Grief and politics in Texas
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Mudslide survivor shares advice for Texas flood victims
Kim Cantin lost her husband and teenage son in the 2018 mudslide in Montecito, California. Cantin: “Sudden traumatic death is different than anticipatory death. It’s grief compounded by trauma” Cantin encourages survivors to be patient and persistent with their healing. “I know the terror that the people endured in the mud, in the floods,” Cantin said. “You can’t bypass grief. It will come out in some other way,” Cantin says of Texas flood survivors. “Life is worth putting one foot in font of another,” she says of the Texas flood victims. “It gave me a purpose to do my very very best,” says Cantin, who searched for her son until he was found three years later, wrapped in electrical wire, in a debris pile. ‘I want my husband and son back, my dog back, and my house back every day,’ she says. ‘There will be silver linings,’ Cantin adds.
What You Need To Know Montecito, Calif., mudslide survivor Kim Cantin advises Texas flood survivors to be open and vulnerable to help
Cantin lost her husband and teenage son in the 2018 mudslide that killed 23 people
She encourages survivors to be patient and persistent with their healing
“Sudden traumatic death is different than anticipatory death. It’s grief compounded by trauma,” Cantin said
A survivor of the 2018 mudslide in Montecito, California, that claimed 23 lives, including those of her husband and 17-year-old son, Cantin was found two football fields away from her home wrapped in electrical wire, trapped in a debris pile while her daughter survived being completely buried in 20 feet of mud for six hours.
“I know the terror that the people endured in the mud, in the floods,” Cantin said of the Texas flood victims.
Cantin said she was stomach-deep in mud when the warning app on her phone alerted her to the danger.
Now, 7½ years after a 30-foot wave of mud, debris, trees and boulders destroyed her home while she was in it, Cantin said healing is a matter of grace and time.
“I’ve spent that time working really hard, trying to be fit for human consumption again. I knew I had a lot more living to do, and I wanted to be good and strong for my daughter, so I really invested in whatever support I could find,” said Cantin, who joined a grief group, widow group and how-we-heal group hosted by the hospital that treated her injuries.
“We got each other,” she said of being part of a group of survivors of the exact same disaster who also lost loved ones. “I’m a work in progress, but life is worth putting one foot in font of another. What I’d say to these people — and they’re not going to believe it now — but there will be silver linings.
“I want my husband and son back, my dog back, and my house back every day,” Cantin said. “You can’t bring back your loved ones, but put one foot in front of another and go with patience for yourself and persistence to want to heal.”
The survivors of the Texas flash foods are joining a growing group of extreme weather survivors who’ve endured fires, floods, earthquakes, extreme heat and other natural disasters and need emotional support. Sudden traumatic death is different than anticipatory death, Cantin said. It’s grief compounded by trauma.
“I would really advocate for someone to give themselves the grace of time to do the work and the healing,” said Cantin, who used a variety of therapies she’d never tried before to recover, including brain mapping, talk therapy, Reiki healing and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR. “You can’t bypass grief. It will come out in some other way.”
Cantin said writing her memoir, “Where Yellow Flowers Bloom: A True Story of Hope through Unimaginable Loss,” also helped her heal.
“I went from desperate grief to peaceful acceptance through writing,” said Cantin, who encourages those who’ve suffered trauma to also write out their feelings and experiences.
Cantin said she was a type-A personality happily juggling a career, kids and family when disaster struck.
“I was brought to my knees when it happened, and I had to learn to ask for help,” she said. “Life suddenly abruptly pivots in a way you didn’t expect, and I had to just kind of surrender, saying ‘OK. How do I, in this new reality, move forward?’”
Cantin knows all too well about the anxiety Texas flood survivors are feeling as they await news about missing loved ones. Her son, Jack, wasn’t found for three years.
“We kept hoping he would be found the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year,” said Cantin, who searched debris piles for her son until he was found. “It gave me a purpose for three years to do my very best. I feel like there’s going to be hundreds of people having that same experience in Texas.”
