FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The tragic toll from the Texas floods has risen sharply. Authorities have confirmed that the death toll has risen to 32, including 14 children. Eight of the victims, five adults and three children, remain unidentified. The search continues as officials warn that the toll could rise again, due to the high number of missing people.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that more than 850 people have been rescued so far by emergency crews. He said many of them were found in extreme situations, clinging to trees for their lives, as flooding swept through areas along the Guadalupe River.
Meanwhile, the summer camp for girls “Camp Mystic” remains the epicenter of the tragedy, as dozens of girls aged 7 to 17 are still missing. One of the rivers near the camp has risen by 22 feet (about 7 meters) in just 2 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, a gauging station in the area failed after registering a level of 29.5 feet, leaving the rest of the flood beyond measurable control.
Texas authorities have faced strong criticism for their handling of the situation and for the lack of evacuations, especially at the girls' camp. While local emergency managers defended themselves by saying the rainfall was "much more extreme than forecast", the weather company AccuWeather said that warnings of dangerous flooding had been issued hours before the tragedy.
"Under such conditions, local authorities should have had ample time to evacuate camps like Camp Mystic and save lives," said a statement from AccuWeather, which also noted that the Texas Hill Country is among the most vulnerable areas to flash flooding in the US due to rugged terrain and numerous water crossings.
On the other hand, the head of the Texas Emergency Management Agency, Nim Kidd, said that "no forecast showed the extreme amount of rainfall we saw," defending the state's actions so far.
As bodies continue to be recovered and the list of missing remains long, the local community and relatives of the children at the camp are grappling with grief, anxiety and anger over a tragedy that many believe could have been avoided. The situation in Texas remains critical, with weather forecasts calling for more rain in the coming hours.
Lini një Përgjigje