The death toll in the devastating Fourth of July weekend floods which tore through Texas has risen to 111, but authorities fear that number could more than double in the coming days and weeks.
At least 173 people remain missing five days after a ’30-foot tsunami wall of water’ wiped out cabins along the Guadalupe River and destroyed everything in its path.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that number could continue to rise as efforts to track down unaccounted for people continue.
But hopes of finding survivors are rapidly fading as the hours go by and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the rescue mission is shifting to recovery.
Officials confirmed today the last ‘live rescue’ was carried out on Friday. In the four days since, they had only recovered bodies from the debris.
‘We will not stop until we identify, recover every single body,’ Abbott said on Tuesday afternoon.
One of the tragic stories to emerge from the floods on Tuesday was the death of 64-year-old Sherry Richardson.
Early Friday morning, her cabin along Little Creek River in Liberty Hill, Texas, was swept away by the rapid moving waters.
At least 173 people remain missing five days after a ’30-foot tsunami wall of water’ wiped out cabins along the Guadalupe River and destroyed everything in its path
One of the tragic stories to emerge from the floods on Tuesday was the death of 64-year-old Sherry Richardson
Her daughter Delilah Greenslet said Richardson phoned 911 as she tried to seek help during the crisis.
She reportedly spent 30 minutes on the phone to a first responder while climbing to the loft of her two-story cabin before the line finally cut out.
She was last known to be trying to get onto the roof of her cabin.
‘I just find it so hard to believe that we had no warning,’ Greenslet said. ‘We need some answers here in Texas.’
Authorities are still working to identify many of the bodies which have been recovered.
The victims include at least 30 children, many were little girls who were enjoying their summer at Camp Mystic – a century-old, Christian, all girls camp.
Some 27 campers and counselors tragically died when the cabins primarily housing eight to 10 year old girls were swept away before daybreak on Friday.
At least five girls and 19-year-old counselor Katherine Ferruzzo are still missing.
The victims include at least 30 children, many were little girls who were enjoying their summer at Camp Mystic – a century-old, Christian, all girls camp
Hopes of finding survivors are rapidly fading as the hours go by and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the rescue mission is shifting to recovery
‘The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody who was affected by this flood,’ Abbott said.
He said many of those who are not accounted for were staying in state’s Hill Country but did not register at a camp or hotel.
In the hardest hit Kerr County, 87 people have died and 161 remain missing, while seven bodies have been found in Travis and at least 10 remain missing.
Eight people have died in Kendall, and Burnet has suffered five fatalities, with one person still missing.
Williamson County has tragically lost three people, with one still missing, and at least one body has been located in Tom Green County.
Abbott also clarified that state officials were aware that flooding was a possibility over the Fourth of July weekend, adding that resources had been deployed to the area for two days before the storm hit.
‘We were ready with the resources on the ground to be able to quickly respond,’ he said, but ‘no one would know that that would be a 30-foot high tsunami wall of water.’