For family members searching for loved ones missing in the floods, Cantin suggests finding an advocate to remind local authorities that excavating teams hauling away debris should also have spotters looking at everything that is hauled away in case there are human remains.
“It may look more like a log that’s covered in mud and not recognizable,” she said. “I know that sounds really tough to hear.”
Knowing that workers are actively inspecting for human remains allows loved ones to work on their shock, grief and trauma.
“The biggest gift I can give someone is to be there on their grief timeline because everyone’s grief journey is different, and how they process it is different,” Cantin said. “They say grief is like a big bowl of spaghetti. It’s all intertwined. Sometimes you’re going to get a meatball; sometimes you’re not. It’s messy. So have grace.”
⛈️ Grief And Guilt: Parents Who’ve Lost Children Reflect On Texas Flooding Deaths 🔌
“We’ve got to pray for the strength that we will learn how to continue to carry the pain,” Ross says. Max Lucado led a guided time of prayer after the flooding in San Antonio. “During our time of crisis, I believe it is important for us to begin our prayer by acknowledging our pain, acknowledging our sorrows,’ Lucado says in a video posted to his Facebook page. “We do not grieve what we don’t love, and joy is rooted in love,” Bizaillion’s mother says.
As she describes it, grief and joy can hold hands.
“Grief and joy are both rooted in love,” she said. “We do not grieve what we don’t love, and joy is rooted in love. … Joy gives us the strength to carry the pain.
“It’s not carry the pain, and then one day you won’t have it anymore. That’s not true,” she added. “We’ve got to pray for the strength that we will learn how to continue to carry the pain.”
Romans 15:13 served as Bizaillion’s “life verse,” her mother said, and Ross has adopted it as her own: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
To Ross, that New Testament Scripture relates the value of trusting God “even when we didn’t get our way, and even when we’ve been ushered onto a road of darkness that we did not want or choose.”
“We’re going to trust God that the light will be at the end of this road,” she explained. “Not that we get our way, but we’re going to trust God that somewhere in Israel there is an empty tomb, and ours will be one day, and the lives of these people will be opened one day.”
• • •
MAX LUCADO, A SAN ANTONIO PASTOR and best-selling author with 2.4 million Facebook followers, led a guided time of prayer after the flooding, which occurred about 45 minutes from his home.
In an 11-minute video on the social media site, Lucado recited the Lord’s Prayer and recalled the promise of the 23rd Psalm.
“Especially in times of challenge, disaster and difficulty, we bow on knee before you and beg for your mercy in Jesus’ name,” Lucado prayed to God.
“During our time of crisis, I believe it is important for us to begin our prayer by acknowledging our pain, acknowledging our sorrow,” the minister told the audience. “We lament as did those in Scripture who taught us to be honest about our hurts, about our sorrows.
‘Filled with grief and devastation’ : Trump surveys Texas flood damage. Live updates
President Donald Trump says he’s never seen a disaster as bad as what he saw in Texas. He praises emergency officials for their response and rejects concerns about preparedness. The president, first lady and a host of lawmakers and cabinet members made the trip to Texas Friday. State officials vowed to continue searching for over 160 people still missing but have acknowledged the dwindling chances of finding survivors alive a week after the disaster. The last time rescue teams made a “live rescue” was on the day the flood broke out on July 4.. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children. “I’ve never seen anything more horrible in my life,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who said he broke down and wept.“We are grieving with you,” she said at the roundtable. “Our nation is grieving withYou.” The first lady gave young girls who passed away a bracelet they gave her to honor them.
During a roundtable after meeting with victims’ families and local officials, Trump recounted how the Guadalupe River overflowed – “a little narrow river becomes a monster.”
“This is a tough one,” Trump said. “It’s hard to believe the devastation.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The president applauded emergency officials for their response and rejected concerns about whether communities along the Guadalupe River were adequately prepared for the disaster.
“Only a very evil person would ask a question like that,” Trump said.
First lady Melania Trump said she was moved by meeting with victims’ families.
