The China Mail - Youth camp confirms 27 dead as Texas flood toll passes 90

The United States was shocked at the disaster over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and forecasters warned of more flooding as rain falls on saturated ground.

"Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy," Camp Mystic said in a statement confirming the 27 deaths at the all-girls camp, located next to a river.

The White House on Monday put the overall number of dead from the flooding at 91, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz told reporters that the toll was continuing to rise.

"Texas is grieving right now -- the pain, the shock of what has transpired these last few days has broken the heart of our state," Cruz told reporters.

"The children, little girls, who were lost at Camp Mystic, that's every parent's nightmare."

Camps are a beloved tradition in the long US summer holidays, with children often staying in woods, parks and other rural areas.

Cruz described them as a chance to make "lifetime friends -- and then suddenly it turns to tragedy."

- Grim search -

President Donald Trump is planning to visit Texas on Friday, the White House said, as it slammed critics claiming his cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems.

"Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday.

She said the National Weather Service, which the New York Times reported had several key roles in Texas unfilled before the floods, issued "timely and precise forecasts and warnings."

Trump has described the floods in the early hours of Friday as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected."

The president, who previously said disaster relief should be handled at the state level, has signed a major disaster declaration, activating fresh federal funds and freeing up resources.

- 'Flash Flood Alley' -

Helicopters and boats were taking part in the grim search across an area popular with tourists as well as summer camps.

Camp Mystic was a Christian camp where about 750 people had been staying when the floodwaters struck.

In a terrifying display of nature's power, the rain-swollen waters of the Guadalupe River reached treetops and the roofs of cabins as girls at the camp slept.

Blankets, teddy bears and other belongings were caked in mud. Windows in the cabins were shattered, apparently by the force of the water.

Months' worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and rain has continued in bouts since then.

The Guadalupe surged around 26 feet (eight meters) -- more than a two-story building -- in just 45 minutes.

Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual in this region of south and central Texas, known colloquially as "Flash Flood Alley."

Human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heat waves more frequent and more intense in recent years.

L.Johnson--ThChM