(NewsNation) — Heavy rains caused a catastrophic flood emergency in Central Texas on Friday, leading to multiple confirmed fatalities and reports of at least 20 missing girls at a camp in the area.
The National Weather Service extended a flood watch for parts of southern Edwards Plateau and Hill Country through 7 p.m. CT Friday night.
In a press conference, authorities said there have been six to ten people found dead so far and that rescue operations are underway by air and ground to help find as many people as possible. The search effort includes 14 helicopters, nine rescue teams with swimmers and between 400 and 500 people on the ground.
Girls from camp unaccounted for
The area is home to many summer camps, and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at least 20 girls are missing from Camp Mystic. He said families whose daughters are unaccounted for have been notified; parents who have not been contacted by the camp should know their daughters are safe, he stressed.
“We will do everything humanly possible 24/7, looking in every tree and turning over every rock,” he said.
Patrick said 14 helicopters are in the air along with drones. He urged people not to self-deploy or use their own drones because airspace is already crowded.
President Donald Trump has been in touch multiple times, Patrick said, with offers to provide whatever assistance is needed.
More rain and flooding are also in the forecast for the Waco area.
The Guadalupe River was overwhelmed by heavy rains, and residents near the river were advised to seek higher ground, while others were told to shelter in place and not attempt travel. Patrick said the river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes around 4 a.m.
Fatalities reported in Kerr County
People have died in Kerr County, with an initial toll of six to ten dead. Officials were still working to identify most of the people who died.
Roads were flooding in Kerrville, which sits about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio and has a population of around 25,000.
Authorities also said dozens of water rescues had been performed as the rain continued to fall.
Between five and 11 inches of rain had fallen by 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in Austin and San Antonio, with more rain possible before the storms dissipate Friday afternoon. At one point, the rainfall reached a rate of four inches per hour.
The area was put under a flash flood warning. By Friday morning, the Guadalupe River in western Kerr County had reached 29 feet, the second-highest level on record.
The river surpassed flooding levels seen in 1987, when floods killed 10 teenagers near Comfort, Texas.
Officials in Comfort issued an order for mandatory evacuations on Friday for residents along the river and in Kerrville, as police and firefighters helping get people to safety.
In San Angelo, Texas, photos showed a flooded intersection where water reached the level of street signs and the weather service office there called the floods life-threatening.
Texas officials activated the National Guard and deployed the state’s Department of Public Safety and other resources to the area to respond to the flooding.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told media outlets that there was no warning regarding the severity of the flood and said the county doesn’t have a warning system.
The National Weather Service had placed the county under a flood watch Thursday night, with a flash flood warning issued around 1 a.m.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
