Texas in shock after deadly floods

The region has a nickname that's not misleading: "Flash Flood Alley." In July 1987, the sudden swelling of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, and the surge of muddy waters caused the death of ten people. On the night of July 3-4, the same phenomenon occurred, with even more serious consequences . Fifty-one deaths, including forty-three in Kerr County alone, according to a report released Saturday, July 5, and several dozen missing, as the torrential rains continued. Among the victims, fifteen children were counted.

In a largely flat state like Texas, Kerr County is known as "Hill Country . " It's a tourist region of lush green hills, 300 to 600 meters high, and canyons carved into the limestone plateau by the Guadalupe River. For nearly a century, Texas churches have established "summer camps" where children from wealthy families in Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio come to camp along the river despite the risk of flooding, boys and girls in separate facilities. For the Fourth of July holiday, campgrounds and hotels were full, as they are every year.

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