Les inondations ont eu lieu vers 4 heures du matin et ont fait au moins 50 morts au Texas, après des pluies torrentielles dans le sud des États-Unis, selon un nouveau bilan de l’AFP. Une trentaine d’enfants sont portés disparus après une crue soudaine du fleuve Guadalupe, au nord-ouest de San Antonio. Le président américain Donald Trump s’est dit «sous le choc» de ces «terribles inondations». Voici ce que l’on sait de la catastrophe dans cette région habituée à de tels événements.
Les inondations dans le comté de Kerr ont été soudaines, avec le niveau du fleuve Guadalupe montant de 8 mètres en 45 minutes, sous des pluies intenses. Des vidéos montrent des maisons et des arbres emportés par la crue.
Le gouverneur du Texas, Greg Abbott, a déclaré l’état de catastrophe naturelle et a demandé des ressources supplémentaires au gouvernement fédéral pour les opérations de recherche et de sauvetage. Les autorités ont retrouvé les corps d’au moins 50 personnes, dont 15 enfants, et ont évacué ou secouru plus de 850 personnes.
Une trentaine de fillettes sont toujours portées disparues après avoir participé à un camp d’été chrétien sur les rives du fleuve Guadalupe. Les opérations de secours se poursuivent avec l’aide de 500 secouristes et 14 hélicoptères déployés, ainsi que des renforts de la Garde nationale du Texas et des garde-côtes. In front of journalists, the latter read a message from the director of this private Christian summer camp stating that they had experienced «catastrophic flooding» and had «no electricity, water, or wifi.»
According to AFP journalists on site, desolation reigns inside the cabins that housed the girls, with the floor covered in mud and broken windows bearing witness to the violence of the flood.
As desperate searches continue, the mother of a 9-year-old girl told CNN that she had learned of her daughter’s death. Frantic parents have posted pictures of their missing children online, seeking information, while others have gone to crisis centers awaiting news of their missing loved ones, as reported by The New York Times.
Michael, 40, told AFP that he drove from Austin, the state capital about 150 km east, Friday morning as soon as he received the news via email, to search for his 8-year-old daughter, of whom he found some belongings. «We were in Kerrville all day yesterday in the crisis centers, and this morning when we heard there might be people here, my brother and I came in a truck as fast as we could to see if we could find anything,» he explained.
Rain is still expected in Kerr County
The situation is not yet calm. «We had trouble getting to the scene because of the weather,» explained the director of public safety for Texas, Freeman Martin. «The rain has eased, but we know another wave is coming,» he warned. The weather services have issued a flood warning for the central-south of Kerr County, advising residents to avoid any travel and those living near the Guadalupe River to move to higher ground. Precipitation is also expected in the San Antonio and Austin areas.
Flash floods, caused by heavy rains that the dry ground cannot absorb, are not uncommon. But according to some scientists, human-induced climate change has made weather events like floods, droughts, and heatwaves more frequent and intense.
These occurred around 4 a.m. Devastating floods have claimed at least 50 lives in Texas, following heavy rains in the southern United States, according to a new AFP tally from local authorities, Saturday evening, July 5. Thirty children are missing after the sudden rise of the Guadalupe River, northwest of San Antonio. President Donald Trump said he was «shocked» by these «terrible floods.» Here’s what we know about the disaster in this region accustomed to such phenomena.
The Guadalupe rose 8 m in 45 minutes
These floods in Kerr County occurred before dawn, around 4 a.m., and were particularly sudden. According to Texas authorities, the level of the Guadalupe River rose by about 8 m in 45 minutes during which it rained «nearly 300 mm/h,» a third of the county’s average annual precipitation. «We have floods all the time. It’s the most dangerous river valley in the United States,» noted a Kerr County official. But «we had no reason to believe it was going to be anything like what happened.» According to Kerrville city official Dalton Rice, in some areas the water reached «the level of a hundred-year flood.» «The forecasts were clearly wrong,» and the amount of rain was «double what was anticipated.»
Videos posted on social media show houses and trees swept away by the flood.
The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, shared a video on X showing the rescue of a person sheltered at the top of a tree by a rescuer suspended from a helicopter above turbulent waters.
«Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for,» declared Greg Abbott. He declared a state of natural disaster and requested additional resources from the federal government.
