Ricky Gonzalez speaks with CNN. CNN

Ricky Gonzalez and a dozen of his friends narrowly escaped the rapidly flooding Airbnb where they were spending the Fourth of July weekend when deadly flooding hit Texas, he told CNN Sunday.

The Texas resident said he and his friends were awoken by a pet dog who alerted the group to one of their vehicles being swept away.

Water quickly rose to the second level of their Airbnb, and the group realized they would have to act fast.

“Some of us don’t know how to swim. The water was almost 30 feet deep. I can’t swim personally,” he said. “We made sure all the floaties were inflated, air mattresses, coolers, getting everything ready, just in case that we need to, you know – survive.”

“I was on FaceTime with my sister, basically giving my last goodbye,” he added.

The tight-knit group of friends was gearing up to escape through two big windows in the attic.

“At that moment of me getting ready, in my mind it crossed that some of us aren’t going to make it out alive,” Gonzalez said. “In my mind, I was just thinking, well, I might see some of my friends pass away this morning.”

But a family driving by happened to see the group and helped rescue them.

The family, which Gonzalez refers to as the group’s “guardian angels,” took the friends in, fed them and drove them to the airport.

Texans come together in times of trouble, Gonzalez explained.

“Despite everything going on, people still have a heart and are willing to help out strangers,” he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday. KENS

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the ongoing federal response to the catastrophic flooding in Texas, emphasizing the urgent need for resources, coordination and continued federal support as the search for missing people intensifies.

In addition to ground efforts, federal officials have requested more aviation assets to aid in aerial search and rescue.

“We, just at the request of a previous conversation less than an hour ago … requested more fixed-wing aircraft from the Coast Guard to come and help us,” Noem said. She added many of the aircraft will be equipped with thermal imaging to allow round-the-clock searches.

“Some of the assets that other agencies may offer don’t have that kind of equipment but the Coast Guard does have it so that will be deployed so that the search and rescue efforts don’t stop even when it does get dark at night.”

She reassured Texans FEMA would remain fully engaged and ready to provide additional assistance based on evolving needs from state leadership.

“We’ll continue to stay engaged, and I’ll be here,” Noem said, noting her plans to visit Camp Mystic, where more than 20 girls are still unaccounted for, along with other parts of the community to assess damage and offer support.

“The number one priority now is people,” Noem stated. “(It) is making sure we’re finding people as fast as possible and we’re returning them to their families.”

While damage assessments to infrastructure are ongoing as bridges, roads and power lines have all sustained impact, she said the focus remains on saving lives before turning fully to long-term recovery.

“The state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters,” she said. “You are an example to the nation of getting through these difficult times. But also know that you’re not alone, that you have the entire country’s hearts with you.”

Texas officials have blamed the Weather Service for issuing forecasts on Wednesday that underestimated how much rain was coming. But the staffing shortages present a more complicated picture.

Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were unfilled as severe rainfall inundated parts of Central Texas on Friday morning, prompting some experts to question whether staffing shortages made it harder for the forecasting agency to coordinate with local emergency managers as floodwaters rose.

Texas officials appeared to blame the Weather Service for issuing forecasts on Wednesday that underestimated how much rain was coming. But former Weather Service officials said the forecasts were as good as could be expected, given the enormous levels of rainfall and the storm’s unusually abrupt escalation.

The staffing shortages suggested a separate problem, those former officials said — the loss of experienced people who would typically have helped communicate with local authorities in the hours after flash flood warnings were issued overnight.

The shortages are among the factors likely to be scrutinized as the death toll climbs from the floods. Separate questions have emerged about the preparedness of local communities, including Kerr County’s apparent lack of a local flood warning system. The county, roughly 50 miles northwest of San Antonio, is where many of the deaths occurred.

In an interview, Rob Kelly, the Kerr County judge and its most senior elected official, said the county did not have a warning system because such systems are expensive, and local residents are resistant to new spending.

“Taxpayers won’t pay for it,” Mr. Kelly said. Asked if people might reconsider in light of the catastrophe, he said, “I don’t know.”

The National Weather Service’s San Angelo office, which is responsible for some of the areas hit hardest by Friday’s flooding, was missing a senior hydrologist, staff forecaster and meteorologist in charge, according to Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, the union that represents Weather Service workers.

The Weather Service’s nearby San Antonio office, which covers other areas hit by the floods, also had significant vacancies, including a warning coordination meteorologist and science officer, Mr. Fahy said. Staff members in those positions are meant to work with local emergency managers to plan for floods, including when and how to warn local residents and help them evacuate.

That office’s warning coordination meteorologist left on April 30, after taking the early retirement package the Trump administration used to reduce the number of federal employees, according to a person with knowledge of his departure.

