Video posted on social media by Governor Greg Abbott shows a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter aircrew rescuing a woman from a tree as the deadly flood waters of the Guadalupe River raged below. The overnight flash flooding has already claimed the lives of more than a dozen people, and at least 23 children are reported missing from a private Christian girls’ camp near Kerrville, Texas.
“Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock,” Governor Abbott posted. “We will not stop until everyone is accounted for.”
The video above shows a woman clinging to a tree as a DPS helicopter circles above the raging river. The rescue crewman is lowered into the tree and successfully retrieves the woman, carrying her to safety.
During a briefing by Acting Governor Dan Patrick (Governor Abbott is out of the state), officials said the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in less than 45 minutes as rain blanketed the Kerr County region Thursday night, KXAN reported from Austin. Governor Patrick confirmed that at least 20 children were missing from Camp Mystic. The private Christian camp for girls is located along the river in Hunt, Texas, about 18 miles northwest of Kerrville. In Texas, the state’s lieutenant governor performs the duties of the governor, especially during times of emergency in the governor’s absence.
The camp had about 750 people in attendance as the river rose. The acting governor said the missing girls could be caught in tries (like the dramatic rescue captured in the video above). Camp Mystic officials notified all of the parents of the missing girls.
Additional flooding is reported along the Llano River near Mason, Texas. Flood waters are currently about two feet above “major flooding,” KXAN reported.
WOAI in San Antonio reports at least 13 people are confirmed dead in the flooding around Kerr County.
Fox 7 reporter Rudy Koski posted photos showing the dramatic rescue of a young man who had been swept away from an RV park near Kerrville. Rescue workers found the man wrapped in wire and buried in a pile of debris. He suffered a broken leg.
“I am working in coordination with the state’s emergency response team on the significant flooding that occurred in the Hill Country and Concho Valley regions in the early hours of this morning,” Patrick wrote in a statement on Friday. “The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office has reported catastrophic flooding in the area, with several people missing and confirmed loss of life. Additional rain is forecast in those areas. Even if the rain is light, more flooding can occur in those areas. There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours in addition to the continued risks in west and central Texas.”
The Texan News journalist Matt Stringer reports DPS officials labeled the flood event as a “mass casualty scene.”
Governor Abbott deployed the Texas National Guard in advance of the storms to assist with predicted flooding.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a developing story and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
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