Heartbreaking before and after pictures of Texas river show true devastation of flash floods
Topics: Reddit, Texas, US News, Weather, Texas floods
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Eric Vryn/Getty
Topics: Reddit, Texas, US News, Weather, Texas floods
A side-by-side comparison of the area the flooding in Texas has swept across shows the devastation that has been caused, as the official death toll rises to 59.
It was during the early hours on July 4, a day where America was hosting nationwide celebrations, that Kerrville and surrounding areas was hit by a deadly flood caused by an unprecedented increase in rising water levels in the Guadalupe River.
The flash flood disseminated everything in its path as it swept through Kerr County in Texas, where at least 59 people - including 15 children - have been confirmed to have died.
Rescue teams are still working around the clock to find up to more than 20 children, who were attending a Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic with 750 other girls.
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As of right now, the camp has been left without power, water or WiFi, and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick noted that the missing children are not necessarily 'lost', adding: "They could be out of communication."
The scene is devastating, with piles of furniture seen laying on the ground next to a road in Hunt, where Camp Mystic resides.
While many videos have circulated social media, including a horrifying timelapse of the floods and a minute-by-minute play of the waters rising, images have been posted showing the before and after impact of the river spilling over.
Posted on Reddit, a user showed the world the devastating effects of the sudden flash floods had on the local area.
In the first image, it can be seen that the water levels are normal, with the land beside it try and trees spaced out around what appears to be a park area or walking path and a couple of buildings.
In the after image, everything has been totally submerged by the waters, with only a couple of tree tops visible in the distance.
In the comments, people were shocked that the river could have risen 23 feet within just two hours, causing total chaos for the state.
One person wrote: "I’m from here. 33 years old. 3rd time I’ve seen this in my lifetime," as another said: "Looks like the bridge was built to a height of expected max flood."
Someone else noted: “This isn't the first time this had happened. A flash flood on the Guadalupe killed 43 July 17, 1987. There was a movie made called The Food: Who Will Save Our Children? It was literally about a group of kids at camp.”
The flood the last commenter is referencing saw the river rise 29 feet on that morning alone, sweeping away a school bus and a van that were carrying teenagers from a church camp about 15 miles southeast of Kerrville.
Ten of the teenagers were swept away and killed, while 33 others and four adults were rescued. Some of the survivors held on to the branches of trees before help could arrive, as per The New York Times.
The 1987 flood was reported at that time to have been the worst flooding of the Guadalupe River in 55 years.
As for now, search efforts continue as adults and children remain missing.