Search-and-rescue efforts continue in the hill country of Texas where 68 people are dead and more are missing after a catastrophic flash flood July 4.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said in a press conference this afternoon (July 6) that 40 adults and 28 children are confirmed dead. Ten campers and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, which was hit hard after 15 inches of rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise to record levels and sweep through the nondenominational Christian girls camp.
Leitha said local responders have all the resources, manpower, equipment and food they need to continue the effort.
‘Even in the valleys, God is here’
Marc Hooks, a correspondent with The Baptist Paper and The Alabama Baptist newspaper, is on site reporting from the affected areas and said in his mid-afternoon report that the general outlook near the river has been “dismal.”
But “even in the valleys, God is here,” he said, noting that local churches gathered this morning to lift up their neighbors and continue to work to minister to those affected.
One local church leader said, “Today we are not Baptist, Catholics, Methodists, or Presbyterians … today we are all followers of Jesus, and today we are His church reaching out to our community.”
Hooks asked for continued prayer for the area. “There is a lot left to be done,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — We removed the original story that we posted with this photo earlier this afternoon (July 6) because it turned out to be an incorrect report even though it had been reported as confirmed by multiple news sources and even some first responders from the area. We’re continuing to monitor the situation and working hard to supply correct information.
