At least one person has died following severe flooding in central Texas, in the same region where deadly flash floods last summer claimed the lives of more than 130 people.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in San Antonio warned that “major and deadly” flooding from the Guadalupe River was expected after several days of heavy rainfall. The catastrophic floods last year also began along the same river.
Early Thursday morning, emergency authorities urged residents in affected areas to evacuate immediately.
More than 130 people were killed during last summer’s floods, including 25 children and two counselors at Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp near Kerrville, Texas, located along the river, according to reports.
In an afternoon update, Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed that at least one person had died in the latest flooding.
“We will do everything possible to save lives,” Abbott said in a statement posted on social media.
He added that around 80 people had been rescued so far and that the victim was not connected to any of the camps in the area.
Abbott warned that rapidly rising rivers were expected to continue swelling throughout the day.
The National Weather Service issued repeated emergency alerts, urging residents to move to safer locations.
“CATASTROPHIC FLOODING is occurring. Move immediately to higher ground! The Guadalupe River is rising rapidly and will continue to rise!” the NWS San Antonio warned on X.
According to The Texas Tribune, the Guadalupe River rose by 32 feet (around 9.75 meters) in just four hours. Flooding has affected several counties in southern Texas, including Uvalde, Kerr, and Kendall.
The same Texas Hill Country region was devastated by deadly floods during the Fourth of July holiday last year, when more than 130 people lost their lives.
At Camp Mystic, the tragedy occurred after the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (around 8 meters) in approximately 45 minutes, sweeping away 25 girls in the powerful floodwaters.
Camp Mystic announced it would not reopen this year and had previously filed for bankruptcy earlier in the summer.
