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Torrential rains dumped up to 10 inches overnight in central Texas’s Kerr County, triggering flash floods that killed at least 13 people, with more fatalities expected.The Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes near Hunt, shattering 1987 flood records, as water swept away cars, stripped victims of clothing, and left bodies unidentified.Helicopters and boats rescued survivors clinging to trees, while over 20 people remained missing, including campers at riverside sites.Summer camp crisis as waters trap childrenChaos engulfed Camp Mystic, where 20 girls were unaccounted for after “catastrophic level floods” hit the 750-camper site.Fourteen helicopters and 12 drones scoured the area, plucking children and counselors from treetops after midnight floods caught them asleep.Though Camp Waldemar confirmed all campers safe, panicked parents flooded social media with photos, pleading: “Post names of rescued!” One mother desperately sought her daughter’s family, last seen in a Hunt cabin.Warnings ignored as river gauge drownsDespite a National Weather Service (NWS) flood watch issued Thursday, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly claimed “no warning system existed” and insisted “no one knew this flood was coming”, even as local reporters cited alerts.Meteorologist Bob Fogarty explained the Hunt river gauge failed after recording a 22-foot surge, noting: “You won’t recognize how bad it is until it’s on top of you”.Critics questioned why camps weren’t evacuated, given forecasts of “5-7 inches” and the region’s history as “America’s most dangerous river valley”.Multi-state toll as storms cancel July FourthBeyond Texas, violent storms killed three in New Jersey, including a 79-year-old and 25-year-old crushed by a falling tree on their car in Plainfield.Mayor Adrian Mapp canceled the city’s parade and fireworks, calling it a “sobering reminder of nature’s power”. In Connecticut, hail caused cars to skid off roads amid widespread power outages.Texas opened four emergency shelters in Kerrville while urging downstream communities like Comfort to evacuate immediately.
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