A toll that could still rise
Texas authorities have found the bodies of at least 50 people, including 15 children, announced Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha at a press conference. According to his remarks reported by CNN, he stressed that this toll was likely to evolve. Previous reports on Friday indicated 13 and then 24 deaths. «We are working tirelessly to find the people who are still missing and ensure they are safe,» he added. Authorities have evacuated or rescued more than 850 people, including at least eight who were injured. Les opérations de recherche et de sauvetage se sont poursuivies le vendredi soir jusqu’au samedi, avec l’utilisation d’équipements spécialisés tels que des hélicoptères pour détecter les sources de chaleur dans la zone inondée, selon Dalton Rice, directeur des services municipaux de Kerrville.
En tout, environ 500 secouristes et 14 hélicoptères ont été mobilisés, avec des renforts de la Garde nationale du Texas et des garde-côtes.
Une trentaine de fillettes sont portées disparues suite aux inondations qui ont touché un camp d’été chrétien pour filles sur les rives du fleuve Guadalupe. Le gouverneur adjoint du Texas, Dan Patrick, a souligné qu’il ne s’agit pas nécessairement de victimes, mais qu’elles pourraient être en sécurité quelque part sans moyen de communication.
Des parents sont affolés et cherchent des informations sur leurs enfants disparus, tandis que d’autres attendent des nouvelles dans des cellules de crise. La désolation règne dans les chalets où logeaient les fillettes, avec des sols boueux et des fenêtres brisées.
Les conditions météorologiques restent préoccupantes, avec des prévisions de pluie à venir dans le comté de Kerr. Les autorités appellent à la prudence et conseillent aux résidents de se rendre vers des zones en hauteur en cas d’inondations.
Les crues soudaines sont malheureusement fréquentes, aggravées par le changement climatique causé par l’activité humaine. Les scientifiques soulignent que ce phénomène rend les événements météorologiques extrêmes tels que les inondations plus fréquents et intenses.
En cette période de crise, les efforts de recherche et de sauvetage se poursuivent sans relâche pour retrouver les personnes disparues et assurer la sécurité des habitants affectés par ces inondations dévastatrices. The devastating floods in Texas have claimed at least 50 lives, according to a new report compiled by AFP from local authorities on Saturday night, July 5th. President Donald Trump expressed being «shocked» by the «terrible floods.» Here’s what we know about the disaster in this region accustomed to such phenomena.
The Guadalupe River rose by 8 meters in 45 minutes
The floods in Kerr County occurred around 4 am and were particularly sudden. The Guadalupe River rose by about 8 meters in 45 minutes, with nearly 300 mm/h of rainfall, equivalent to a third of the county’s annual average precipitation.
«We have floods all the time. It is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,» noted a Kerr County official. «But we had no reason to believe it was going to be something like what happened,» he added. According to Kerrville city official Dalton Rice, in some areas the water reached «a 100-year flood level.» «The forecasts were clearly wrong,» he said, and the amount of rain was «double what was anticipated.»
Videos on social media show houses and trees being swept away by the flood.
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, shared a video showing a rescue mission where a person was saved from a tree by a rescuer suspended from a helicopter above turbulent waters.
«Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for,» Abbott stated. He declared a state of natural disaster and requested additional resources from the federal government.
A toll that could still rise
Texas authorities have recovered the bodies of at least 50 people, including 15 children, as stated by Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha during a press conference. He emphasized that this toll was likely to increase. Previous reports on Friday mentioned 13 and then 24 deaths. «We are working tirelessly to find the people who are still missing and make sure they are safe,» he added.
Authorities have evacuated or rescued over 850 people, with at least eight injured. Search and rescue operations continued from Friday to Saturday evening with specialized equipment, including helicopters, to identify heat sources in the flooded area, explained Kerrville municipal services director Dalton Rice.
In total, about 500 rescue workers and 14 helicopters were deployed, with the Texas National Guard and Coast Guard sending reinforcements.
Thirty young girls are missing
According to authorities, 27 children were still missing, out of the approximately 750 girls attending a Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River. «This does not mean they are victims, they could be in a tree or without communication,» explained Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick during a press conference. Face aux journalistes, ce dernier a lu le message du directeur de ce camp d’été privé chrétien déclarant avoir été confronté à des inondations d’un niveau catastrophique et ne disposant ni d’électricité, ni d’eau, ni de wifi.
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