HOUSTON– The death toll from devastating flash floods in Texas has risen to over 100, with many more still missing, as search and rescue operations continue under difficult conditions, officials confirmed.
Emergency crews are combing through mud-choked riverbanks as additional rain and thunderstorms threaten to compound the disaster. Four days after the flooding began, hopes of finding more survivors are dwindling, BBC reported.
Among the casualties were at least 27 girls and staff members from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls. Ten campers and a counselor remain unaccounted for.
The White House pushed back against claims that staffing cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) hampered the response to the disaster.
In Kerr County alone—one of the hardest-hit areas—at least 84 people perished, including 56 adults and 28 children. The Guadalupe River there surged dramatically following torrential downpours early Friday morning, during Fourth of July celebrations. Authorities said 22 adults and 10 children have yet to be identified.
Camp Mystic released a statement Monday, saying, “Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy.”
Richard Eastland, 70, co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died while trying to rescue children. Local pastor Del Way, a friend of the Eastland family, told the BBC, “The whole community will miss him. He died a hero.”
The NWS has forecast additional slow-moving thunderstorms in the coming days, with a high risk of further flash flooding in affected areas.
Critics of President Donald Trump’s administration have attempted to link the disaster response to thousands of job cuts at the NWS’s parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). However, the NWS regional office covering Austin and San Antonio reportedly had five meteorologists on duty Thursday night, which is standard staffing for severe weather events.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s response and rejected efforts to assign political blame.
“That was an act of God,” Leavitt said during Monday’s daily press briefing. “It’s not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did. There were early and consistent warnings, and the National Weather Service did its job.”
Leavitt added that NWS officials issued flood watches and conducted briefings for local authorities well in advance of the storm. Multiple flood warnings followed in the hours before and during the July 4th deluge.
When asked Sunday whether federal budget cuts may have hampered the response, President Trump initially blamed what he called “the Biden set-up,” before walking back the remark.
“But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either,” Trump said. “I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz also addressed the issue Monday, urging unity.
“Now is not the time for partisan finger-pointing,” Cruz said at a news conference. (Source: IANS)
