Over 160 people still missing from Texas floods as notification systems are under spotlight. Here's the latest
Authorities report that at least 121 people have died across Texas due to flooding last Friday.
As the urgent search of at least 160 missing people continues in the aftermath of the devastating flooding in central Texas, concerns are growing over the systems meant to notify residents in emergency situations.
Authorities report that at least 121 people have died across Texas due to flooding last Friday.
Here are the latest headlines from today:
Special session: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation setting the agenda for a special session of the Texas Legislature later this month, with flood response and preparation items high on the list. Flood warning systems, emergency communications and relief funding for flood victims are among the topics that will be discussed during the session, which begins July 21.
Call for warning sirens: An online petition calling for warning sirens to be installed in Kerr County, Texas, where flash flooding killed at least 96 people, has reached nearly 40,000 signatures.
Paul Bettencourt, a Republican Texas state senator who represents the Houston area, said he plans to introduce legislation that would allow the state to install emergency sirens in local counties.
A kickoff meeting to set up a centralized flood-monitoring system or the Upper Guadalupe River Authority was set to happen in mid-July, according to officials, as reports emerge that some local leaders had warned for years of the need for more flood warning mechanisms.
Previous efforts: In recent years, multiple efforts in Kerr County to build a more substantial flood warning system have failed or been abandoned due to budget concerns or noise complaints. County officials and the river authority applied for $980,000 in FEMA funds to build a new warning system in 2017 but were denied, public records show.
See what areas flooded on the Guadalupe River
The stretch of Guadalupe River between Hunt and Comfort, Texas, saw widespread flooding over the Fourth of July weekend. Every blue-shaded pixel had flooding, but the analysis does not attempt to quantify how bad or deep the flooding was.
Community response and rescue: Sgt. Jonathan Lamb, Kerrville’s community services officer, said in a brief news conference that the community is grateful for volunteer offers to help but noted their basic needs are already being met.
“In the short term, I believe that all of our basic needs are being met, both through the federal and state response and the support that we’ve been getting, as well as this community rising up in a really unprecedented way to show their support for all of us here.”
Remembering victims: Artist Roberto Marquez is in Kerrville with the intention of creating as many crosses as lives lost in the flooding. He said he hoped the families of those lost in the flood will come to the memorial he creates to pay their respects. In his experience, the site of his work starts informally, “but then becomes like a temple,” he said. “Eventually, all of this makes a big difference.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requests federal disaster assistance for more counties
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to request additional counties be added to President Donald Trump’s major disaster declaration following the flooding in central Texas.
“Five counties – Burnet, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis, and Williamson – are requested to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance programs, and four counties – Kendall, Kimble, Menard, and San Saba – are requested to be eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program,” the governor’s office said in a statement today.
On Sunday, Trump approved the governor’s request for a major disaster declaration for Kerr County. The approval allows qualifying Texans who sustained damage to apply for grant funding to assist with repair and recovery expenses.
The owner of a drone company lends time to search for people missing in the Texas flooding
Drones are one of several tools search and rescue teams are using in their relentless pursuit to find survivors affected by the devastating flooding in Texas.
Jordy Marks, owner of LA Drone Services, was using a drone Wednesday to search above the Guadalupe River.
He told CNN’s Isabel Rosales that though his drones are equipped with high resolution cameras and thermal imaging, the latter might not be so useful in their search so many days since a massive storm brought severe flooding to Center Point, Texas.
Marks, who is also a volunteer with the United Cajun Navy and a veteran with search and rescue experience, said he is searching for “anything that stands out.”
“The current was so strong,” Marks said of the swollen river amid the flooding. “I think it took people and put them underneath the debris.”
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Question: Isn't FEMA dismantled?