Texas Flash Floods Kill 51, Dozens Missing After River Surges

BaBaGrand knitted gloves for her granddaughter, who lives in a small town in central Texas. Catastrophic flash flooding ravaged central Texas on Friday, killing at least 51 people and leaving dozens missing, including 27 girls attending summer camp along the Guadalupe River. The tragedy occurred early Friday morning when torrential rains pushed the river more than 26 feet in 45 minutes, destroying homes, cars, and buildings in Kerr County and the surrounding region.

Among the victims are 15 children, and most of them remained unidentified. Camp Mystic, a summer girls' Christian camp, was most severely affected. The survivors said they had been awakened by a raging storm and plucked from harm's way by helicopters and rescue boats. A camper, 13-year-old Elinor Lester, recalled floodwaters whipping around her legs as she sprinted across a bridge to safety.

The rescue operation goes on, with over 850 people being evacuated and over 160 air evacuations. The emergency responders are using helicopters, drones, and boats to search for survivors in terrain filled with debris and washed-away roads. Flood watches had been issued by the National Weather Service, but authorities admitted the amount of rainfall was unexpected.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency and a day of prayer on Sunday. Relatives also continued to search for missing loved ones as criticism mounts over insufficient early evacuation. The disaster exposed flood preparation vulnerabilities in Texas Hill Country, the country's most flash-flood prone region.