- 3 days ago
#WorldNewsTonight #DavidMuir #News #abcNews
As the death toll surpasses 110 after the deadliest floods the U.S. has seen in decades, David Muir reports from Central Texas, where crews from across America search for survivors – and speaks to a son still looking for his parents; Matt Gutman has the latest on the Kerr County community voicing their frustrations over the handling of local emergency alert systems, and what ABC News has learned about how local leaders discussed a warning system for years, but never implemented one; in Washington, Pres. Trump lashed out at Pres. Vladimir Putin as Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine; and more on tonight’s broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir.
As the death toll surpasses 110 after the deadliest floods the U.S. has seen in decades, David Muir reports from Central Texas, where crews from across America search for survivors – and speaks to a son still looking for his parents; Matt Gutman has the latest on the Kerr County community voicing their frustrations over the handling of local emergency alert systems, and what ABC News has learned about how local leaders discussed a warning system for years, but never implemented one; in Washington, Pres. Trump lashed out at Pres. Vladimir Putin as Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine; and more on tonight’s broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Tonight, the breaking news right here on the ground in Texas.
00:03The stunning new numbers just released here.
00:06They say at least 110 people dead, and they now say another 173 people are still missing.
00:12Tonight, we'll take you out onto the river here with a son searching for his parents
00:16who were swept away in their cabin.
00:18Also breaking as we start tonight, the tornado warning near Philadelphia.
00:22The severe thunderstorm watch right now near New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
00:26But first tonight, the new images now emerging of the deadly flooding here.
00:31The worst in the U.S. in decades.
00:33The Guadalupe River rising 26 feet in 45 minutes.
00:37Families trapped with water rising in their homes, calling for help.
00:42The haunting video capturing those cries for help.
00:45The roaring sound of the rushing waters.
00:48Tonight, with the window closing here, search teams in the air on horseback
00:52and trudging through the mud, looking for possible survivors.
00:55And we're with that son, looking for his parents who were swept away.
00:59And the images tonight, his brother's RV, the video of it being swept away.
01:04They survived, and now they're looking together for their parents.
01:07And Matt Guttman tonight on the growing questions about the emergency alerts.
01:11Many here asking why they didn't receive them on their phones.
01:14And for those who did receive alerts, why didn't they get them sooner?
01:18And here in Flash Flood Alley, why are there no sirens?
01:21And what happened in the community where there were sirens?
01:25Also on this Tuesday night, more than 60 million Americans in the Northeast on alert for those severe thunderstorms.
01:30A severe thunderstorm watch from New York City down to Washington.
01:33And that tornado warning near Philadelphia.
01:36Ginger Zee standing by.
01:37She's tracking it all.
01:38The major decision tonight by the TSA, effective immediately after nearly 20 years and in the wake of 9-11 and an attempted shoe bombing,
01:46the TSA now says you no longer have to take off your shoes.
01:50Some now asking, will flying still be as safe?
01:53Tonight, President Trump with harsh words now for Vladimir Putin, saying he's not happy with the Russian leader.
01:59The president resuming weapon shipments to Ukraine.
02:02And President Trump saying Putin is very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.
02:06Tonight, there is news involving Sean Diddy Combs and his sentencing.
02:11Also tonight, the American tourist missing and now the discovery.
02:15And right here in Texas tonight, so many of you at home across this country asking how you can help.
02:20So tonight here, we'll go down the list.
02:25From ABC News, this is ABC World News Tonight with David Muir reporting tonight from Kerrville, Texas.
02:33Good evening tonight from central Texas, the hill country, where five days now after the deadly floods, the worst in the U.S. in decades,
02:42the desperate and painstaking search for the missing goes on.
02:45But you can sense here on the ground, families know time is running out.
02:49Just moments ago, Texas Governor Greg Abbott revealing a much higher number tonight,
02:53now saying at least 173 people are still missing here.
02:58The death toll already rising to at least 110 now.
03:01At least 30 of the victims are children.
