Devastating Texas Floods: 13 Dead, More Than 20 Kids Unaccounted For

Houston (The Uttam Hindu): At least 13 people have died and more than 20 children are missing after heavy rains caused flash floods in Central Texas. These children had gone to attend a summer camp along the Guadalupe River. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said in a press conference on Friday that about 23 children are still missing from Mystic, a private Christian summer camp in Texas, reports Xinhua news agency.

About 750 children live in this camp. He said that at least 14 helicopters, 12 drones and more than 500 people are conducting search operations around the camp and many adults and children have been rescued. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told in a press conference that at least 13 people have died in the county due to this severe flood and many people are still missing. Leitha said that he fears that more deaths may be recorded in the county. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said, "We are still actively looking for people who are outside and need help." At 4 am local time (9 am Indian time), the National Weather Service has warned of flash floods and has also sent emergency alerts to the mobile phones of residents living on the river bank and those living in the camp.

The service also warned that another large wave of water is moving in the Guadalupe River, which could make flooding more deadly. The National Weather Service said the Guadalupe River water level rose from 7.5 feet (about 2.3 meters) overnight to nearly 30 feet in Kerr County and was expected to reach 34 feet in Spring Branch on Friday afternoon. Online videos showed cars, campers and mobile homes being swept away as the Guadalupe River rose rapidly in the county. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on X that the state was using all available resources to deal with the floods. He said, "Our priority is to save lives immediately." Let us tell you that by Friday afternoon, more than five lakh people in central Texas were under flash flood warning.