1 of 3 | Texas A&M Forest Service crew members clear debris Tuesday after severe flooding in Central Texas. Photo by S. Turner/Texas A&M Forest Service
The number of people known to be missing in Central Texas flooding last week has risen dramatically to 173 people, Governor Greg Abbott revealed Tuesday.
The vast majority of those unaccounted for — 161 — were missing from Kerr County, while 12 people were missing from other counties. Kerr County was hardest hit by the flash flooding early Friday, which overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, a popular recreation site in the region.
There have been 108 confirmed deaths in the flooding, including 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic. Abbott said five campers and one counselor were among those listed as missing.
“There are far more fatalities than there were in Hurricane Harvey. That’s how catastrophic this is,” Abbott said during a news conference in Hunt.
More than 100 people died in the 2017 hurricane that impacted Texas, Louisiana and the Caribbean.
Abbott said the dramatic increase in the number of missing came about as officials made greater efforts to reach out to the community.
“Know this: We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,” Abbott said. “Know this also, there are very likely to be more added to that list.”
The governor took issue with questions from the media about the timeliness of warnings about the impending flood, saying instead he’d like to talk about solutions. When asked who was to blame for the lack of warnings, he responded: “That is the word choice of losers.”
“Every football team makes mistakes,” Abbott added. “The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who is to blame.”
Also Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a 90-day pause on foreclosures on Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages for single-family homes. President Donald Trump declared a major disaster area for Kerr County, which has more than 900 FHA-insured mortgages.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the department would “provide resources and support” for Texas’ Hill Country.
“Our hearts break as we witness the catastrophe unfolding in Texas,” he said. “The flash floods have claimed the lives of more than 100 Americans and displaced countless others.”
