Houston-area residents are among those reported dead or missing in Central Texas, where flooding on Friday killed at least 24 people, officials said.
By Friday evening, at least 20 children from Camp Mystic — a Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country — were unaccounted for in the Kerr County floods that inundated the area on Independence Day.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a news release and social media post early Friday night it had been confirmed that at least five of those who died in the floods were from the Houston area. A subsequent statement emailed by a Hidalgo spokesperson shortly before 11 p.m., which was described as a “correction,” did not mention any local residents among the fatalities. A spokesperson for Hidalgo did not immediately respond to messages seeking clarity.
“The violent surge of flood waters is something we are all too familiar with,” Hidalgo said in her initial emailed statement. “I pray that emergency personnel are able to promptly find the young girls missing from Camp Mystic. Our Office of Emergency Management stands ready to support in any way needed.”
Just after 9 p.m. Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said the death toll from the Guadalupe River flooding had risen to 24. Search rescue efforts continued into the night.
The names of those who died in the flooding were not immediately released by state officials during a news conference late Friday. More than 230 people were rescued in the flood waters throughout the day. Emergency response officials urged people to avoid the area.
The state of Texas earlier in the day deployed hundreds of search and rescue personnel and more than a dozen helicopters into the region.
The missing girls from the summer camp included 9-year-old Greta Toranzo, a Houston ISD student, according to the Sinclair Elementary PTO. Camp Mystic is an all-girls camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, in the heart of an area known as Flash Flood Alley.
Several other people from the Houston area were among those missing, according to ABC13.
The Houston Fire Department on Friday assisted first responders in Kerr County with rescue efforts. Three HFD firefighters were deployed as part of the Texas A&M Task Force One. The fire department is expected to provide updates as they become available.
“The loss of life and damage to the communities in Central Texas is tragic,” Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz said. “As we so often see help from around the state come to Houston when we face floods, we are proud to be able to support others in their time of need.”
This is a developing story.
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