Texas floods: Texas hit with another round of heavy rain; ‘code red’ issued in Kerr County

Texas was hit by another round of heavy rain on Sunday, just nine days after devastating flash floods claimed over 120 lives in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the state’s history, Kerr and Gillespie Counties were hit with a “life-threatening” flash flooding on Sunday with rainfall rates projected to reach 1 to 2 inches per hour.The Sheriff's office of Kerr County had issued a “code red” urging that it "is not an evacuation but a preparation notification. Be prepared to evacuate along the Guadalupe River due to bad weather and flooding,” to the population of 50,000 in the county.Kerr County was the most severely affected area as the Guadalupe River rose 20 feet in just 90 minutes during the early hours of July 4, claiming the lives of 27 counselors and children at a Christian summer camp, as reported by the New York Post.Search operations were put to a halt as heavy rains lashed Texas. In Kerrville, where local officials have faced criticism for failing to properly warn residents about the rising water in the early hours of July 4, authorities went door-to-door after midnight early Sunday to notify some homes of potential flooding. Phone alerts were also sent out to residents in the area, as reported by AP.The flood warning is effective till 7 pm (local time) on Sunday.

Ingram fire department officials ordered crews to immediately clear out the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County as search efforts were paused, warning of potential flash floods.“We will provide more information soon but for now, all search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice,” the police department of Kerrville stated on Sunday.Brian Lochte, agency spokesman said that the search efforts would continue on Monday morning by the Ingram Fire Department.Texas governor Greg Abbott posted on X on Sunday that, “Texas Task Force One and Texas Parks & Wildlife are making swift water rescues in Lampasas County. We continue to monitor all counties with a focus on saving lives.”Governor Abbott announced that the state has broadened its rescue operations, launched last week in Kerr County, to now include San Saba, Lampasas, and Schleicher counties, with evacuations underway in Lampasas, Menard, Kimble, and Sutton counties.The most recent wave of flooding damaged around 100 homes and destroyed extensive stretches of cattle fencing, according to Ashley Johnson, CEO of the San Saba-based nonprofit Hill Country Community Action Association, as reported by AP.“Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,” said Johnson. “Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.”“Everyone is just doing what they can to help their neighbors,” she added.Forecasters cautioned that the Guadalupe river could swell to nearly 15 feet (4.6 metres) by Sunday afternoon, approximately five feet above the flood stage, potentially submerging the Highway 39 bridge in Hunt, a small town where camp mystic is located.“Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,” said a weather service warning.