Zürcher Nachrichten - Death toll in Texas floods climbs to 108, with more rain expected

EUR -
AED 4.322268
AFN 82.375198
ALL 97.820014
AMD 451.78854
ANG 2.106086
AOA 1079.109066
ARS 1480.955073
AUD 1.783601
AWG 2.12115
AZN 1.998322
BAM 1.962725
BBD 2.376034
BDT 143.447962
BGN 1.954727
BHD 0.443605
BIF 3447.971522
BMD 1.176782
BND 1.503537
BOB 8.131865
BRL 6.492422
BSD 1.176777
BTN 101.675313
BWP 15.705347
BYN 3.85117
BYR 23064.928952
BZD 2.36379
CAD 1.601147
CDF 3396.192855
CHF 0.932794
CLF 0.028454
CLP 1116.248879
CNY 8.425508
CNH 8.415269
COP 4751.904916
CRC 594.495056
CUC 1.176782
CUP 31.184725
CVE 110.76465
CZK 24.587725
DJF 209.137823
DKK 7.463693
DOP 71.085202
DZD 152.544512
EGP 57.775771
ERN 17.651731
ETB 162.50519
FJD 2.631517
FKP 0.870467
GBP 0.866965
GEL 3.189371
GGP 0.870467
GHS 12.249841
GIP 0.870467
GMD 84.727856
GNF 10186.225772
GTQ 9.03206
GYD 246.073459
HKD 9.237457
HNL 31.008077
HRK 7.531521
HTG 154.41812
HUF 398.509022
IDR 19149.304228
ILS 3.921044
IMP 0.870467
INR 101.666971
IQD 1541.584537
IRR 49557.234235
ISK 142.802446
JEP 0.870467
JMD 188.766031
JOD 0.834333
JPY 172.154396
KES 152.39661
KGS 102.819093
KHR 4730.663635
KMF 494.843557
KPW 1059.165111
KRW 1616.945196
KWD 0.359024
KYD 0.980656
KZT 633.31185
LAK 25377.306008
LBP 105380.835944
LKR 355.03021
LRD 236.532948
LSL 20.605539
LTL 3.474731
LVL 0.711824
LYD 6.366462
MAD 10.5778
MDL 19.899126
MGA 5213.14493
MKD 61.548603
MMK 2470.184178
MNT 4220.38234
MOP 9.514272
MRU 46.85937
MUR 53.366922
MVR 18.128018
MWK 2043.481966
MXN 21.823635
MYR 4.974848
MZN 75.266687
NAD 20.605626
NGN 1801.936165
NIO 43.246878
NOK 11.891483
NPR 162.684463
NZD 1.94651
OMR 0.452469
PAB 1.176777
PEN 4.1846
PGK 4.860404
PHP 66.647082
PKR 335.647598
PLN 4.248623
PYG 8814.099154
QAR 4.284189
RON 5.066751
RSD 117.12629
RUB 92.25858
RWF 1693.977818
SAR 4.414838
SBD 9.749752
SCR 17.228153
SDG 706.653239
SEK 11.194328
SGD 1.501945
SHP 0.924766
SLE 27.007419
SLL 24676.536668
SOS 672.524794
SRD 42.890234
STD 24357.013336
STN 24.894825
SVC 10.296461
SYP 15300.474049
SZL 20.605093
THB 37.845772
TJS 11.291179
TMT 4.130505
TND 3.372363
TOP 2.756138
TRY 47.61205
TTD 7.986144
TWD 34.45642
TZS 3033.161124
UAH 49.206645
UGX 4224.996991
USD 1.176782
UYU 47.30752
UZS 15045.159135
VES 141.535579
VND 30766.967727
VUV 141.285399
WST 3.102102
XAF 658.29367
XAG 0.029954
XAU 0.000347
XCD 3.180312
XCG 2.120774
XDR 0.817309
XOF 656.644614
XPF 119.331742
YER 283.545712
ZAR 20.64766
ZMK 10592.457711
ZMW 27.331014
ZWL 378.923353
  • RIO

