Nine children at summer camp among 37 dead as flash flooding devastates Texas

At 1.14am local time, the US National Weather Service posted an urgent warning of life-threatening flash flooding from thunderstorms in the area. The predictions were of between 3in and 6in of rain.

But in the ensuing deluge, the south fork of Guadalupe River in Kerr County surged 8 metres (26ft) in just 45 minutes. At least 37 people were killed in the flash floods, according to officials, and more than 20 children are missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls on the banks of the river.

The camp is nestled among cypress and pecan trees on gently rolling land in an area known as “flash flood alley”. The waters tore across the site, with the steep topography in the upper reaches of the river contributing to the powerful flood surges. Across the county, the floods swept away vehicles, downed power lines and washed away mobile homes

Elinor Lester, 13, described how she was awoken in her cabin at Camp Mystic at about 1.30am by thunder and water pelting the windows.

She was among the older children staying in stone-built accommodation located on elevated ground known as Senior Hill. The younger children were potentially more vulnerable, housed in 13 cabins on lower ground, known as “the flats”.

Some of the children roused from their beds sought refuge on the higher ground. Many are still unaccounted for, with desperate parents posting pictures on social media of their missing children.

When rescuers arrived, Lester said they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping up around their calves and knees. She said the cabins on the flats were the first to flood.

“The camp was completely destroyed,” Lester told the Associated Press. “It was really scary. Everyone I know personally is accounted for, but there are people missing that I know of and we don’t know where they are.” Lester was evacuated with her cabin mates by helicopter.

“We have suffered catastrophic level floods,” said an email sent to parents by Camp Mystic. “We have no power, water or wifi. All campers on Senior Hill are accounted for. We are working with search and rescue. Please continue to pray.”

At another site, Camp La Junta, two brothers, Piers and Ruffin Boyett, recounted how they escaped from their cabin in the early hours of the morning from the rising floods. The flood started getting bigger,” Piers said. “We have bunk beds in our cabin, and it was going to the top bunk. We had one choice, and we had to swim out of our cabins.” All children at the camp are accounted for, officials said.

At least 14 helicopters, 12 drones and more than 500 people were involved in the rescue operation on Friday, with some children rescued from trees. Officials said 237 people had been rescued or evacuated by late Friday evening. The National Weather Service predicted up to five inches 5in of more rain in the area on Saturday.

Officials have been challenged on why more urgent action was not taken in the early hours of Friday morning after the weather warnings. “We have floods all the time,” said Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official. “This is the most dangerous river valley in the US. We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what’s happened here. None whatsoever.”

Nim Kidd, the director of the Texas division of emergency management, said the weather forecast did not “predict the amount of rain we saw”. Officials say up to 12in of rain fell on the country, about double the amount predicted.

Larry Leitha, Kerr County sheriff, said at a press conference on Saturday that 27 people were confirmed dead from the flash floods, including nine children.

About 850 people have been rescued and another 27 are still missing from Camp Mystic, officials said. The flooding in the middle of the Fourth of July holiday, Independence Day in the US, caught residents, campers and officials by surprise.

Kerrville mayor Joe Herring said: “People need to know today will be a hard day.”

Photograph by AP