The search for those swept into deadly floods in central Texas continued Sunday as the death toll climbed to 82.
At least 68 people, including 28 children, died in Kerr County, Texas, after the area saw nearly a foot of rain Friday. Ten children and a counselor at an all-girls Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic, located along the Guadalupe River, remain missing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said.
Additional deaths were also reported in Burnet, Kendall, and Travis counties.
“The work continues, and will continue, until everyone is found,” Leitha added.
Floodwaters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, uprooting trees and sending a cascade of cars and other debris through the area.
Officials reiterated that the effort remains a search and rescue mission, not a recovery effort. An incident commander for the Cajun Navy, a volunteer disaster relief group, said people from over six states were aiding.
Flash flood warnings remain in place in the Texas Hill Country, with the area expected to see more heavy rain Sunday.
On Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the region and sent out a series of flash flood warnings early Friday. It predicted 2 to 6 inches of rain, though the area ended up seeing 10 inches.
Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours after the flooding began.
At Camp Mystic, families were permitted to look around the camp on Sunday morning for those still missing.
President Donald Trump said his administration was working with local officials to respond to the devastation and signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday.
TEXAS SUMMER CAMP GIRLS REMAIN UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER DEVASTATING FLOODS, OFFICIALS SAY
“I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need. These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform.
Former President George W. Bush, who also served as governor of Texas, said in a statement, “Laura and I are holding up our fellow Texans who are hurting. We are heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling.” Laura Bush worked as a counselor at Camp Mystic.
