(The Center Square) – The latest death count from the July 4 flash flood event in Texas is up to 129 with more than 170 people still missing.
Sunday morning recovering efforts were suspended in Kerr County due to heavy rainfall and a new flash flood warning issued for several areas in the Hill Country in Flash Flood Alley.
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The majority of the confirmed dead are in Kerr County, 103, including 36 children. The death count in Travis County has increased to nine, four are still reported missing. Lake Travis remains closed due to ongoing safety concerns.
Kendall County has reported eight confirmed deaths; Burnet County has confirmed 5 deaths; its volunteer fire chief, Mike Phillips, is still missing. Three are confirmed dead, one missing in Williamson County; one is confirmed dead in Tom Green County, local authorities report.
After failing to issue a flash flood warning or evacuation order prior to the July 4 flash flood event, Kerrville city officials issued a flash flood warning on Sunday and halted recovery efforts as rainfall began again.
At 7:49 a.m., the Kerrville Police Department announced, “Ground search operations are suspended at this time to flood danger. We will provide more information soon but for now, all search crews need to evacuate the river corridor until further notice. Any volunteer search parties in the Guadalupe River corridor need to heed this warning. The potential for a flash flood is high.”
By 8:59 am, the city of Kerrville issued a flash flood warning through 11:30 am, stating, “This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”
The city also issued an emergency alert stating, “There is a high probability of the Guadalupe River at Hunt reaching flood state today. All persons, equipment and vehicles should be removed from the river immediately.”
It also published a National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio Radar update showing heavy rainfall was occurring in Llano, Kerr and Gillespie counties, with a possible rainfall rate of two to four inches an hour.
The NWS Austin-San Antonio also issued a series of flash flood warnings for Buchanan Dam, Lake Village, Valley Spring, Bertram, Briggs and Watson, all in Flash Flood Alley. The warnings include maps and instructions for residents to move to higher ground and not to walk or drive in flood waters.
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The NWS Weather Prediction Center also issued a warning with a map of the affected area, stating, “The flash flood risk continues this morning across portions of the Texas Hill Country. The extent and magnitude of the event has lowered from what occurred last night into the early morning hours, however some additional flash flood impacts are likely … and localized significant impacts remain possible.”
More than 12,000 people are volunteering in Hill Country recovering efforts, state authorities said on Friday. Emergency personnel from 13 states have been on the ground searching for the missing, including multiple K9 cadaver dog units; that number has increased to 19, authorities said.