03:04Tonight here, the new and haunting images of this disaster, a mangled pickup truck and snap trees,
03:09piled up alongside the Guadalupe River.
03:11It rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.
03:15Crews from across the country and from Mexico are now on the scene here using heavy equipment to sift through the debris,
03:20walking along the river's edge one by one, trying to reach into that water, looking for any potential victims,
03:27and pulling rafts down through the downed trees and into the river to search beneath the water.
03:32At Camp Mystic, the camp for girls where so many lives were lost,
03:36the children's trunks seen lined up outside the bunkhouses.
03:39Dramatic images tonight of survival and of loss.
03:42The water suddenly rising around this truck, the driver escaping to the roof, hanging on until rescuers arrived.
03:49The son looking for his parents, his brother escaping this RV before it was swept away,
03:54but his parents in a nearby cabin were taken away with the current.
03:58Their two sons are now searching the river together here, and we were out there today with one of those sons.
04:03And what he told me about the last call to his father in that cabin at 4.44 a.m.,
04:09just as the waters were quickly rising.
04:12So many families here still not giving up hope.
04:15Tonight, across central Texas, the hill country, a clearer picture of the devastation and the dread now setting in.
04:24There is overwhelming grief here, and yet still hope, as searchers from across the U.S.
04:29now help families still looking for loved ones here, after the deadliest floods the U.S. has seen in decades.
04:36Roads, neighborhoods washed away.
04:38In Georgetown, Texas, the San Gabriel River flooding the community, the raging waters and debris smashing into the bridge.
04:47Tonight, the water's now receding, and this is what's left, the residents and their new reality.
04:52There's the river, San Gabriel River, still ripping.
04:56It was all the way up to that green railing.
04:59That's insane.
04:59It's like 30, 30 feet.
05:04Tonight, five days into this search, families here sense the window is closing.
05:10They are using heavy equipment to search.
05:12Texas game warden officers helping along the Guadalupe River.
05:15Local law enforcement and volunteers painstakingly searching mile by mile through the dense brush and debris.
05:21Some searching on horseback from the air with rescue dogs in the water, and we go to find Robert Brake along the Guadalupe River.
05:30This is where he has been since the 4th of July, every day, looking for his parents who were swept away in their cabin.
05:38Hey, Robert.
05:40Oh, man.
05:42I'm sorry.
05:42I'm sorry you're dealing with this.
05:44Well, thank you, guys.
05:45He's not giving up.
05:46You've been out every day.
05:47Yes, sir.
05:48Yes, sir.
05:48His parents, Robert and Johnny Brake, were in one cabin.
05:51His brother, Lucas, and his girlfriend, Irene, in a nearby RV.
05:55And he got a call from his brother saying they all needed help.
05:59So the flooding has just started.
06:00Correct.
06:00It's 4.40 in the morning.
06:024.40 when my brother called me.
06:04That's correct.
06:04And then you call your dad in one of those cabins.
06:064.44.
06:07And your dad picks up.
06:08That's correct.
06:08And you tell him what's going on.
06:10That's correct.
06:11And you told him that your brother was in need of help in a nearby cabin.
06:14That's correct.
06:15And that's the last time you talked to your dad.
06:16That's right.
06:16His brother and girlfriend escaping their RV.
06:20And this is the video of that camper being swept away by the raging waters of the Guadalupe River.
06:25And by the time his brother could make his way to their parents' cabin, it was gone.
06:30About 50 cabins washed away.
06:33They get out.
06:34They survive.
06:35They get to higher ground.
06:36That's right.
06:36And then he goes to try to get to your parents in the cabin.
06:38That's correct.
06:39And this was after you had called your dad.
06:40That's correct.
06:41And by the time he got there, the cabin was gone.
06:43Everything was gone.
06:44And everything had been swept down.
06:45His vehicle, the cabins, every cabin, it was just a pad.
06:47Put you guys in harm's way.
