More than four days after catastrophic flash floods devastated parts of Texas, at least 161 people remain missing in Kerr County, one of the areas most severely affected, according to Governor Greg Abbott.
Among the missing are five campers and a counsellor from Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp located along the Guadalupe River.
The disaster has so far claimed 111 lives, with over 90 fatalities recorded in the Kerrville area alone.
Rescue operations have intensified, with more than 250 emergency responders deployed to the region. Search teams include personnel from the Texas National Guard, FBI, U.S. Border Patrol, and local emergency agencies.
The response effort has also enlisted 13 Black Hawk helicopters—including four from Arkansas—and Reaper drones for aerial surveillance and access to hard-hit areas.
General Thomas Suelzer of the Texas National Guard stated that helicopters are equipped with rescue hoists, enabling them to reach isolated or submerged locations.
Despite these efforts, volunteers on the ground have described the situation as dire.
“This is a nightmare,” said Tim, a rescue volunteer. “I’ve worked on floods and hurricanes before, but nothing like this.”Another volunteer, Justin, added, “It’s like looking for a single hay in a haystack. There’s so much debris, and not enough cadaver dogs to cover the entire area.”
Governor Abbott has pledged that search and rescue operations will continue until every missing person is found.
He acknowledged that the list of the missing could grow in the coming days and urged families to report unaccounted loved ones as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, neighboring New Mexico has also been affected by extreme weather, with at least three deaths reported in Ruidoso Village after 8.8cm (3.5 inches) of rain caused rivers to overflow.The tragedy has sparked debate over the effectiveness of Texas’ early warning systems.
While Governor Abbott confirmed that storm alerts were issued, he emphasized the unpredictable nature of the disaster.
“No one expected a 30-foot wall of water,” he said.Responding to criticism, Abbott rejected the idea of laying blame at this stage:“That’s the word choice of losers,” he said, urging unity and collective action in the face of the crisis.
With fading hope for additional survivors, Texas now faces one of the deadliest natural disasters in its history, as rescue crews press on in challenging conditions.
Writing by Samson Asije