After a weekend of catastrophic flooding in central Texas, search operations continue amid questions about whether authorities could have done more to warn people before the river’s rapid rise.
The Guadalupe River swelled more than 8 meters in less than an hour in the early hours of Friday morning, sweeping low-lying houses, cars, and trees downstream and destroying much of Camp Mystic, an exclusive Christian summer camp for girls.
At least 82 people have died and another 371 are confirmed missing, authorities said on Sunday. Emergency teams have rescued hundreds of people so far by boat, truck, and helicopter. But search efforts have been complicated by fallen debris, heat, snakes, and ongoing rains. Flash floods killed at least 11 people in the Austin area on Saturday, and a flood warning is in effect until Monday night in south-central Texas, including the troubled Kerrville area.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that the state is expanding its focus area for rescue efforts — citing lives lost “in the broader region” — but promised that Kerrville remains a top priority.
President Trump signed a federal disaster declaration on Sunday to aid these efforts and said he will visit the state this week. Here’s what else we know so far.
1. The death toll is expected to rise
The death toll in Kerr County, the hardest hit, includes 40 adults and 28 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday.
Camp Mystic, located on the banks of the Guadalupe River about 29 km from Kerrville, says it is mourning the loss of 27 campers and counselors. Separately, the camp director’s death was confirmed by her family.
The century-old institution housed about 750 campers, according to Texas Public Radio. It is unclear whether this death toll includes the 10 campers and one counselor that authorities said were missing as of Sunday.
Abbott said on Sunday that while a total of 41 people are reported missing, that number is likely much higher.
“Especially in the Kerrville area, there were so many people who were just camping … adults camping near the river, people in motorhomes and such,” he said. “There are people missing who are not on the confirmed missing list because we still don’t know who they are.”
Authorities have asked residents to alert local authorities if any of their loved ones may be missing in the Kerrville area — and to avoid dangerous road conditions so as not to interfere with rescue operations.
2. Search and rescue efforts continue
Authorities say more than 850 people have been rescued so far. The Texas Military Department said on Sunday that it rescued 520 individuals through 361 Black Hawk air evacuations and 159 ground rescues.
More than 400 rescuers from more than 20 agencies have assisted in search and rescue efforts in Kerr County. Local authorities said on Sunday there has been a “full response from local, state, and national rescuers,” with air, water, K9, and other assets involved.
3. Federal forecasters and Texas officials trade blame
Questions are mounting about whether a region nicknamed “Flash Flood Alley” should have prepared more for Friday’s deluge, such as by evacuating local summer camps.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice refused to answer those questions at a Sunday press conference, saying “the rain fell at the worst possible time and in the worst possible areas.”
Some Texas officials suggested that the National Weather Service (NWS) did not adequately alert them to the extent of the danger, which the federal agency denies.
According to NPR’s timeline, the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated emergency response resources as early as Wednesday. On Thursday, it posted on social media and notified local authorities about the risk of possible flooding.
Separately, the Austin/San Antonio NWS office issued a flood warning for several counties, which it upgraded to a flash flood warning shortly after midnight on Friday and expanded in the early morning hours.
At 4:06 a.m., with river levels rising rapidly, it warned of an ongoing “very dangerous flash flood event.” The official social media pages of the City 
of Kerrville Police and the Kerr County Sheriff did not post about the emergency until after 6 a.m.
Meteorologists told NPR that it is extremely difficult to predict what a complex weather system will do and then convince people to prepare for the worst-case scenario. Some critics questioned whether those efforts were further hampered by Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce, which cost the NWS nearly 600 employees earlier this year (some were rehired after backlash).
Trump denied this on Sunday. “I’d just say this is a 100-year catastrophe, and it’s just horrible to watch,” Trump said.
4. Trump says he will visit at the end of this week
Rice, the Kerrville city manager, said on Sunday that “local and regional partners are committed to a full review of the events and systems in place.”
But with all eyes on rescue and recovery operations, federal and state authorities say questions about what went wrong — and future preparedness plans — should be revisited later.
“We’re going to focus on finding those who can be found, and then we can always assess what we need to do going forward,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on Saturday.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he plans to visit Texas this week, “probably on Friday.”
“I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way,” he said.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told Morning Edition on Monday that it has been encouraging to see the level of support Kerr County is receiving from people around the world, including donations and volunteer sign-ups.
“But it’s going to take a long time for the community to recover there,” he said.
Texas Public Radio compiled this guide on how to find and get help in the area.
Source: npr.org by Rachel Treisman