“We are grieving with you,” she said at the roundtable. “Our nation is grieving with you.”
Over 120 people have been recovered since heavy rainfall overwhelmed the Guadalupe River and flowed through homes and summer camps in the early morning hours of July 4. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
State officials vowed to continue searching for over 160 people still missing but have acknowledged the dwindling chances of finding survivors alive a week after the disaster. The last time rescue teams made a “live rescue” was on the day the flood broke out.
The president, first lady and a host of lawmakers and cabinet members made the trip to Texas Friday as questions linger over what could have been done to save more lives from one of the deadliest floods of the last 25 years.
More: See how the Texas floods unfolded and why Camp Mystic was in a hazardous location
Trump praises ‘competence’ and ‘unity’
Trump dismissed a reporter’s question about whether emergency alerts went out in time before the flooding surged to crisis levels and said people should instead focus on the “unity” and “competence” displayed after the floods.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“I think everybody did an incredible job under the circumstances,” Trump said. “Only a very evil person would ask a question like that.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it a once-in-a-1,000-year flood. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said the reporter’s question was “ridiculous.”
“We’ll figure out how to make our systems the best they can be,” he said. Roy said the “enduring images” of the flood will be of girls from Camp Mystic singing as they evacuated the scene. “That’s who the people of Texas are,” he said.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, described a horrifying scene at Camp Mystic, where the water line on a cabin showed the floodwaters rose 8 feet, blowing out the windows and sweeping away the girls inside.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“I’ve never seen anything more horrible in my life,” said Cruz, who said he broke down and wept.
Officials vow to rebuild
John Dunn, the longtime owner of The Hunt Store in Kerrville, told Trump he planned to rebuild the beloved spot despite concerns from patrons that it was a total loss.
“I’m absolutely going to bring it back,” Dunn said of the store he sold earlier this year. “We’re going to get it opened very quickly.”
“We will rebuild the Hunt Store right here,” Gov, Greg Abbott said, doubling down on Dunn’s remarks. “We are going to rebuild this community.”
More than 12,000 volunteers have flocked to Kerrville County to help with search and recovery efforts and 19 states have sent resources, Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas division of emergency management, told Trump.
Trump spoke with families of victims
The president arrived at a roundtable discussion with first responders late Friday afternoon after meeting with the relatives of the flood victims. Trump sat behind a black banner marked with the phrase “Texas Strong.”
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“I think this is a good reason to be late,” Trump said, sitting behind a black banner that read “Texas Strong.”
The first lady said young girls gave her a bracelet they made to honor victims of the floods and vowed to return to Texas’ Hill Country.
“We are here to honor them,” she said of the campers and counselors who passed away.
Trump talks with first responders in Kerrville, Texas
Shortly after Trump arrived in Texas, his motorcade stopped near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, where an overturned tractor trailer and numerous downed trees littered the area, according to reporters traveling with him.
Similar debris was visible throughout the president’s drive from the Kerrville-Kerr County airport to the river. Pockets of residents standing in strip-mall parking lots waved as the president drove by them.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
At Louise Hays Park, Trump, the first lady and Gov. Greg Abbott stood next to a red-and-white engine from the Kerrville Fire Department as they listened and nodded to a 10-minute briefing. Trump shook hands with about 30 emergency workers after the briefing and posed for pictures.
Trump and the first lady then met with dozens of federal, state and local officials at the Happy State Bank Expo Hall in Kerrville, where he later hosted a round table. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz were among the attendees.
– Bart Jansen and Joey Garrison
House Democrats request comms related to Texas flood response
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have called on multiple government agencies to produce documents and communications about the lead-up and response to the deadly Texas floods.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
In a series of letters, Texas Reps. Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett – backed by ranking member Robert Garcia, of California, – expressed concern over FEMA’s response to the crisis and the potential impacts of DOGE cuts on the National Weather Service.
