Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated on Sunday that at least 41 people are still unaccounted for across the southern state, three days after the flooding, and that the number could potentially be higher.
He assured that authorities will continue their search for the missing around the clock and warned that additional rounds of heavy rains expected into Tuesday may cause more life-threatening flooding.
In Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha reported on Sunday that searchers have found the bodies of 68 people, including 28 children, many of whom disappeared from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls.
Leitha added that 10 more girls and a counselor are still missing and vowed to continue the search until everyone is found.
US President Donald Trump extended his condolences to the victims and mentioned the possibility of visiting the area on Friday. His administration has been in touch with Abbott, he added.
Trump described the incident as a “horrible thing” and offered prayers for those affected and the state of Texas as he left New Jersey.
The flooding occurred when the nearby Guadalupe River overflowed after heavy rain fell in central Texas on Friday, the US Independence Day holiday.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd stated that the destruction caused the deaths of three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County, and one in Williamson County.
Kidd noted that rescuers are evacuating people from more areas along the river due to concerns about another rise in water levels, as rain continues to fall on soil already saturated from Friday’s rains.
Questions over Preparedness
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security stated.
US coast guard helicopters and planes are assisting in search and rescue efforts.
Freeman Martin, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, expects the death toll to increase in the coming days.
However, authorities are facing growing scrutiny regarding the adequacy of warnings issued in a region prone to flooding and the sufficiency of preparations.
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi, reporting from central Texas, mentioned that several communities along the Guadalupe River were evacuated following repeated warnings from the National Weather Service about rising water levels, excluding those in Kerr County.
“There have been no answers as to why those here were not warned,” Rattansi said.
Rattansi also noted that although Trump has activated FEMA assistance for Texas, the president had previously expressed his intention to reduce such assistance, suggesting that if a state governor needs to request federal emergency aid, they may not be capable of their job.
Trump, when asked by reporters whether he still plans to phase out FEMA, responded that it is something that can be discussed later but currently, they are focused on providing support.
Rattansi also highlighted that the Trump administration is phasing out “research and analysis of the changing climate” due to concerns of politicization and division, despite this analysis being crucial in the National Weather Service’s warnings to municipal authorities to evacuate residents along the Guadalupe River.
“Climate scientists have long warned that warmer air will hold more moisture and result in increasingly intense storms,” Rattansi added.
Rick Spinrad, a former director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told Al Jazeera that reduced research will lead to less accurate predictions, making it harder for people to prepare for extreme weather events.
“Without research, without staff to do the work, we can assume that the predictions for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, wildfires, tsunamis, and other events will undoubtedly degrade, compromising people’s ability to prepare for these storms,” Spinrad said.
In February, the Trump administration announced job cuts affecting hundreds of staff at NOAA, including meteorologists at the National Weather Service.
Abbott, the Texas governor, declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.
“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday – for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he stated.
Pope Leo XIV in Rome also offered special prayers for those affected by the disaster.
“I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them,” the Pope added.
