13 killed, 20 children missing following severe flooding in Texas

KERRVILLE Texas AP Months worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours on Texas Hill Country killing at least people and leaving more than girls attending a summer camp unaccounted for Friday as search teams conducted boat and helicopter rescues in the fast-moving flood water Desperate pleas peppered social media as loved ones sought any information available about people caught in the flood zone Lt Gov Dan Patrick disclosed somewhere between and bodies had been ascertained so far in the frantic search for casualties Meanwhile during a news conference conducted at the same time as Patrick s update Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha stated that there were deaths from the flooding At least inches centimeters of rain poured down overnight in central Kerr County causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River and leading to desperate pleas for information about the missing Specific are adults particular are children Patrick reported during a news conference Again we don t know where those bodies came from Teams conducted dozens of rescues and emergency responders continued to search for those who were unaccounted for That includes more than girls missing from summer camps I m asking the people of Texas do several serious praying this afternoon On-your-knees kind of praying that we find these young girls Patrick stated Comments on a Facebook post from the Kerr County sheriff s office were riddled with photos of people in the flood zone Loved ones posted there hoping someone could offer an update on the whereabouts of those they hadn t heard from One woman announced she couldn t reach her daughter who had rented a cabin in Hunt for her husband and two children and pleaded for someone to post the names of those already evacuated Judge Rob Kelly the chief elected official in the county validated fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far He commented he was advised not to cite specific numbers and disclosed agents are still working to identify those whose lives were lost Bulk of them we don t know who they are Kelly commented during a news conference One of them was entirely naked he didn t have any ID on him at all We re trying to get the identity of these folks but we don t have it yet One family survives a terrifying ordeal Erin Burgess home sits directly across from the river in the Bumble Bee Hills neighborhood west of Ingram When she woke up to thunder at a m Friday morning it was raining pretty heavy but no big deal she announced Just minutes later Burgess explained water was coming in through the walls and rushing through the front and back doors She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree and waiting for the water to recede enough that they were able to walk up the hill to a neighbor s My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it and my boyfriend and my dog floated away He was lost for a while but we determined them she declared becoming emotional Of her -year-old son Burgess commented Thankfully he s over feet tall That s the only thing that saved me was hanging on to him A flood watch issued Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to inches centimeters of rising water That shifted to a flood warning for at least people overnight When requested about the suddenness of the flash flooding Kelly stated we do not have a warning system and that we didn t know this flood was coming even as local reporters pointed to the warnings and pushed him for answers about why more precautions weren t taken Rest assured no one knew this kind of flood was coming he noted We have floods all the time This is the largest part dangerous river valley in the United States Texas Gov Greg Abbott disclosed the state was providing materials to Hill Country communities dealing with the flooding including in Kerrville Ingram and Hunt The Texas Hill Country a scenic and rocky gateway to booming vineyards and vacation rentals begins west of the state capital and is a popular outdoor summer getaway Parts of the region are prone to flash flooding Dozens of people posted on Facebook asking for any information on their children nieces and nephews attending one of the numerous camps in the area or family members that went camping during the holiday weekend Ingram Fire Department posted a photo of a comment from Camp Mystic saying the private Christian summer camp for girls experienced catastrophic level floods Parents with a daughter not accounted for were directly contacted the camp stated Two other camps on the river Camp Waldemar and Camp La Junta declared in Instagram posts that all there were safe The Guadalupe s river gauge at the unincorporated district of Hunt where the river forks recorded a foot rise meters in just about two hours according to Bob Fogarty meteorologist with the National Weather Organization s Austin San Antonio office Fogarty explained the gauge failed after recording a level of and a half feet meters This is the kind of thing that will catch you unaware Fogarty announced The water s moving so fast you re not going to recognize how bad it is until it s on top of you Areas east along the Guadalupe River were preparing for their own flooding as the rapid waters rushed downstream from Hunt and Kerrville In Kendall County home to the unincorporated locality of Comfort the sheriff s office sounded the alarm We regret to inform everyone that the flood situation in Comfort is not improving the post read We have sounded the flood sirens and urge all residents in low-lying areas of town to evacuate without delay New Jersey also sees deaths due to severe weather Meanwhile strong thunderstorms were being blamed for at least three deaths in central New Jersey including two men in Plainfield who died after a tree fell onto a car they were traveling in during the height of a storm there according to a city Facebook post The men were ages and bureaucrats mentioned They were not this instant publicly identified Our hearts are heavy in the current era Mayor Adrian O Mapp declared in a announcement This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life The city canceled its planned July Fourth parade concert and fireworks show Mapp mentioned the devastating storms had left deep scars and widespread damage in the public of more than people and it was a time to regroup and focus all of our force on recovery Continuing power outages and downed trees were broadcasted Friday throughout southern New England where specific communities received large amounts of hail There were reports of cars skidding off the road in northeastern Connecticut