“We are deeply concerned not only that Secretary Noem may have effectively crippled the agency’s ability to respond to this crisis, but also that she failed to personally act to ensure a timely response,” the members wrote in a letter to FEMA. Other letters were sent to the Department of Commerce Inspector General and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The White House on Friday said that FEMA has $13 billion in reserves that it can draw on to assist victims of the Texas floods.
How many deaths from Texas flooding?
Here’s a breakdown of the Texas flooding death toll, according to county officials:
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Kerr County: 96
Travis County: 8
Kendall County: 8
Burnet County: 5
Williamson County: 3
Tom Green County: 1
Abbott announces crisis line for Texas flood victims
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced a 24/7 crisis support line for residents impacted by the deadly floods that pummeled the state one week ago.
The Texas Flooding Emotional Support Line will provide callers with professional crisis counseling at no cost, according to the governor’s office. Counselors will also help residents review their disaster recovery options and provide referrals to other programs. “This new statewide crisis support line will ensure survivors, families, and first responders have access to emotional support and crisis counseling as they work to heal and recover,” Abbott said in a statement.
President Trump departs for Texas Hill Country
Aboard Air Force One, Trump left Washington Friday morning en route to Texas, where he plans to meet with family members of flood victims, first responders and local officials.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Accompanying Trump on the trip are Republican Texas U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
“Nobody can even believe it, such a thing,” Trump said before boarding Air Force Once. “That much water that fast – without a dam break. You’d think a dam would have break for it to happen. A terrible thing.”
Over $30 million in donations received by Kerr County flood relief fund
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has received more than $30 million in donations through the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, organizers announced Friday.
Texas Rep. Chip Roy thanked those who’ve donated to the fund and said he expects the donation totals to grow in the coming days as recovery operations continue across the region. He urged more people to donate to the relief fund, citing a challenging road to recovery.
“We’re going to rebuild and we’re going to be back better than ever,” he said.
White House says FEMA has enough money for Texas flood relief
Ahead of Trump’s Friday visit to Texas, the White House’s budget chief told reporters the Federal Emergency Management Agency has the funding to assist in flood recovery efforts even as the Trump administration has talked about eliminating FEMA.
Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said FEMA has about $13 billion in its reserves to pay for necessary expenses in Texas.
“The president has said to Texas, anything it needs it will get,” Vought said, adding that, “We also want FEMA to be reformed. We want FEMA to work well … The president is going to continue to be asking tough questions of all of his agencies.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday continued her call for FEMA to be eliminated in its current form. Her push comes as FEMA has deployed specialists and distributed supplies to the flooded areas in Texas.
“Federal emergency management should be state and locally led, rather than how it has operated for decades,” Noem said.
“It has been slow to respond at the federal level. It’s even been slower to get the resources to Americans in crisis, and that is why this entire agency needs to be eliminated as it exists today, and remade into a responsive agency.”
Kerr County was denied money to upgrade flood warning system
Nearly a decade before disastrous floods ravaged the Texas Hill Country, the state’s Division of Emergency Management denied requests from Kerr County for a $1 million grant to improve its flood warning system, records show.
In 2017, Kerr County requested the funds to build a flood warning system that would have upgraded 20 water gauge systems, added new water level sensors and posts, and created software and a website to distribute the information to the public in real-time.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management denied Kerr County’s initial application, meeting minutes show. Kerr County applied again the following year, in 2018, when more federal funding became available after Hurricane Harvey. But meeting minutes indicate that Texas’ emergency authority again did not approve it.
The Division of Emergency Management did not answer USA TODAY’s specific questions about why the county’s applications were rejected.
More: Texas county where campers died was denied money to boost warning systems
– Kenny Jacoby
FAA issues flight restrictions over Texas Hill Country amid search effort
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary flight restriction for counties in the Texas Hill County where search teams are traversing mangled riverbanks to recover victims of the deadly floods. The order restricts the use of aircrafts and drones operating without permission over the search area.
While drones have enabled rescuers to scour parts of the disaster zone that are otherwise inaccessible, unauthorized aircraft have hindered recovery efforts.
