Overview

• At least 108 people have died and roughly 161 remain missing after the Guadalupe River surged eight meters in under an hour on July 4
• Helicopters, drones and canine teams persist in search operations across Kerr County and neighboring areas despite fading chances of finding survivors
• President Trump declared a federal disaster for Kerr County and activated FEMA resources, deploying over 400 responders to bolster state and local efforts
• Local officials and residents criticize that emergency alerts issued after 1 a.m. went unheeded when many phones were switched off
• Lawmakers and scientists warn that cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service have weakened forecasting and that human-driven climate change intensifies extreme flooding