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More heavy rains in Texas on Sunday paused a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River and led to high-water rescues elsewhere as officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge.
It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the 4 July floods, which killed at least 129 people. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr county.
In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door to door to some homes after midnight early on Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area.
A statement put out by Kerrville city officials urged residents to not attempt to travel unless they are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.
“Please keep watch on low-water crossings and seek higher ground if flooding begins. Turn around, don’t drown!” the city officials added.
According to new alerts put out by the National Weather Service, the flash flood risk continues this morning across portions of the Texas Hill Country.
“The extent and magnitude of the event has lowered from what occurred last night into the early morning hours, however some additional flash flood impacts are likely ... and localized significant impacts remain possible,” the NWS said.
It also warned earlier this morning that a flash flood warning was in effect for western Llano and north-western Gillespie, with significant rain having fallen and flooding expected particularly over Llano county.
Similarly, a flash flood warning remains in effect for Buchanan Dam, Buchanan Lake and Valley Spring until 3.45pm CT, as well as for Watson and Briggs until 4pm CT.
As part of its warnings, the NWS has urged residents to move immediately to higher ground, as well as avoid walking or driving through flood waters.
Ingram fire department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr county until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesperson Brian Lochte said.
“We’re working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,” Lochte said.
As heavy rain fell on Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned that the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 15ft (4.6 meters) by Sunday afternoon, about 5ft above flood stage and enough to put the Highway 39 bridge under water in Hunt, the small town where Camp Mystic is located along the river.
“Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,” a weather service warning said.
The rains were also causing other waterways to swell farther north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River. The man leaned onto the vehicle for support as crews tried to reach him with life jackets.
“He drove into it and didn’t realize how deep it was,” said Jeff Douglas, the president of the McGregor volunteer fire department. “Luckily he was able to stand next to the vehicle.”
Under heavy rain, Matthew Stone was clearing branches and a log from a storm sewer in front of his home on Guadalupe Street in Kerrville on Sunday as several inches of water pooled up on the road.
Multiple houses on the street overlooking the Guadalupe River were severely impacted by the 4 July floods, and Stone had to pull his older neighbors from their home before water overtook it. He said he felt safe nor now.
“My wife was freaking out, that’s for sure, but as long as that river is not coming down, we’ll be all right,” he said. “The cops have been coming back and forth, we’re getting lots of alerts, we’re getting a lot of support.”
Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, the destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26ft on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Ever since, searchers have used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.
The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old, all-girls Christian summer camp.
Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors.
The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.
The sheer amount of rain was overwhelming. Former Noaa chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist, calculated on 5 July that the storm had dropped 120bn gallons of water on Kerr county, which received the brunt of the storm.
On Sunday, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said that Donald Trump wants to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) “remade” instead of eradicated entirely.
Speaking to NBC, Noem defended the Trump administration’s response to the deadly Texas floods that have killed at least 120 people, saying: “I think the president recognizes that Fema should not exist the way that it always has been. It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response.”
Her comments follow widespread criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Texas floods as reports emerged of thousands of calls from flood survivors being left unanswered by Fema’s call centers due to unextended contracts.
