3 people are still missing from deadly July 4 floods in Texas county, down from nearly 100

KERRVILLE Texas AP Bureaucrats in a Texas hill country district pummeled by deadly flooding July noted Saturday that just three people remain missing down from nearly after people who had previously been announced missing have since been accounted for The reduction in the number of people on the missing list came as the search for casualties entered its third week It was a essential drop from the more than people leaders previously mentioned were unaccounted for in Kerr County alone This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations careful investigative work and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably challenging time Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice in a declaration The death toll in Kerr County held steady for much of this week even as the intensive search continued The Flash floods killed at least people in Texas over the holiday weekend with the bulk deaths along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County about miles kilometers northwest of San Antonio Just before daybreak on July the destructive fast-moving waters rose feet meters on the Guadalupe washing away homes and vehicles The floods laid waste to the Hill Country a popular tourist destination where campers seek out spots along the river amid the rolling landscape It is naturally prone to flash flooding because its dry dirt-packed soil cannot soak up heavy rain Vacation cabins youth camps campgrounds fill the riverbanks and hills of Kerr County including Camp Mystic a century-old Christian summer camp for girls Located in a low-lying area of a region known as flash flood alley Camp Mystic lost at least campers and counselors The flooding was far more severe than the -year event envisioned by the Federal Exigency Management Agency experts announced and it moved so hurriedly in the middle of the night that it caught various off guard in a county that lacked a warning system In Kerrville about miles kilometers west of Austin local personnel have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising waters President Donald Trump and Texas Gov Greg Abbott have pushed back aggressively against questions about how well local government responded to forecasts of heavy rain and the first reports of flash flooding Crews have been searching for casualties using helicopters boats and drones Earlier efforts were hampered by rain forecasts leading specific crews to hold off or stop because of worries about more flooding Source