Texas governor says more than 160 people are still missing after deadly floods

HUNT Texas AP More than people are deduced to be missing in Texas in the aftermath of the flash floods that killed more than over the July Fourth weekend Gov Greg Abbott reported Tuesday Abbot commented multiple of those who are not accounted for were staying in state s Hill Country but did not register at a camp or hotel He spoke at a news conference after taking a helicopter tour of the affected area Abbott commented President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas necessities to recover from the flooding and he read what he commented was a text from U S Wellness and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr in which Kennedy pledged to declare a population healthcare urgency Abbott reported of Trump He could not stop talking about how sad he was for all the little girls who have lost their lives Trump planned to visit the state Friday Meanwhile citizens administrators in charge of finding casualties of the devastating flooding pushed away intensifying questions about who was monitoring the weather and warning that floodwaters were barreling toward camps and homes Leaders in Kerr County where searchers have determined bodies mentioned their first priority is recovering casualties not reviewing what happened in the hours before the flash floods inundated the state s Hill Country Right now this association up here is focused on bringing people home Lt Col Ben Baker of the Texas Encounter Wardens announced during a sometimes tense news conference where bureaucrats were questioned about the timing of their response Hope of finding survivors was increasingly bleak Four days have passed since anyone was located alive in the aftermath of the floods in Kerr County executives reported Tuesday Abbott planned to make another visit Tuesday to Camp Mystic the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least campers and counselors died during the floods Personnel stated Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still not been uncovered Scenes of devastation at Camp Mystic Outside the cabins at Camp Mystic where the girls had slept mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered on a grassy hill that slopes toward the river Also in the debris were pink purple and light blue luggage decorated with stickers Among those who died at the camp were a second grader who loved pink sparkles and bows in her curly hair a -year-old counselor who enjoyed mentoring young girls and the camp s -year-old director The flash floods erupted before daybreak Friday after massive rains sent water speeding down hills into the Guadalupe River causing it to rise feet meters in less than an hour The wall of water overwhelmed people in cabins tents and trailers along the river s edge pulling them into the water Certain survivors were ascertained clinging to trees Certain campers had to swim out of cabin windows to safety while others held onto a rope as they made their way to higher ground Time-lapse videos presented how floodwaters covered roads in a matter of minutes Although it s challenging to attribute a single weather event to conditions change experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans make catastrophic storms more likely Where were the warnings Questions mounted about what if any actions local agents took to warn campers and residents who were spending the July Fourth weekend in the scenic area long known to locals as flash flood alley Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha stated that sending out warnings isn t as easy as pushing a button Answers about who did what and when will come later citizens bureaucrats declared Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly the county s chief elected official disclosed in the hours after the devastation that the county does not have a warning system Generations of families in the Hill Country have known the dangers A flood forced the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort and swamped buses and vans Ten teenagers were killed Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a warning system Kerr County sought a nearly million grant eight years ago for such a system but the request was turned down by the Federal Exigency Management Agency Local residents balked at footing the bill themselves Kelly revealed Particular camps were aware of the dangers Friday and monitored the weather At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods But a multitude of people didn t move or were caught by surprise Recovery and cleanup goes on The bodies of children were among those that have been recovered in Kerr County home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps the sheriff explained The devastation spread across several hundred miles in central Texas all the way to just outside the capital city of Austin Nineteen deaths were shared in Travis Burnet Kendall Tom Green and Williamson counties local authorities declared Aidan Duncan escaped just in time after hearing the muffled blare of a megaphone urging residents to evacuate Riverside RV Park in the Hill Country town of Ingram All of his belongings a mattress sports cards his pet parakeet s bird cage now sit in caked mud in front of his home What s going on right now it hurts the -year-old mentioned I literally cried so hard Search-and-rescue teams used heavy equipment to untangle trees and move large rocks as part of the massive search for missing people Hundreds of helpers evidenced up to help with one of the largest search operations in Texas history Along the banks of the Guadelupe -year-old Charles Hanson a resident at a senior living center was sweeping up wood and piling pieces of concrete and stone remnants from a playground structure He requested to help clean up on behalf of his neighbors who can t get out We ll make do with the best we got he stated