Trump declares floods in Texas major disaster as at least 79 confirmed dead

More heavy rain on the way as at least 40 people still missing

- KELLY RISSMAN

Four days after flash floods first ravaged south-central Texas and claimed at least 79 lives, local officials are still searching for 10 missing campers and a counselor as another “wall of water” heads to the area. At least 40 people are missing in total.

Flash floods slammed Kerr County and its surrounding areas at the start of the weekend, leaving locals, campers, and 4 July visitors swept up in the devastating floods.

Rescue efforts were still in full force yesterday as emergency crews raced against the clock to find 10 girls from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp along the Guadalupe River that was destroyed by the floods.

“We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins,” Texas governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.

The region is now bracing for more heavy rainfall, potentially complicating the search efforts and endangering even more people.

There are reports of an additional “wall of water” heading toward Kerr County, Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said at press conference. Ms Kidd warned: “Because the ground is already saturated, any rain that falls can be perceived as life-threatening rain.”

The National Weather Service had predicted between 1 and 3 inches of rain, with some areas possibly getting 5 to 7 inches. But the reality was a torrential downpour along the Guadalupe River late on Thursday that led to unexpected flash floods, with parts of Kerr County getting pummeled with 10 to 15 inches in just a short span.

The river surged from 8 feet to 29 feet in a matter of hours early on Friday morning. Camp Mystic, which sits along the river, was “horrendously ravaged”, Mr Abbott said.

At least 27 people at Camp Mystic have died as a result of the floods, the camp told NBC News in a statement.