Victims of the flash floods wrecking havoc on Central Texas are infuriated as local officials blame the National Weather Service (NWS) for failing to warn communities of the dire threat before it was too late.
At least 69 people – including 21 children – have been killed by the devastating floods that have been sweeping the Lone Star State since the early hours of the Fourth of July – when rapid rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to surge more than 30 feet above its normal level.
Rescue teams are frantically searching for 41 missing victims, including 11 girls and a counselor who were at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river in Kerr County, when tragedy struck.
As search, rescue and recover efforts are underway – with Donald Trump signing a ‘major disaster declaration’ to support first responders – local officials have accused the NWS of rolling out delayed warnings, especially in the Hill Country – dubbed ‘Flash Flood Alley’ – in Kerr County, where the devastation has been the greatest.
The federal agency issued a flood watch on Thursday