On July 5th, local time, the Sheriff’s Office of Kerr County, Texas, announced that the number of fatalities due to the flood triggered by heavy rains in Texas had risen to 32.
At a press conference held on the same day, Governor Abbott signed a federal disaster declaration request, seeking immediate and ongoing assistance from the federal government. Additionally, Abbott signed another document, adding six counties to the state’s disaster declaration and stated that he would continue to expand this to other counties as needed. Prior to this, Abbott had issued a disaster declaration for 14 counties in the state on July 4th.
The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Noem, stated that Trump has promised to utilize federal resources for assistance.
According to data from the National Weather Service, water levels in Guadalupe River in Texas rose by approximately 6.7 meters within three hours after dawn on July 4th, which was too high for the water level gauges to measure. (Liu Xiaoqian)