Texas flash floods

NBC News - The National Weather Service is warning more flash floods could hit central Texas.  The death toll rose to 81 across six counties as of 2 a.m ET. In Kerr County, officials reported 40 adults and 28 children had died. Officials said 10 children are still missing from Camp Mystic. The catastrophic flooding struck on Friday, causing a surge of 20 to 26 feet on the Guadalupe River near Kerrville and leading to widespread damage and washing out roads. As the flooding became a fight for survival, some residents clung to trees and meter boxes to stay alive.

Within hours of the deluge early Friday, some Texas officials were critical of the NWS, saying forecasts underestimated the rainfall. Yesterday, President Donald Trump rejected the idea of investigating whether NWS cuts had left key vacancies, and the White House said claims that NWS cuts had anything to do with the tragedy were “disgusting.”

Independent meteorologists and a former NWS official said warnings issued in the run-up to the flooding were about as timely and accurate as could be expected with the weather data available in real time. Predicting extreme rain and flash flooding beyond several hours is challenging, they said, and it is also not easy to ensure urgent warnings reach those most at risk. The meteorologists said they did not think understaffed offices were a primary factor in the tragic outcome, even though the NWS has leadership gaps after a rash of staffing cuts.  Follow live updates on the Texas floods here. 

NPR-  NPR’s Greg Allen tells Up First he spent time along the Guadalupe River yesterday, where he saw horrific scenes, including cars piled up in trees and mounds of rubble. Wendy Barker, who lives in Hunt, a community devastated by the flooding, says she wonders why she and others in the community never received any alerts. Barker says she woke up throughout the night, heard the rain, but never got any warnings on her phone about any flash flooding. The National Weather Service began warning of potential flooding on Wednesday, upgraded it on Thursday, and declared a deadly flash flood emergency after nearly a foot of rain fell. Local officials say the current focus is on recovery efforts and questions will be answered later. 

 Here’s a look at photos of how communities were impacted and a time-lapse video showing Texas’ Llano River flooding in just minutes.