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(NewsNation) — The hunt for victims continues successful cardinal Texas arsenic residents enactment to excavation their mode retired of the catastrophic wreckage near down from deadly flash floods that tore done the portion 1 week ago.
The floods, which swept done the state's Hill Country portion during the aboriginal hours of July 4, person resulted successful astatine slightest 120 deaths crossed six counties, according to NewsNation affiliate KXAN. As of Friday, much than 160 radical stay missing.
Kerr County, located northwest of San Antonio, was 1 of the hardest deed areas aft the Guadalupe River roseate more than 30 feet, decimating adjacent homes and the municipality of Kerrville. Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summertime campy wherever much than 2 twelve radical were killed, has taken halfway signifier successful flood sum arsenic exigency officials proceed to hunt for missing campers.
Where betterment efforts basal aft Texas flooding
Joe Herring Jr., politician of Kerrville, spoke to NewsNation astir his community’s ongoing efforts to bring missing victims home.
“It breaks my heart. It breaks the bosom of everybody here. We’re doing everything we tin to find them,” Herring said. “Please commune for those who wait, hold for quality astir their loved one.”
As vigils statesman crossed overmuch of the region, exigency officials archer NewsNation they are present successful the "full betterment phase” of their efforts connected the ground.
“What we are doing is we are into the ample debris piles, we’re picking them isolated furniture by layer, we’re utilizing dogs, we’re utilizing drones with ground-penetrating radar, manus crews and dense machinery,” Larry Littrell, Center Point Volunteer Fire Department adjunct occurrence chief, said.
Thousands of volunteers person been moving alongside exigency officials, combing done piles of debris successful hunt of immoderate signs of life. Among those searching are survivors similar Bud Bolton and Kadee Saunders, who had lone moments to flight to higher crushed earlier the floodwaters tore done their RV parkland successful Kerrville.
Bolton told NewsNation galore of their neighbors were incapable to respond successful time, leaving the brace to ticker helplessly arsenic families with children were swept away.
“That’s the hardest portion of everything. Even though we mislaid everything, the hardest portion of it each is proceeding those children screaming and you can’t assistance them,” Saunders said. “You consciousness hopeless, you cognize determination is thing you tin do.”
Using instrumentality from Bolton's job, helium and Saunders are present moving to assistance their neighbors hunt for their missing loved ones.
“We’re conscionable going to support digging," helium said. "We’ve got to support this worldly going. We’ve got to find closure for these hurting families.
Trump to circuit Texas flooding damage amid FEMA cuts controversy
On Friday, President Donald Trump volition sojourn Kerr County to survey the flood damage. He's expected to conscionable with section officials, archetypal responders and families affected by the flooding.
Trump’s sojourn comes amid mounting disapproval implicit his administration’s efforts to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bureau is liable for coordinating the national response to disasters that person a statesmanlike catastrophe declaration.
Trump has antecedently said helium wanted to begin “phasing out” the bureau aft this hurricane play to “wean disconnected of FEMA” and “bring it down to the authorities level.”
Trump has declared the Texas floods a major disaster, making national backing disposable to enactment exigency operations. The medication has rejected disapproval that its past fund cuts contributed to a slower response.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem volition articulation Trump successful Texas and has echoed calls for FEMA to beryllium eliminated, reiterating this week that states, not the national government, should pb exigency management.
“Texas is strong,” she said during a Cabinet gathering Tuesday. “We, arsenic a national government, don’t negociate these disasters. The authorities does. We travel successful and enactment them, and that’s precisely what we did present successful this situation.”
