Rescue teams are continuing their search into Day 6 for over 170 people still missing in Kerr County after the catastrophic flash floods that has devastated Central Texas, with the death toll now rising to over 120 – including 59 adults and 36 children.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference that rescue operations remain underway to find anyone lost in the debris after the devastating weekend storm, which caused the Guadalupe River to swell rapidly to near-unprecedented levels. Abbott promised: “We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,” as rescue crews continue to comb through the region, with the chances of finding survivors growing slim.
Abbott also said he has been in contact with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said the Department of Health and Human Services will declare a public health emergency for the Texas Hill Country flash floods: “This will make it easier for health care and mental health providers from out of state to help both by traveling to the area and by telemedicine,” Abbott said.
President Trump has also signed a federal disaster declaration allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy its own teams to support local rescue and recovery efforts. Ongoing storms have made the efforts especially challenging, however the National Weather Service forecasts indicated conditions would begin to abate Tuesday.
Editorial credit: Karim Shuaib II / Shutterstock.com
