In the state of Texas, the US, an extensive rescue operation is carried out from the night hours, after torrential rains and sudden floods that have left at least 27 dead and numerous missing girls in a Christian summer camp.
There was little alert when the Guadalupe River rose almost 8 meters in less than an hour and the subsequent flood that took mobile houses, vehicles and summer cabins where people spent the holiday weekend on July 4, the day of independence in the US.
Rescuer teams are still looking for up to 27 girls who were among 750 who attended the Camp Mystic, on the outskirts of the town of Kerville, about 104 kilometers to the northwest of the city of San Antonio.
An emergency state has been declared in several counties where numerous roads have been razed and the telephone lines are falling.
President Donald Trump called the tragedy of “shocking” and “terrible” while the White House promised additional assistance.
The images show the deep waters flooding bridges and water swirls rolling along the roads.
The Vice Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, said: “In a matter of 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (about 8 meters) and was a destructive flood, taking properties and sadly lives.”
He also informed the parents that if they had not been contacted, their daughters had been counted safely.
“That does not mean that [las niñas desaparecidas] They have been lost. They could be incommunicado, ”Patrick explained.
The authorities affirm that search and rescue operations, which involve helicopters, drones and boats, will continue until they are reasoned.
The camp said they have no energy, water or wi-fi, adding that “the road was razed, so we have difficulties receiving more help.”
On Friday morning, sudden floods in the state generated disaster statements for the regions of Hill Country and the Concho Valley.
The highest Kerr County official, Judge Rob Kelly, was questioned at a press conference of why the camps along the Guadalupe River were not evacuated in advance.
“We didn’t know that this flood came. They have the security, nobody knew that this type of flood came,” Kelly said.
He explained that “we do not have an alert system” in the region. Kelly added that what happened on Friday exceeded the floods of 1987, which claimed the life of 10 teenagers who were on a bus of a religious camp near the town of Comfort, south of Kerr County.
According to CBS, the BBC associated chain in the US, the Texas emergency management division had multiple meetings on Thursday to prepare, but officials pointed out that the National Meteorological Service “did not predict the amount of rain we saw.”
The original forecasts indicated up to 20cm of rain.
The authorities said they were still worried over time, warning that “if they do not live in the area, they do not come.”
The Texas County Sheriff’s office advised residents near the streams and the Guadalupe River to move to higher lands.
Meanwhile, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz said that President Trump had “committed to giving everything Texas needs.”
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