People climb over debris Sunday on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the Ingram, Texas. More than 80 people, including 27 campers and counselors, are confirmed dead, and dozens more were still missing Monday.
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Flash floods over the Fourth of July weekend in central Texas have claimed the lives of at least 94 people. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as dozens of people, including children, are still unaccounted for.
Among those who died were 27 campers and counselors at an all-girls Christian summer camp.
The floods were largely so devastating because they grew their worst while many people were asleep in the middle of the long holiday weekend. Due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up makes the area more naturally prone to flash flooding.
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According to Associated Press, Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches of rain in the dark early morning hours.
The death toll is expected to rise, and the total number of missing is unknown, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that 41 people are confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state, and more could be missing.
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Damaged boats and debris litter the banks of the Guadalupe River near Cade Loop on Saturday in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)Crews work to clear debris from the Cade Loop bridge along the Guadalupe River on Saturday in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)Marissa Zachry takes a moment while searching for survivors along the Guadalupe River on Sunday in Hunt, Texas. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)Parishioner Lisa Reitz gets cans of food and other donations ready for distribution at the Hunt Baptist Church following extreme flooding along the Guadalupe River on Sunday in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)Volunteers search for missing people Sunday along the banks of the Guadalupe River after recent flooding in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez)A person removes bedding from sleeping quarters at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas, on Sunday fter a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Avi Santos, 23, of San Antonio, Texas, reacts while stopping Sunday on the road alongside at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas, after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)A sign for Camp Mystic is seen on a hill as a heavy-lift military helicopter flies by over the Guadalupe River Sunday after a flash flood swept through the area.. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)A Texas Department of Public Safety official inspects tree debris at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River Sunday after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Officials ride a boat near Hunt, Texas, Sunday as they arrive to assist with a recovery effort at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Officials ride an armored vehicle near Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, Sunday after a flash flood swept through the area (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Military personnel carry a camp trunk salvaged down river from Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River ain Hunt, Texas, Sunday fter a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Military personnel return a camp trunk salvaged from down river to Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, Sunday after a flash flood swept through the area (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Officials are seen Sunday in the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas, as they assist in recovery efforts after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)