    0.2900

    64.62

    +0.45%

  • CMSC

    -0.0400

    22.43

    -0.18%

  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • GSK

    1.0100

    38.03

    +2.66%

  • RBGPF

    0.9700

    68

    +1.43%

  • AZN

    2.5200

    73

    +3.45%

  • BTI

    0.1500

    52.37

    +0.29%

  • NGG

    -1.6300

    72.65

    -2.24%

  • SCS

    0.2100

    10.68

    +1.97%

  • RYCEF

    0.2000

    13.5

    +1.48%

  • BCC

    1.2000

    88.35

    +1.36%

  • CMSD

    -0.0300

    22.89

    -0.13%

  • BP

    0.1900

    32.71

    +0.58%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.21

    0%

  • BCE

    0.2200

    24.6

    +0.89%

  • VOD

    -0.0200

    11.3

    -0.18%

  • RELX

    0.4100

    53.09

    +0.77%

Death toll in Texas floods climbs to 108, with more rain expected
Death toll in Texas floods climbs to 108, with more rain expected / Photo: Jim Vondruska - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Death toll in Texas floods climbs to 108, with more rain expected

Hundreds of rescuers on Tuesday continued their search for people swept away by catastrophic Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, officials said, amid threats of more heavy rain.

Text size:

As of Tuesday morning, authorities in worst-hit Kerr County had recovered the bodies of 87 victims, Sheriff Larry Leitha told reporters.

The deceased include at least 27 girls and counselors who were staying at a youth summer camp on the Guadalupe River over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

"At present, five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for," Leitha added.

At least 108 flood-related deaths were reported across central Texas, according to local officials.

During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump said he would travel to Texas with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, and credited his strong ties with the state's Republican governor as having helped the rescue effort.

"We brought in a lot of helicopters from all over... They were real pros, and they were responsible for pulling out a lot of people. And we got them there fast, and Texas had some good ones too, but the response has been incredible," Trump said.

Trump, who previously said that disaster relief should be handled at the state level, earlier this week signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.

- 'Extremely treacherous' -

Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens said search and rescue efforts involving helicopters, drones and dogs were extremely difficult because of the water and mud.

"When we're trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructive, and to get in deep into these piles, it's very hazardous," Baker said.

"It's extremely treacherous, time-consuming. It's dirty work, the water is still there."

He added that special attention was being paid to the first responders' mental state, particularly given that the bodies of children were being recovered.

In the town of Hunt, the epicenter of the disaster, an AFP team saw recovery workers combing through piles of debris with helicopters flying overhead, as hopes dimmed for finding any survivors.

Javier Torres, 24, was digging through mud as he searched for the body of his grandmother, after having located the remains of his grandfather.

He also discovered the bodies of two children, apparently washed up by the river.

Officials warned that with more heavy rain forecast, recovery efforts would be rendered even more difficult.

"We've had some reports of maybe some additional water coming in, obviously, that's going to impact the search and recovery efforts," said Baker.

He said the weather may impact aerial patrol patterns, but "it won't deter them."

Meanwhile, questions intensified over whether Trump's funding cuts had weakened warning systems, and over the handling of the rescue operation.

During an at-times tense news conference, Baker skirted a question on the speed of the emergency response.

"Right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home," he said.

Shel Winkley, a weather expert at the Climate Central research group, blamed the extent of the disaster on geography, the remnants of tropical storm Beryl, and exceptional drought, when dry soil absorbs less rainfall.

"This part of Texas, at least in the Kerr County flood specifically, was in an extreme to exceptional drought. So that's the worst drought conditions that you can have, and we know that since May, temperatures have been above average," Winkley told reporters.

The organization's media director, Tom Di Liberto, said staffing shortages at the National Weather Service had contributed to the disaster.

"What happens, and this is shared not only in Texas but weather forecast offices across the country, is that the people with the most experience dealing with these extreme (events), but also communicating it, have left in a lot of places, so you can't necessarily replace that experience," Di Liberto said.

P.E.Steiner--NZN