The Texas flash storm has caused at least 51 fatalities and chaotic search teams for missing girls; timelapse film demonstrates the full extent of its destruction.
Deadly flooding struck folks outside of Kerrville as Americans celebrated the Fourth of July around the country.
Within minutes, the Guadalupe River surged beyond its breaking point, causing a flash flood to sweep over Kerr County, Texas.
According to NBC News, at least 51 deaths have been reported, including 15 children.
Rescue crews are searching for up to 20 youngsters who were among the 750 girls who attended the water-swept Camp Mystic, a summer camp outside of Kerrville, around the clock.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick clarified that the missing children are not necessarily “lost” after the floodwaters left the camp without electricity, water, or WiFi, adding, “They could be out of communication.”
Unfortunately, the mother of nine-year-old Camp Mystic member Janie Hunt revealed to CNN that her daughter has perished as a result of the flooding, despite the fact that many parents are frantically asking where their kids are.
Rescue crews will “continue until we find all our citizens,” according to an update released by the Kerrville Police Department on July 5.
“Hundreds of first responders are here with resources from throughout the state to help us,” they added on Facebook. “Our thoughts remain with those who are unaccounted for and their loved ones. They are our focus and will remain so.”
Many people may find it difficult to comprehend how quickly the floods spread over the region as the rest of the globe looks on.
However, a timelapse video that was shared on Twitter captures the full extent of the lethal waters, which transformed from a clear route into a swamp in around seven minutes.
In the footage, a group of individuals are seen approaching a dip in the road as the floods abruptly rush by, transforming the once-clear path into a fatal flash flood.
Many others expressed shock and grief in the comments.
One person asked, “Yeah, that’s becoming WAY too familiar of a scene. What’s going on?” as another said, “That is scary! No wonder people couldn’t evacuate in time. But, why were they not warned?”
Someone else wrote, “Who could’ve predicted this? NOAA alerts notwithstanding… Horrifying.”
As of right now, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued additional flood warnings for people who live and work in Lone Star State due to the ongoing rains.
In addition to signing an extended emergency declaration, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked the federal government for assistance in dealing with the flooding.
Many have questioned how the tragedy could have occurred so quickly; Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly has stated that a catastrophe of this kind was unanticipated.
“When you look at the headwaters of the Guadalupe… there’s a north and a south fork,” Kerrville’s city manager, Dalton Rice, told the media to explain why it occurred.
“Since 1987, under normal conditions, if you can call it that, you’ll hit water in one of those areas, and those two forks will converge into the Guadalupe, which comes through the city of Kerrville.”
Rice continued: “This rain event sat on top of that and dumped more rain than what was forecasted on both of those forks.”
“When we got the report, it was about 7 feet or so on the south fork, and within a matter of minutes it was up to 29 feet, and all of that converged at Guadalupe.”
