Deadly flooding on Guadalupe River over years
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Texas Floods Death Toll Creeps up
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Multiple parts of Central Texas, including Kerr County, were shocked by flash floods Friday when the Guadalupe River and others rose rapidly.
More than 111 people have died across six counties after flash flooding from heavy rain began affecting the state last week.
The heavy rain that turned a river in Texas into a raging wall of water was fueled by unique atmospheric conditions, according to meteorologists and climate scientists.
As early as July 2, officials at the Texas Division of Emergency Management, or TDEM, were publishing news releases warning that “heavy rainfall with the potential to cause flash flooding is anticipated across West Texas and the Hill Country” and were preparing resources such as swift-water rescue boat squads.
Flash floods surged through in the middle of the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.
Texas lawmakers failed to pass a bill in the regular legislative session that would have improved local governments’ emergency communications infrastructure.
More than 100 people have been confirmed dead since July 4, when the Guadalupe River in central Texas swelled overnight and triggered flash floods that swept through an area known locally as “Flash Flood Alley.
3don MSN
A swift-moving flood that swept through the Hill Country of Texas on Friday, killing at least 79 people and leaving many more missing, was a flash flood.
Flash floods that hit central Texas devastated Hill Country during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, killing dozens of people.