At least 32 people died and dozens, including teenagers participating in a summer camp, went missing due to a flash flood that occurred on the 4th (local time) in the Hill Country of central Texas, USA. As the damage increased, criticism of the authorities' warning system and inadequate initial response has been growing.
According to local authorities, the Hill Country region received 25 cm of rain, equivalent to several months' worth of rainfall, in just a few hours, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow. As a result, camps and homes were inundated, and rescue requests flooded in from across the area.
The location with the most fatalities was the Christian youth camp 'Camp Mystic,' situated by the river. Here, 27 female students went missing, and some were rescued by helicopter. Rescue authorities reported that by the 5th, they had rescued or recovered 850 individuals.
Residents who escaped the scene pointed out the lack of a prior warning system. Christopher Flowers (44), who was staying at a friend's house near the Guadalupe River, said, "I woke up to find water in my room up to my ankles," adding, "Only then did my phone start sounding an alarm." He claimed that if there had been real-time evacuation broadcasts like tornado warnings, damage could have been minimized.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a weather warning, forecasting up to 17.8 cm of rainfall starting in the afternoon of the 3rd, and sent messages early on the 4th advising residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate to higher ground. However, many local residents stated that they did not receive the alert or did not recognize the actual danger, leading to delayed responses.
The local government's complacent response is also a topic of controversy. Rob Kelly, the elected administrative officer of Kerr County, clarified, "While we expected heavy rains, we didn’t anticipate it would be this severe." He mentioned that he had pursued the implementation of a siren warning system, similar to tornado responses, but it was abandoned due to budget issues.
Meanwhile, Kristi Noem, who returned as the Minister of Homeland Security in the Biden administration, stated, "Accurate rainfall forecasts remain challenging," and emphasized that enhancing weather forecasting technology would be a top priority.
Weather information company AccuWeather representative Jonathan Porter noted, "Flash floods can occur at any time, regardless of weather conditions," adding that a system allowing all residents and institutions to immediately execute emergency alerts is necessary.
According to the National Weather Service, staffing was increased to five overnight on the day of the flood, but additional investigations are being conducted on the accuracy of alerts issued by region and the placement of response personnel.
국립기상청에 따르면 홍수 발생 당일 밤샘 인력을 5명까지 늘려 운영했지만, 지역별 경보 송출의 정확성과 대응 인력 배치에 대해서는 추가 조사가 이뤄지고 있다.