(News Nation) – Heavy rain caused a catastrophic flood emergency in central Texas on Friday, resulting in multiple confirmed deaths and reports of at least 20 missing girls at camps in the area.
The National Weather Service has extended flood monitoring for parts of South Edwards Plateau and Hill Country until 7pm on Friday night.
At a press conference, authorities said 6-10 people have been found dead so far, and rescue operations are ongoing in the air and the ground to help find as many people as possible. The search efforts include 14 helicopters, nine rescue teams with swimmers, and 400-500 people above ground.
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Eloise Peck, left; Lila Bonner, both reportedly from Dallas (circulating image), said Lehi Sumagistra was one of the girls reportedly missing after a flood in the All Girls camp.
There are many summer camps in the area, and Texas Lt. Col. Dampatrick said at least 20 girls have been missing from Camp Mystic. He said that the family members whose daughter has not been described have been notified. He stressed that parents who have not been contacted by the camp should know that their daughters are safe.
“We do everything possible for humans 24/7, look at every tree and turn every rock over,” he said.
Patrick said 14 helicopters were in the air along with the drone. He urged people not to pursue self-doctoral degrees or use their own drones as the airspace was already crowded.
President Donald Trump has been in touch with him multiple times, and Patrick said he has offered to provide the necessary assistance.
There will also be more rain and flooding in the Waco area forecast.
The Guadalupe River was overwhelmed by heavy rain, and residents near the river were encouraged to look for highlands, while others were told to evacuate rather than attempting to travel. Patrick said the river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes around 4am.
Reported deaths in Kerr County
People have died in Kerr County, with the initial casualties being 6-10 people dead. Authorities were still working to identify most people who had died.
Located about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, the roads are flooded in Kerrville, with a population of about 25,000 people.
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Authorities also said dozens of water rescues were made as the rain continued to fall.
According to the National Weather Service in Austin and San Antonio, 5-11 inches of rain had fallen by 9am. At one point, the rainfall reached 4 inches per hour.
The area was placed under flash flood warnings. By Friday morning, the Guadalupe River in West Carr County had reached 29 feet, reaching the second highest level on record.
The river exceeded the flood levels seen in 1987, and the floods killed 10 teenagers near Comfort, Texas.
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To help police and firefighters make people safe, they comfortably issued mandatory evacuation orders on Friday to residents along the river and along the Kerrville River.
In San Angelo, Texas, photos show flooded intersections where water reaches levels of street signs, and the office of the Meteorological Bureau called it life-threatening.
Texas officials have revitalized the National Guard and deployed the state’s Public Safety Agency and other resources to the area to respond to floods.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the media there were no warnings regarding the severity of the flood, and said the county had no warning system.
The National Weather Service had kept the county under flood monitoring Thursday night.
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