06:48And now, every day since, he's been tirelessly climbing through the trees snapped in two,
06:54climbing through the debris, looking for his parents in that river.
06:57Look at the sky up here.
06:59The help from above.
07:02And they're looking for the same thing you are.
07:04Absolutely.
07:05Absolutely.
07:07And as we're with him, his wife texts him the last known photo of his father from July 3rd, one day before the floods.
07:16Wow, what a great photo to have.
07:17That's my father and that's my brother.
07:18Just this.
07:19Yeah.
07:19I know it's hard.
07:29If you ever wanted to see the kind of man he was, there it is.
07:33He's patient, humble, spending time with the people he loves.
07:36That's my father.
07:37That's my father.
07:39And this is the image.
07:40On the eve of the 4th of July, his father's back at the edge of that stone pier, his brother to the side, both fishing, they will cherish this image.
07:50They are like so many families here who were along the river, some telling us they could hear their neighbors who were trapped in their homes.
07:57They could hear the voices in the distance, crying out for help.
08:03The anguish in their voices in the middle of the night.
08:06Christine capturing the moment just before the sun came up in Kerrville.
08:146.08 a.m. Guadalupe River.
08:18Out of its banks, onto the public street.
08:25Everyone downstream, save your life.
08:29The Nimitz Dam overflowing, the river swelling, water pouring into a street and a nearby park.
08:39Jens Hassi was inside his truck as the waters suddenly surrounded him, the power of the current unmistakable.
08:46That tree right there was underwater an hour ago.
08:51Escaping to his truck's roof until help would eventually arrive and rescue him.
08:55And tonight at Camp Mystic, the camp for girls that endured unimaginable heartbreak, authorities now say there are still young campers and a camp counselor who are missing.
09:07Among the missing, Kellyanne Lytle.
09:09What do all the reindeer do?
09:15Tonight, her family now sharing this video of her singing at the Christmas pageant.
09:19And now first responders are carefully combing through the grounds at Camp Mystic.
09:25They find traces of the children, a novel, a Camp Mystic t-shirt.
09:31Some 750 girls were there when the floods hit while they were asleep.
09:35A camp nurse capturing the beautiful day just 24 hours before July 3rd, playing games, the smiles on their faces.
09:42Some of those still missing were the younger campers who were staying here in these low-lying cabins, less than 500 feet from the Guadalupe River.
09:52And tonight here, a look at just how quickly those floodwaters rose.
09:55You can see the snaking line there of the Guadalupe River.
09:59Starting at 1 a.m., you can see communities along the river and the flooding that had begun.
10:03From Camp Mystic to the communities of Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, all the way down to Comfort, entire neighborhoods and campsites suddenly underwater.
10:14And tonight here, we're learning more about the lives lost at Camp Mystic.
10:18Eight-year-old Mary Grace Baker had recently celebrated her first communion and was attending the camp.
10:23Her school calling her a bright light, saying her giggle was contagious, as was her spirit.
10:28Eight-year-old Blakely McCrory, her grandfather Douglas, saying the family is just devastated.
10:34Anna Margaret Bellows, eight years old, seen here happily wearing her Camp Mystic t-shirt.
10:39Her mother, Patricia, describing her as a radiant joy and thanking the camp community.
10:45They are the young faces of the lives lost here, along with those eight-year-old twins, Hannah and Rebecca Lawrence,
10:51and Chloe Childress, who had returned to Camp Mystic as a counselor.
10:54And Dick Eastland, the beloved longtime camp director, who died trying to save the lives of his campers.
11:01And overnight here, the quiet, tearful candlelight vigil.
11:05Young campers and their parents returning to remember their friends, singing Amazing Grace.
11:11And grace will lead me home.
11:17The bravery here, the strength here.
11:19And for Robert, back on that river, still looking for his parents, he had a message for them.
11:26If you could say something to your dad and your mom.
11:28Oh, oh, thank you.
11:33Thank you for being such good parents.
11:35Thank you for raising good children and instilling good values in us.
