Sunday, July 6

At least 51 people are dead and 27 girls are missing after devastating floods struck central Texas, inundating much of Kerr County as the Guadalupe River reached record levels.

The flooding was a result of extremely heavy rains across the region, but Kerr County, an area approximately two hours northwest of San Antonio, received the worst of the rainfall. While meteorologists predicted rain totals of between 4 and 8 inches, the entire county received around 10 inches of rain, with localized precipitation levels reaching as high as 18 inches. 43 deaths were reported in the county, 15 of which were children.

The Guadalupe River, which runs through the county and down towards the Gulf of Mexico, burst its banks, covering its banks with water levels 20-26 feet higher than usual. The river is surrounded by popular summer camps that house thousands of children at this time of year, many of which were flooded during the storms.

A Christian all-girls camp, Camp Mystic, was almost completely destroyed in the middle of the night, killing several children, and at least 27 girls are still missing.

However, authorities quickly responded to calls for help, and at least 850 people were rescued from the floods. Search-and-rescue operations are currently ongoing for the missing children, utilizing everything from helicopters to boats, and the death toll could still rise in the coming days as more bodies are uncovered.

Sadly, incidents like this will only become more severe and more frequent as climate change intensifies, warming the world and creating more extreme weather events in places unprepared for such conditions.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In Colorado, USA, there is still an active volcano, but it is considered dormant. The volcano, named Dotsero last erupted about the same time as the pyramids were being built in Egypt.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.

(Stephen Vincent Benet)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cantankerous (adj, kan-TANK-uh-rus) - A cantankerous person is often angry and annoyed, and a cantankerous animal or thing is difficult or irritating to deal with.

In a Sentence: Although the former postman was regarded by some townspeople as a scowling, cantankerous old coot, he was beloved by neighborhood children, to whom he would regularly hand out butterscotch candies from his front stoop with a twinkle in his eye.