Messing Victims of Texas Floods Jumps to 172 Overnight as Authorities Believe Number Will Likely Increase

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Tuesday that the number of people still missing after the catastrophic flash floods in central Texas has climbed sharply to at least 172 — a significant jump from the earlier official figure of 40 reported by authorities on the day the floods hit.

Abbott revised the total number of missing people after taking a helicopter tour of the flood-ravaged region and noted the grim milestone that the current flood death toll has sharply risen to 111, surpassing the 103 deaths recorded in Texas during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. The most recent death was reported in Williamson County, according to a spokesperson for the county.

Grim Update as Death Toll Climbs

“We sent out the update as the missing person was recovered. Now at three deaths,” Williamson County spokeswoman Connie Odom told CNN Tuesday evening. Kerr County has accounted for 87 of the confirmed deaths, with rescue teams still searching for five girls who remain missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls that has so far reported 27 fatalities.

“We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,” Abbott told reporters. “There could very likely be more people added to the list.”

Abbott explained that the updated count of missing people was compiled from reports made by friends, neighbors, and family members.

When asked about a potential investigation into the storm-related deaths and asked, “who’s to blame?” Abbott reacted sharply, calling that phrasing “the word choice of losers” before responding with a football analogy.

“Every football team makes mistakes,” the governor said.

“The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who’s to blame. The championship teams are the ones that say, “‘Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ve got this.'”

Blame Game Begins

Abbott said during the press conference that authorities had been aware of the potential for severe flooding several days before it struck Kerr County and had already positioned necessary resources in preparation.

What officials couldn’t predict, however, was the magnitude of the disaster that unfolded.

“No one would know that would be a 30-foot-high tsunami wall of water, I don’t think,” the governor explained.

“All I can tell you is the information we had, the state had, and that we acted on, was information that catalyzed us to begin putting assets and resources in place two days before the event happened.”