11:39That son thanking his parents for teaching them and instilling good values.
11:43And obviously, you can see those values on full display today, his fifth day now of searching for his mother and father.
11:49Our hearts are with so many of the families here.
11:52As you know, tonight, there are growing questions about the emergency alerts, many asking why they didn't receive them on their phones.
11:58And if they did, why they didn't come sooner before the worst of the emergency was already unfolding.
12:03And here in Flash Flood Alley, why were there no sirens in so many towns?
12:07And what happened in one community about 20 miles from here, where they did have sirens?
12:13Matt Guppman, on the ground here again tonight.
12:16Tonight, with the death toll soaring, so is frustration over the handling of local emergency alert systems in the hours after a surging Guadalupe River made it clear the catastrophe was at hand.
12:27With all due respect, sir, I think that the community here is asking these questions.
12:30What happened?
12:31When did it happen?
12:32Was the emergency manager awake at the time?
12:35Did they push the button to issue an emergency alert?
12:38Sir, it's not that easy when you just push a button, okay?
12:40There's a lot more to that.
12:41And we told you several times.
12:43I understand.
12:43So did it happen, sir?
12:45I can't tell you at this time.
12:46This area is one of the most flash flood prone regions in the country.
12:50Nicknamed Flash Flood Alley, ABC News and our own stations learning local leaders spent years discussing a life-saving warning system, but never implemented one.
12:58Public meeting records show that as early as August 2016, the city of Kerrville spoke about the importance of a warning system.
13:05And by April, a local river authority's board unanimously authorized a contract worth up to $73,000 to develop a system.
13:12The status of that contract is unclear.
13:14And that is the strategy chosen by Kerrville's neighboring town of Comfort, Texas.
13:21Every day at noon, every day at noon, that siren goes off, alerting people that the system is working.
13:28Now, if there were a flash flood here, that siren would sound steadily for three minutes straight.
13:34Firefighter Danny Morales, who lost his grandfather in those same floodwaters in 1978, has spent the past several years working to get a new system installed, completed just months ago.
13:45So you've been through these floods, and your job is to try to prevent people from experiencing what you had to go through.
13:50I would hope so.
13:52And Comfort is just 15 miles downriver from where we are.
13:56They told us at the fire station that they have two sirens.
13:59It cost them $70,000.
14:00They want to install a third.
14:02They say it'll be worth every penny.
14:05David.
14:07Yeah, a lot of people are going to agree with that as they hear that tonight.
14:10Matt Guppin, our thanks to you.
14:12Tonight, finally, one break for families here in Texas.
14:14The flood watches and warnings have finally lifted, but we are tracking the other storms.
14:18More than 60 million Americans in the Northeast on alert at this hour for severe thunderstorms.
14:22New York City to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and then the tornado warning near Philadelphia.
14:27So Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee is tracking it all again tonight for us.
14:30Hi, Ginger.
14:31Hi, David.
14:32A few scattered storms for you all in Hill Country by tomorrow afternoon, but overall a much drier forecast to end the week before we get some more rain the weekend.
14:40However, like you said here, it's much different.
14:42We've got flood watches and a severe thunderstorm watch.
14:45We've had nearly 50 severe storm reports already, some gusts over 77 miles per hour.
14:50And, yes, there have been tornado-worn storms embedded in here, so you could see some rotation in it.
14:55What we'll do is move this to the east.
14:57Most of it will be offshore after about 10 p.m., and then we'll be talking about the flood alerts, two-inch-per-hour rainfall rates.
15:04So these will cause really quick flash floods.
15:06And by tomorrow, the Mid-Atlantic, still down into North Carolina, even parts of South Carolina, have a damaging wind hazard.
15:12David.
15:43All passengers, not just those with pre-check, will be able to keep their shoes on through security, something we haven't seen in nearly 20 years after that attempted shoe bombing and in the wake of 9-11.
15:53We anticipate that Americans and travelers and those coming into our country will be very excited that they will no longer have to remove their shoes.
