A total of 161 people remain missing after floods ravaged parts of Texas over the weekend, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced during an update Tuesday, July 8. “The primary job right now continues to be locating everybody who is affected by this flood,” Abbott said. “There still remain those who are missing. We have to find every single person who’s missing.”
Death toll surpasses Hurricane Harvey
Officials have confirmed that 109 people have died across the Lone Star State as a result of the July 4 floods. Abbott said the number of fatalities has now surpassed those from Hurricane Harvey.
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Among the dead are at least 30 children, the executive director of Camp Mystic, a professor from the University of Texas at San Antonio and two young friends from Dallas, KVUE News reports. Additionally, six of those deaths occurred in Kendall County, a neighboring area severely impacted by the rising Guadalupe River last Friday.
Grief counseling resources deployed
The governor noted that at least five organizations are providing grief counselors to support those who have lost loved ones.
“It’s so important at times like this for family members to access that grief counseling so they can have their mental and emotional health needs addressed and what may be the most challenging time of their lives,” Abbott said.
Camp Mystic tragedy and presidential response
Abbott confirmed five campers and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls private Christian summer camp. He also shared that he spoke to President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning.
“He could not stop talking about how sad he was for all the little girls who’ve lost their life,” the governor said. “He recounted his own understanding of what happened with what was really a tsunami wave, a wall of water that swept too many of them away. And he cares a lot about those young ladies. And he wants to step up and make sure that any need that we have here in Texas is going to be met very quickly.”
State agencies at full capacity
Officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety said they are using every available resource to help locate missing people. To report a missing person, email authorities at kerrvillemissing@dps.texas.gov and provide photos and a description of the person.
