Texas flooding live: Heavy rain forecast as search goes on for missing girls and dozens more

Devastating flash floods which hit the US state of Texas on Friday have killed at least 82, with dozens still missing, including 10 girls from a Christian summer camp. An "American hero" has been hailed for saving 165 people, with more heavy rain forecast today.

Texas flooding live: Heavy rain forecast as search goes on for missing girls and dozens more

Moment house swept away by floods

Homes have been washed out and vehicles swept away by the flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas.

The scenes of destruction continue for miles, with dozens of people still unaccounted for.

  

Where have people died?

The number of people killed in the floods currently stands at 82, but officials have warned this figure is likely to rise as rescuers work to recover bodies.

Most of the deaths so far have been in Kerr County, where at least 27 people died at Camp Mystic.

Here are the deaths per county:

Kerr: 68

Williamson: 1

Burnet: 4

Tom Green: 1

Travis County: 6

Kendall: 2

 

Coast Guard rescue swimmer hailed as 'American hero' for helping to save 165 people

A US Coast Guard rescue swimmer has been hailed as a hero for helping to save 165 people from flooding in Texas, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official.

Scott Ruskan was among the Coast Guard members deployed after Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration yesterday.

He was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, the girls' summer camp that saw some of the worst of the flooding.

"He is an American hero whose selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the USCG," DHS said.

It was the first rescue mission of Ruskan's career, DHS boss Kristi Noem said in a post on X, as she also hailed the 26-year-old as "an American hero".

She said Ruskan "directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas".

Speaking to the New York Post, Ruskan played down his efforts.

"Honestly, I'm mostly just a dude. I'm just doing a job," he said.

"This is what I signed up for, and I think that any single Coast Guard rescue swimmer or any single Coast Guard pilot, flight mechanic, whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation."

 

What has Trump said?

Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration yesterday for Kerr County, calling the flash flooding in Texas "absolutely horrible".

The US president said the declaration would ensure first responders "immediately have the resources they need".

He said Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, would continue to be in Texas, adding he would "probably" visit on Friday.

"We want to leave a little time," he told reporters. "I would have done it today, but we would just be in their way, probably Friday."

'Nobody expected it'

The Trump administration has come in for scrutiny for its recent cuts to the National Weather Service, with some 600 employees laid off by the start of June.

Some Texas officials complained that NWS forecasts underestimated the rainfall on Friday, suggesting Trump's cuts were partially to blame. A White House spokesperson said the accusations were "disgusting".

Speaking to reporters in New Jersey, Trump was asked if he was investigating whether cuts to the federal government left key vacancies at the NWS or in emergency coordination. 

"They didn't," he said. "This was the thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it; nobody saw it. Very talented people are there, and they didn't see it."

Trump was also asked whether he was still planning to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and said it was "something we can talk about later". 

 

Where did flooding start?

As much as 10ins (25cm) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County on Friday, causing the banks of the Guadalupe River to burst at around 4am local time.

Texans' homes and vehicles were swept away by the downpour - equivalent to months' worth of rain.

It appears that moisture from the remnants of tropical storm Barry, which affected southeast Mexico, aided the storms over Texas, leading to the significant flooding.

They lingered over the area, with the National Weather Service reporting 10-15 inches of rain fell in some spots.

The Guadalupe River at Comfort, downstream of Kerrville, rose extremely quickly - with data suggesting it rose by over 26 feet in around 45 minutes.

 

Flood watch to stay in place for central Texas

As we've mentioned, the National Weather Service has kept flood warnings in place across central Texas due to more heavy rain forecast.

The warnings, which include rainfall of between two and four inches, rising up to 10 inches in some locations, are in place until 7pm local time (1am UK time) for San Antonio, Austin and the devastated Kerr County.

The NWS said it was "difficult to pinpoint exact locations where isolated heavier amounts will occur".

It said that an "uptick in coverage and intensity of scattered showers and storms" is possible overnight near the route of Interstate 35, a major north-south highway that runs through Texas.

 

The victims and people missing named so far

Details of those who have died and those who are missing after US flash floods are slowly emerging - with several young girls among those unaccounted for.

Tributes to those who died, and appeals for those who are still missing, are now being shared.

Among those killed are girls as young as eight who were at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls along the Guadalupe River.

-SKY NEWS