On Monday, July 7, a drone illegally operating in restricted airspace crashed into a helicopter involved in emergency operations. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing and is out of service “until further notice,” according to Kerr County. No injuries were reported.
Officials urge residents not to touch large debris piles amid search
Kerr County officials asked residents to avoid large debris piles until they’ve been searched thoroughly by crews scouring for flood victims.
“We are still looking for victims. If a pile is large enough to need heavy equipment to clean … have the city send a search team to check the pile first,” read a statement on the flood taskforce website. “This applies to big tangles where a person could be. Smaller piles are fine to be cleaned up.”
This week search crews have shifted their focus to untangling towering mounds of wreckage along the Guadalupe River and throughout Kerr County, where at least 96 people have been killed.
What we know about the Texas flood victims
A director of a Texas summer camp for girls who was known as the “heart and soul” of the program. Two grade-school age sisters found together after being swept away. A 23-year-old Texas police officer celebrating the Fourth of July with his family.
These are some of the more than 120 people killed by the disastrous floods that swept across the Texas Hill Country one week ago. Flooding-related deaths have been reported in at least six counties. The victims include summer camp directors, teachers, grandparents, parents and dozens of children.
Read the stories of those who lost their lives here.
More: ‘We are heartbroken’: Texas flood victims remembered by families and communities
Trump says expresses support for alarm system after Texas floods
In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press on Thursday, Trump said the Texas flood was a “once-in-every-200-year” event and said he supported the installation of an alarm system to warn of such emergencies.
“After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you’d put alarms up in some form,” Trump told NBC’s Meet the Press on Thursday ahead of the trip, noting, “local officials were hit by this just like everybody else.”
Questions remain about what more could have been done to warn residents of the flooding, which surged the Guadalupe River nearly 30 feet in less than an hour. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s legislative agenda for an upcoming special session includes discussions on flood warning systems, communications and natural disaster preparation and recovery.
What we know about Trump’s Texas visit
Trump plans to visit the area on Friday, July 11, and meet with family members of flood victims and first responders during his trip, according to a White House official. Trump will also participate in a briefing and roundtable from local elected officials, the official said.
Trump and the first lady will land in Kerr County at 12:20 p.m., according to an official schedule.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Kathryn Palmer, Joey Garrison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas floods live updates: Trump surveys damage in flood-ravaged Texas
Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods
At least 120 people have died from flash floods and more were missing. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit. The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp. The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night.. Hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas when the Legislature meets later this month. The devastation in Texas stretched from Hill Country all the way to just outside the state’s capital, Austin, where at least 15 people died in floodwaters from the San Gabriel River swamped two RV parks in Georgetown, north of Austin. The search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers and rubble Thursday.
Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region.
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Shock has turned into grief across Texas where at least 120 people have died from flash floods and more were missing as the search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers and rubble Thursday.
More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.
Advertisement
Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up
The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past. Photos and videos captured their ordeal.
Dan Beazley, of Michigan (left), held a large cross with Abigail Smithson during a vigil for flood victims at Tivy Antler Stadium on Wednesday, in Kerrville, Texas. Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
More than 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims. Stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult.
At a small shopping center damaged in the floods, people piled debris gathered from the rivers. Officials hope to eventually set aside personal items so residents find their possessions.
Advertisement
On Wednesday, hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.
“Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,” said Wyatt Wentrcek, a youth minister.
David Garza drove more than an hour to support his loved ones.
“I’m from here, and I was here in the ‘78 flood and the ’87 flood,” Garza said. “I just wanted to be a part of this.”
Some at the service wore green ribbons for the girls from Camp Mystic, the century-old Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died.
Parents of children who were at the many summer camps in Hill Country have credited the teenage counselors with ushering campers to safety and helping keep them calm during the chaos.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas when the Legislature meets later this month. Abbott also asked for financial relief for the response and recovery efforts.
“We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered after the victims are recovered.
Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens.
Advertisement
President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover and is planning to visit the state Friday.
