached the treetops. Almost 10 meters,” explained Gerardo Martínez, a 61 -year -old resident of the municipality. “Cars and whole houses were dragged downstream,” I said.

Scientists and disaster management agencies criticized Trump for financing and employee cuts at the projected body and meteorological alerts, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Internal Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that Trump wants to “improve technologies” from NOAA. Scientists warn that weather extremes are increasingly common and intense due to climate change caused by man.

Volunteer

Volunteers from various parts of the country are in Kerr County, or more flooded by the floods, to help with the search. Adam Durda and his wife, Amber, both 45, traveled three hours by car to collaborate. They focused on searching for four women who were in a house dragged by the current. The parents of women asked for help, “but of course we are looking for anyone,” said Durda. Justin Morales, 36, found three bodies, including one of the Mystic camp girls, who got stuck in a tree. “We are happy to be able to end the tragedy of families,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.”

*With information from AFP
Posted by Carolina Ferreira