Texas flood update: 109 dead, 161 missing

The death toll from the flood in central Texas has increased to 109, with another 161 still missing as of late Tuesday, said Texas Governor Greg Abbott at an afternoon news conference.

The flood began in the early morning on Friday when the Guadalupe River overflowed, unleashing a torrent of water that swept away people as well as cabins, RVs and cars.

Volunteers and first responders, some from out-of-state and even Mexico, continued their search for bodies in the Hill Country. The hope to find survivors dimmed considerably as the disaster dragged into its fifth day.

TV footage from The New York Times showed a body covered in an unknown black material being lifted out of the water. The NYT reporter onsite said the rescuers had begun to rely on smell to find bodies and the scene was "grim".

Abbott was touring the Hill Country on Tuesday. He vowed the search would not to stop until every last person was found.

He said that issues surrounding disaster response will be addressed in a special state legislative session that will begin in less than two weeks. A siren system will be in place in this region before next summer.

"We will address every aspect of the storm. We are going to install the system that is needed to prevent deadly flood events like this in the future," Abbott said.

In the regular legislative session that ended a month before the flood, state lawmakers voted against a measure, HB 13, that aimed exactly for that.

It proposed to create a new government council to establish an emergency response plan and administer a grant program. The bill included "emergency alert systems" such as "the use of outdoor warning sirens".

When asked who's to blame for the disaster, Abbott responded: "Know this: that's the words of the losers.

"The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame," Abbott said. "The championship teams are the ones that say, 'Don't worry about it, man, we got this.'"

"The way winners talk is not to point fingers, they talk about solutions. What Texas is all about is solutions," he continued.

The searchers said they have been dealing with prank calls, false tips and rugged terrain along a roughly 60-mile stretch of river. Abbott warned that the state will go after those who placed prank calls.

Damage from the flood is estimated to be $18 billion to $22 billion in destruction and economic losses. The current death toll is the second highest for the region, behind the 1921 flood in San Antonio that killed 215 people. It could turn out to be the most deadly as the search continues.

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com