Storm came without warning and authorities did not have time to issue withdrawal alerts to the affected population
SAO PAULO, SP (Folhapress)-Throughout the Guadalupe River, in the American state of Texas, killed at least 13 people and left 20 students who participated in a missing summer camp on Friday (4), said US officials.
Kerr County, 105 kilometers away from the city of San Antonio, declared a state of emergency due to the rains. Dalton Rice, the County Administrator, said the storm came without warning and that the authorities did not have time to issue withdrawal alerts to the affected population.
“Not even the radar was able to predict what happened. It was in less than two hours,” Rice told the press. County sheriff Larry Leitha said the number of dead, which includes children, should still increase.
The State Government called on rescuers to look for the 20 missing students. She was part of a group of 700 children who participated in various summer camps near the Guadalupe River, which overflowed at dawn. The girls were at the Christian camp for Girls Camp Mystic.
The other children are out of danger, but remain island on the camp facilities, police said because the roads are inaccessible. Camp Mystic is without energy, water and internet signal.
The Guadualupe River rose eight meters in 45 minutes, local authorities said. Firefighters triggered hundreds of volunteers, 14 helicopters and a series of drone to look for island people.
The rains should remain intense in the coming days.
