Texas flooding: Gov. Abbott takes aerial tour surveying damage in Kerr County

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dustin Burrows took an aerial tour surveying damage that was left behind in Kerr County. 

The flight lasted nearly two hours. 

Surveying damage in Kerr County

The backstory:

During the aerial tour, the governor talked about the ongoing response along the Guadalupe River.

House Speaker Burrows joined Abbott on this aerial tour, along with the head of the Texas National Guard and Texas Division of Emergency Management director Chief Kidd.

Gov. Abbott said he is thankful for the assistance from the federal government early on with providing special response teams, and for the financial assistance that was promised.

Looking ahead, Abbott said recovery will be a slow process, but he expects state lawmakers to look into early warning systems during the upcoming special session. That includes the idea of a network of sirens like those used for tornadoes.

The flight went from Kerrville all the way up to Hunt, where several camps were destroyed. Cleanup and repairs are already underway at the camps.

Near Ingram, Abbott spotted a car that was swept off the road at a low water crossing. The driver was waving at the helicopters for help. The situation was called into DPS troopers who went to help with the rescue.

Central Texas flooding overview

The backstory:

The death toll from the July 4th weekend flooding in Central Texas has climbed to 110.

Most of those deaths happened in Kerr County, where at least 87 people have died, including 30 children. Gov. Abbott said 161 people in Kerr County are now known to be missing.

At least five girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic are still missing.

Over the holiday weekend, officials say crews have been able to rescue more than 850 people.

Related

LIVE UPDATES Texas floods: Death toll rises to 109, 5 Camp Mystic girls remain missing

The death toll from the July 4th weekend flooding in Central Texas has risen to at least 109. 5 girls remain missing from Camp Mystic in Kerr County.

In Travis County, there were at least seven deaths and also significant damage to infrastructure.

Kendall County has reported seven deaths.

Burnet County has at least five deaths confirmed. A Marble Falls volunteer fire chief is still missing.

In Williamson County, there have been three confirmed deaths.

The Source: Information from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and previous coverage

TexasGreg AbbottNatural Disasters