16:02The so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, tried to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami in 2001.
16:07The explosives, packed in his shoes, failed to detonate, and Reid was tackled by passengers and crew.
16:12We're going to put that up here.
16:14Since then, the TSA has added multiple layers of security, including data on millions of Americans.
16:20Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insists flights will be just as secure.
16:25Since that policy was put in place, our security technology has changed dramatically.
16:30It's evolved.
16:32But, David, there is a caveat.
16:34If that scanner alarm goes off for a special screening, you will need to take those shoes off.
16:40David.
16:40All right, Gio Benitez on this big change tonight.
16:44Gio, thank you.
16:45Tonight, President Trump with harsh words for Vladimir Putin, saying he's not happy with the Russian leader.
16:50The president lashing out today at Putin, saying he's very nice all the time, but it turns out, quote, to be meaningless.
16:57President Trump now saying the U.S. will resume weapons shipments to Ukraine after some were recently paused by the Pentagon.
17:03And just today with the head of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sitting right next to the president,
17:07the president insisting he didn't know who ordered that pause.
17:11When we come back here tonight, news involving Sean Diddy Combs tonight and his sentencing, what the judge has now decided.
17:17Also, the American tourist missing and the discovery now tonight.
17:20And here in Texas, we know so many of you across the country have been asking, how can you help?
17:24And so tonight here, we'll go down one very important list for you.
17:28Tonight, the judge in the Sean Diddy Combs trial setting, October 3rd now, is the date for his sentencing in New York City.
17:36His attorneys today abruptly pulling their request to expedite sentencing.
17:39Combs facing up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
17:45The jury clearing him of the more serious charges.
17:48When we come back tonight, a missing American tourist and now the discovery tonight.
17:52And the list, how you can help the families here in Texas.
17:55Tonight, authorities are investigating the death of an American tourist in St. Lucia.
18:02Travis Wyant reported missing after he didn't make his flight home.
18:05He was last seen leaving his hotel room on Sunday.
18:08Police now say a body matching his description was found near the water in Rodney Bay.
18:12Tonight, no cause of death has been revealed.
18:15When we come back here, so many of you at home have been asking how you can help.
18:19So we'll go down the list for you right here in a moment.
18:21Finally tonight, so many of you asking how to help.
18:26This evening, Texas strong, America strong.
18:29Tonight, amid the heartbreak here across central Texas, there are also the signs of hope.
18:35So many communities near and far from all over the U.S. coming here to help.
18:40The people standing shoulder to shoulder helping to distribute much needed water, food and supplies here.
18:45The donations inside the gym at Centerpoint Elementary School just outside Hardhead Kerrville.
18:52And here in Kerrville, the non-profit Mercy Chefs preparing restaurant-quality meals for victims, volunteers, first responders inside the City West Church.
19:01And so many of you at home have asked how you can help.
19:04Local Kerr County officials have established a relief fund online through the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
19:10Donations could also be made to non-profits including the American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen.
19:16All on the ground here since the beginning, vowing to help for as long as it's needed.
19:23The strength of the people here.
19:25That list at abcnews.com slash how to help Texas flood.
19:29Good night.
19:29Good night.
19:30Good night.
19:30Good night.
19:30Good night.
19:30Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:31Good night.
19:32Good night.
19:32Good night.
19:32Good night.
19:32Good night.
19:33Good night.
19:33Good night.
19:34Good night.
19:34Good night.
19:34Good night.
19:35Good night.
19:35Good night.
19:36Good night.
19:36Good night.
19:36Good night.
19:37Good night.
19:38Good night.
19:39Good night.
19:40Good night.
19:41Good night.
19:42Good night.
19:43Good night.
19:44Good night.
19:45Good night.
19:46Good night.
19:47Good night.
19:48Good night.
19:49Good night.
19:50Good night.
19:51Good night.
19:52Good night.
19:53Good night.
19:54Good night.
19:55Good night.
Recommended
19:57
|
Up next