Featured Image Credit: Maxar Technologies
Topics: Texas floods, US News
Callum Jones
Newly-released satellite images have highlighted the sheer devatsation caused by the Texas floods as the death toll continues to rise.
Officials confirmed in an update on Wednesday (July 9) that 120 people have died as a result of flash flooding in central Texas, with rescue teams continuing to look for at least 170 missing people.
At least 27 of those who have died were children and staffers at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp located just by the Guadalupe River.
The floods have swept away mobile homes, vehicles, and holiday cabins, which were being used by Americans celebrating Independence Day.
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One month’s worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours, leading to the Guadalupe River rising to the dangerous level of 26 feet.
As the recovery efforts continue, Maxar Technologies, a space technology company, has shared a series of satellite images of the Guadalupe River and the surrounding areas before and after the flood.
Images before the devastating flood reveal a healthy-looking area of green, compared to a swampland that is seen following the tragedy.
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The images also reveal debris along the route that was occupied by campers in Camp Mystic, while huge damage to the Ingram dam is also evident to see.
Alongside the washed out vegetation, you'll also find downed trees in the after satellite images.
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Dr. Rajeev Fernando, chief medical officer of Heal-Corp, has said that the search operation along the Guadalupe River is now in a recovery phase.
"The first 72 hours, we were here on the scene right away to save lives," he said. "But as time goes on, the recovery takes precedence, unfortunately.
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"It just keeps expanding all the time ... because of the debris, which keeps pulling all the bodies down. We keep getting updates all the time: Can you go farther downstream?"
Some Texas officials are attributing the National Weather Service's (NWS) failure to adequately warn emergency services about rainfall to blame for the huge devastation, according to the New York Times.
It’s understood that ‘crucial positions’ at local NWS offices were unfilled due to the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cost-cutting methods introduced by Elon Musk earlier this year.
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Joe Friday, the former director of the National Weather Service, said on Facebook: "But the loss of senior, experienced people may have made it more difficult to get the information to the ‘last mile’ to the individuals in danger."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has since hit back at speculation President Trump is to blame.
"Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie and it serves no purpose in the time of national mourning," she said.