Officials in Texas say at least 100 people are dead — including over two dozen children — after devastating flash floods ravaged Central Texas over the weekend.
The Kerr County Sheriff's Office said early Tuesday that the bodies of 87 people, including those of 30 children, have been recovered in the county. Combined with information from nearby counties, it indicates a total of more than 100 people died in the flooding.
The death toll increased by three people between late Monday and early Tuesday.
Officials are still working to identify 19 adults and seven children.
6 from Camp Mystic remain missing
Officials said that at least six people from Camp Mystic, a summer camp for girls, remain missing as of Tuesday. Five of the six people missing from Camp Mystic are campers, with the remaining unaccounted person being a counselor.
RELATED STORY | Texas Flood Tragedy: A Scripps News special report on the Guadalupe River floods
Twenty-seven people died at the camp from the flooding, officials said.
Overall, administrators haven't been able to release an exact number on how many people remain unaccounted for statewide. Authorities said there have not been any live rescues since Friday.
Scrutiny over weather warnings continues
Although the National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings, how those warnings were relayed to the public is facing scrutiny. Survivors of last week's flooding reported that they were unaware the Guadalupe River had swelled to record levels on Friday.
"I thought it was just lightning and thunderstorm," camp counselor Caroline Cutrona told CNN. "I had no idea the severity. I mean, I was awake throughout the night because it was loud and the cabins were shaking, but we've had thunderstorms and lightning at Camp Mystic multiple times and it's always been OK and so I always thought it was going to be OK."
An official measurement of the river indicates that levels rose 29 feet in less than two hours on the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha would not answer questions about who was in charge of emergency operations at the time of the flooding. He also would not answer questions on what measures were taken after the National Weather Service issued warnings.
He said answers to these questions would have to wait as his focus is on search and recovery operations, as well as notifying the next of kin of victims.
President Trump poised to visit Texas
President Donald Trump told reporters he intends to visit Texas on Friday to oversee recovery efforts.
"That was a terrible event, terrible event," he said. "You saw that maybe where Texas was just absolutely so badly hurt by something that was a big surprise late in the evening. So we'll be working with the governor and all of the people of Texas."
The devastating floods in central Texas have left families and communities in urgent need of support. Scripps News and the Scripps Howard Fund are partnering to provide critical relief to those impacted. Every dollar donated here will go directly to helping victims recover.