Attendees held hands during a vigil for flooding victims at Tivy Antler Stadium. Ashley Landis/Associated Press
Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, which are becoming a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people.
The devastation in Texas stretched from Hill Country all the way to just outside the state’s capital. At least 15 people died in the Austin area and adjacent counties.
Just north of Austin, floodwaters from the San Gabriel River swamped two RV parks in Georgetown.
Teri Hoffman watched the water lift up her camper with her two dogs inside.
“The camper just kind of goes over on its side and starts floating. And then all the other campers just started crashing into it,” she said.
Rescuers were able to save the dogs and she managed to dig out the last picture she has of her late mother. Everything else from the RV where she lived with her husband and children is gone, she said.
“I couldn’t look at it,” Hoffman said. “I had to walk away.”
Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; contributed to this report.
Mourning begins in Texas where more than 170 are still missing from flash floods
NEW: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calls for better flood preparation in the future. The death toll stands at 120, nearly a week since the floods first hit. More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County. The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91- year-old grandmother who was known for her sharp wit. the state of Texas is planning to visit the state Friday to recover and plan for the state’s next disaster, a spokesman said. The governor also asked for financial relief for the response and recovery efforts and asked for the public to help with the recovery costs of the disaster, the spokesman said in a statement. The federal government has pledged to provide whatever relief the state needs to recover from the floods, the statement said. about 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims, with more than 1,000 people still unaccounted for.
Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region.
The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91-year-old grandmother known for her sharp wit.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.
Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for, but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past. Photos and videos captured their ordeal.
The aftermath
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
More than 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims. Stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult.
At a small shopping center damaged in the floods, people piled debris gathered from the rivers. Officials hope to eventually set aside personal items so residents find their possessions.
A disaster recovery center managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state of Texas and the Small Business Administration opened Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Kerrville, offering survivors a hub to register for federal assistance and other services. Only a few people passed through the quiet church gymnasium in the late afternoon.
“The word’s not out yet, the first few days are always slow,” said Laurie Fried, long term recovery specialist for The Salvation Army in Texas.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
A row of brooms and buckets filled with cleaning supplies stood behind the nonprofit Community Council of South Central Texas’ table, where staff were distributing grocery store gift cards for income-qualified households and offering financial assistance for hotel stays and utility bills.
The cleaning kits were for those mucking out flooded homes, but the council’s community service coordinator, Nina Ruiz, said they had only passed out about seven of them that day. “A lot of the people don’t have homes to clean up,” she said.
On Wednesday, hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.
“Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,” said Wyatt Wentrcek, a youth minister.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
David Garza drove more than an hour to support his loved ones.
“I’m from here, and I was here in the ’78 flood and the ’87 flood,” Garza said. “I just wanted to be a part of this.”
Some at the service wore green ribbons for the girls from Camp Mystic, the century-old Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died.
Parents of children who were at the many summer camps in Hill Country have credited the teenage counselors with ushering campers to safety and helping keep them calm during the chaos.
Calls for better flood preparation in the future
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to approve funding for new warning systems and emergency communications in flood prone areas when the Legislature meets later this month. Abbott also asked for financial relief for the response and recovery efforts.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be answered after the victims are recovered.
Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens.
President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover and is planning to visit the state Friday.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the federal government should play a major role in preparing for and responding to natural disasters, which are becoming a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people.
The devastation in Texas stretched from Hill Country all the way to just outside the state’s capital. At least 15 people died in the Austin area and adjacent counties.
Just north of Austin, floodwaters from the San Gabriel River swamped two RV parks in Georgetown.
Teri Hoffman watched the water lift up her camper with her two dogs inside.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“The camper just kind of goes over on its side and starts floating. And then all the other campers just started crashing into it,” she said.
Rescuers were able to save the dogs and she managed to dig out the last picture she has of her late mother. Everything else from the RV where she lived with her husband and children is gone, she said.
“I couldn’t look at it,” Hoffman said. “I had to walk away.”
___
Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; contributed to this report.