Some of the openings may predate the current Trump administration. But at both offices, the vacancy rate is roughly double what it was when Mr. Trump returned to the White House in January, according to Mr. Fahy.

John Sokich, who until January was director of congressional affairs for the National Weather Service, said those unfilled positions made it harder to coordinate with local officials because each Weather Service office works as a team. “Reduced staffing puts that in jeopardy,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the National Weather Service, Erica Grow Cei, did not answer questions from The New York Times about the Texas vacancies, including how long those positions had been open and whether those vacancies had contributed to the damage caused by the flooding.

“The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life,” she said in a statement, adding that the agency “remains committed to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services.”

A White House spokeswoman directed a request for comment to the Commerce Department, which includes the Weather Service. The department did not respond to a request for comment.

The tragedy began to unfold in the early hours of July 4, when more than 10 inches of rain fell in some areas northwest of San Antonio, including in Kerr County, where more than 850 people were evacuated by rescuers. As of Saturday evening, 27 girls from a Christian summer camp remained missing.

That night, Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, appeared to fault the Weather Service, noting that forecasters on Wednesday had predicted as much as six to eight inches of rain in the region. “The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts,” he said at a news conference with Gov. Greg Abbott.

But what makes flash floods so hazardous is their ability to strike quickly, with limited warning. Around midnight on Thursday, the San Angelo and San Antonio weather offices put out their first flash flood warnings, urging people to “move immediately to higher ground.” The office sent out additional flash flood warnings through the night, expanding the area of danger.

It is not clear what steps local officials took to act on those warnings. A spokesman for the Kerr County emergency management department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The amount of rain that fell Friday morning was hard for the Weather Service to anticipate, with reports in some areas of 15 inches over just a few hours, according to Louis W. Uccellini, who was director of the National Weather Service from 2013 until 2022.

“It’s pretty hard to forecast for these kinds of rainfall rates,” Dr. Uccellini said. He said that climate change was making extreme rainfall events more frequent and severe, and that more research was needed so that the Weather Service could better forecast those events.

An equally important question, he added, was how the Weather Service was coordinating with local emergency managers to act on those warnings as they came in.

Image Most of the deaths occurred in Kerr County. Credit… Michel Fortier/The San Antonio Express-News, via Associated Press

“You have to have a response mechanism that involves local officials,” Dr. Uccellini said. “It involves a relationship with the emergency management community, at every level.”

But that requires having staff members in those positions, he said.

Under the Trump administration, the Weather Service, like other federal agencies, has been pushed to reduce its number of employees. By this spring, through layoffs and retirements, the Weather Service had lost nearly 600 people from a work force that until recently was as large as 4,000.

Some forecasting offices began to close down at night, and others launched fewer weather balloons, which send back crucial data to feed forecasts. The Weather Service said it was preparing for “degraded operations,” with fewer meteorologists available to fine-tune forecasts.

Last month, despite a government hiring freeze, the Weather Service announced a plan to hire 126 people in positions around the country, in what Ms. Cei, the agency’s spokeswoman, described as an effort to “stabilize” the department. As of this week, those jobs had not been posted in the federal government’s hiring portal.

Mr. Sokich said that the local Weather Service offices appeared to have sent out the correct warnings. He said the challengewas getting people to receive those warnings, and then take action.

Image Under the Trump administration, the Weather Service, like other federal agencies, has been pushed to reduce its number of employees. Credit… Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times

Typically, Mr. Sokich said, the Weather Service will send an official to meet regularly with local emergency managers for what are called “tabletop operations” — planning ahead of time for what to do in case of a flash flood or other major weather disaster.

But the Trump administration’s pursuit of fewer staff members means remaining employees have less time to spend coordinating with local officials, he said.

The Trump administration has also put strict limits on new hires at the Weather Service, Mr. Sokich said. So unlike during previous administrations, when these vacancies could have quickly been filled, the agency now has fewer options.

The Trump administration also froze spending on travel, he added, making it even harder for Weather Service staff members to meet with their state and local counterparts.

That does not mean there is not room for cuts at the Weather Service, Mr. Sokich said. “But you need to do them deliberately and thoughtfully,” he said.

David Montgomery and Judson Jones contributed reporting.

Two “best friends” are among the girls who have died at a summer camp where 27 are still missing as the death toll from the Texas storms is now more than 50.

Rescuers are continuing to scour through mangled trees and debris along the swollen Guadalupe River in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors. The flooding in Kerr County has killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties.

Authorities still have not said how many people are missing beyond the 27 children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp. So far five girls are known to have died after their cabin swept away including “best friends” Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck. The other three girls are Janie Hunt, Renee Smajstrla and Sarah Marsh.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes washing away homes and vehicles.

And the danger is not over as rains continues pounding communities outside San Antonio today and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

For live updates on the Texas floods, follow our live blog below…

From 5h ago 09.47 BST Search for missing continues with at least 51 people killed, including 15 children We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods. Hundreds of rescuers are desperately searching for people missing in central Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding that killed at least 51 people, including 15 children. The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe in Kerr County, the area worst affected by the flood. The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday. Live Live Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding – video The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County and Tom Green County. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state. In a post on X, he wrote that Camp Mystic was “horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster” and vowed that rescuers would find “every girl who was in those cabins”. Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day. Furniture lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters Share

54m ago 13.29 BST The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families came to swim and enjoy the outdoors, Associated Press reports. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said earlier. Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” he said. Share Updated at 13.29 BST

2h ago 12.30 BST Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities. In a statement, he said: People, businesses, and governments should take action based on flash flood warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast. As we mentioned in a previous post, local officials in Texas have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area. “We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official. “But nobody saw this coming.” As much as 10 inches of intense rainfall fell within a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the Guadalupe River’s banks to burst at about 4am local time. Share

2h ago 12.13 BST Pope Leo has sent condolences to the families of devastating floods in Texas which killed at least 51 people and left nearly 30 others missing, many of them children. Following Angelus prayers, the pontiff said: I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in a summer camp in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas. We pray for them. Share

3h ago 11.30 BST Aftermath of Texas floods – in pictures Here are some of the latest images coming out from Texas after devastating floods forced authorities to launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in the state’s recent history: View image in fullscreen Houses and cars are partially submerged in flood waters in an aerial view near Kerrville, Texas. Photograph: US Coast Guard/Reuters View image in fullscreen A drone view shows the swollen San Gabriel river, in Georgetown, Texas, amid the deluge. Photograph: Adam Grumbo/Reuters View image in fullscreen Kyle Hammock stands in front of his damaged home on the bank of Guadalupe River after clearing debris from inside his home. Photograph: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A volunteer rescue searcher speaks on the phone after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores/Reuters View image in fullscreen A child’s baseball helmet lies among flood debris along TX-39 near Hunt, Texas. Photograph: Eric Vryn/Getty Images Share Updated at 11.31 BST

3h ago 11.02 BST What has the federal response to the Texas floods been? US president Donald Trump addressed the deadly floods on Saturday. On his Truth Social platform, he said his administration was working with state and local officials on the ground in Texas to respond “to the tragic flooding” that occurred a day before. “Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly,” Trump wrote. Speaking at a press conference alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, Noem pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources to help the state in its rescue efforts, including by bringing in more fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to aid with operations. She said the government would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings. Noem said: We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible. View image in fullscreen Kristi Noem speaks with Texas Gov Greg Abbott about ongoing search and rescue efforts at a press conference in Kerrville, Texas. Photograph: Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP For context: Some state and local officials have said the NWS failed to provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday’s destructive flooding. “The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,” Texas emergency management chief W. Nim Kidd told journalists on Friday. “The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.” Share

4h ago 10.35 BST The father of Blair, 13, and Brooke Harber, 11, confirmed to CNN yesterday that his daughters had died in the Texas flooding after having gone missing in Kerr County. RJ Harber told CNN that Blair “was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart” and that Brooke “was like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment”. Neither Blair or Brooke were at Camp Mystic when they went missing. Share Updated at 10.39 BST

4h ago 10.03 BST Questions have arose as to why the severity of the flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many officials by surprise. Here is an extract from a story by my colleagues Oliver Milman, José Olivares and Robert Mackey who have looked into the preparations for the flood and examined how federal policy may have impacted local projection capabilities: Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area. One National Weather Service (NWS) forecast this week had called for only 3-6in (76-152mm) of rain, said Kidd, of the Texas division of emergency management. “It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said. Saturday’s deaths renewed questions about whether it was wise for the Trump administration to implement deep budget and job cuts at the NWS – among other federal government agencies – since his second presidency began in January. Share Updated at 10.06 BST

4h ago 09.54 BST Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Early Friday morning, shortly after the deluge hit, over 100 game wardens and an aviation group tried to access the camp, but they weren’t able to enter to start rescuing children until after midday, CNN reports. One of the girls attending the camp, Renee Smajstrla, who was nine years old, was confirmed to be among the dead by her uncle. “Renee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,” Shawn Salta wrote on Facebook. “We are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life.” View image in fullscreen A Sheriff’s deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic. Photograph: Julio Cortez/AP Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the campers that if they had not been contacted directly, their child had been accounted for. Another girls’ camp in the area, Heart O’ the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. Share Updated at 10.06 BST