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Officials: 18 Adults, 9 Children Confirmed Dead In TX Flash Flooding; Father Of Missing Girl Searches For Daughter And Friends; Trump: HHS Secretary Kristi Noem Headed To Texas; 14-Year-Old Camper Reunited With Family After Deadly Texas Floods; Kerrville Residents Share What's Left Of Their Neighborhood; Trump Optimistic For Gaza Ceasefire Deal Next Week; Tropical Depression Upgraded To Tropical Storm Chantal. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired July 05, 2025 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:02:03]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we continue to follow breaking news out of Central Texas. At this hour, a desperate search and rescue effort continues for dozens of people missing after floodwaters inundated an area north of San Antonio. Among the missing, 27 young girls from a camp, Camp Mystic, one of many summer camps along the Guadalupe River.

And this morning, another round of heavy rainfall triggered more flash flood emergencies in the region. Hundreds have been rescued, including this person who was clinging to a light pole. Officials say at least 27 people have died, nine children and 18 adults.

Among the fatalities, nine-year-old Jamie Hunt. Her mother confirming to CNN today that the young girl who was among the two dozen missing from Camp Mystic has died. And also confirmed killed Jane Ragsdale, she was director at another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, which was not in session at the time. Ragsdale is described as the heart and soul of that camp.

We've got a team of correspondents and meteorologists covering these fast-moving developments. Let's begin with CNN's Ed Lavandera in hard- hit Hunt, Texas. Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, this morning as we were arriving here in Hunt, Texas, we were surveying some areas that were heavily damaged. And from just beyond this ledge that went down toward the edge of the river, we heard a man calling out Joyce Catherine, Joyce Catherine, happened several times and we kind of followed the voice.

And that's where we met Ty Badon. He is a father of 21-year-old Joyce Catherine Badon. His daughter had come out here to spend the July 4th weekend with three other friends at a home just along the river. And they lost contact with the group around 4:00 a.m. early Friday morning.

Ty Badon has spent the morning walking. By the time we met him, he'd already walked along about a mile, had come across the body of another young victim and called it in to 911. And this is a father desperately searching for his 21-year-old daughter, in hopes that he would stumble upon a miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

LAVANDERA: Your daughter was here with two friends?

TY BADON, SEARCHING FOR MISSING DAUGHTER AND FRIENDS: Yes, three.

LAVANDERA: Three friends?

BADON: You know, and --

LAVANDERA: Four of them?

BADON: Correct. And she and the young man, they went to elementary school and high school together. And the young -- one of her friends, Ella Cahill (ph), that's her boyfriend, Aiden (ph) is, they went to school through high school. So they've known each other a long time.

The other girl, her name is Reese (ph). I can't remember her last name right now. She is Ella's roommate at UTSA. So we've never met her or her parents. But God bless her and we pray that all four of them are still alive.

LAVANDERA: All four are missing?

[13:05:08]

BADON: Yes. Yes, they're all missing. And, you know, it's been 4:00 yesterday morning that we were told that, you know, they were on the phone with Aiden's dad, who -- they own the house, where they were. It was a very nice house, no longer there.

And Aiden (ph) said, hey, you know, I've got to go. I've got to help Ella and Reese. So he gave the phone to Joyce Catherine. Joyce Catherine said, they just got washed away. And then a few seconds later, the phone went dead. And that's all we know.

So we presume that she got washed away as well. And if you go back to where the house is, it's not a good sign. And that's what I was telling you. My son and I are walking, and I thought it was a mannequin. It's a little boy, eight or 10 years old, and he was dead. So we just --

LAVANDERA: You saw that this morning?

BADON: Yes. So we, you know, we're just walking and doing the same thing we were doing. Look, you know, when we stumbled across him, hopefully we could find our children, our daughter and her friends alive. So anyway, I asked you, if you would pray and whoever watches this thing, pray. We got together and picked up our son and came over here, and we waited around at a center and God bless them. They're doing a great job. It's in Ingram, Texas, at the elementary school, and they're kind of like the place where all the survivors are brought.

And we were hoping that we would hear our daughter and friends names called, but they never did call. So we said this morning we're going to come out and try to find them ourselves.

LAVANDERA: I mean, you're walking through this mess, hoping for a miracle.

BADON: Amen. Keep the faith. It's all we can do. So that's all I got it, Ed. And thank you.

LAVANDERA: Can you tell us about your daughter.

BADON: Yes, she's a beautiful girl, and I think I sent you a picture. She's a wonderful girl. Couldn't ask for a better daughter. All through school is just easy. You know, no shenanigans or anything like that. I mean, she was a normal girl. We would have fun, but yes, we loved her dearly.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Fredricka, what just I found gut wrenching is as we were winding down the interview there as he continued the search, he told me about how he read a book years ago about a father during World War II whose child had been in a house that had been bombed and that the father spent days and days combing through the rubble trying to search for his son and never gave up.

And after days of combing through the rubble that the man during World War II found his kid and he just told me he goes, I hope I'm that guy today.

WHITFIELD: Gosh.

LAVANDERA: And that's --

WHITFIELD: That's powerful.

LAVANDERA: We have a stunning moment as you think about what that poor man and his family are going through today.

WHITFIELD: I hope he's that guy too.

All right, Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

Betsy Klein is in New Jersey traveling with the president where they are committing to help the people there in this search and rescue efforts and recovery?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER AND WRITER: Certainly. And as we hear some of the stories and see faces and names of those that are impacted, the White House is watching this incredibly closely, including the threat of additional flash flooding today. But it's really an all hands on deck response here, particularly from the federal government.

They have sent in the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard and also DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said a few moments ago that they have sent in border patrol agents to help in any way they can with some of their expertise in this area. Just all hands on deck response.

But the president has expressed his concern about this. He has pledged federal support. He said it's terrible. It's shocking.

He also issued a statement to social media a few hours ago. The president saying, quote, "The Trump administration is working with state and local officials on the ground in Texas in response to the tragic flooding that took place yesterday. Our Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will be there shortly. Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our brave first responders are on site doing what they do best. God bless the families and God bless Texas."

Now, we know that 27 people are dead, including 18 adults and nine children. 27 campers are currently missing.

[13:10:07]

We do expect Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to land soon. She is going to be present for this key 3:30 p.m. Eastern press conference alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Congressman Chip Roy, as well as Senator John Cornyn and others to provide a few more updates on what they are learning at this stage.

The first lady also weighing in here. She said in a post to social media, quote, "My heart goes out to the parents in Texas during this difficult time. I'm holding you in my thoughts and sending prayers for strength, comfort and resilience.

Vice President JD Vance as well, says, quote, "Our nation's heart breaks for the victims in Texas and their families. Just an incomprehensible tragedy. I hope everyone affected knows they're in the prayers of my family and millions of Americans."

Of course, incomprehensible, I think, is the right word here. We are seeing Coast Guard helicopters punching through some of these storms trying to help with search and rescue efforts. It's really very challenging circumstances.

It's also worth noting, the president has been deeply critical of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration. That is something he says that he wants to wind down by the end of this year's hurricane season. He wants to shift responsibility to state and local governments there.

But we still don't know the full extent of this federal response, what's going to be needed going forward, if there will be a request for additional aid from Congress. We don't know if President Trump has spoken with Governor Abbott at this stage. The White House has issued a lid, which means that we do not expect to see the president anymore today. He is at his home in Bedminster, New Jersey.

We also don't know yet, Fredricka, if the president will visit.

WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thanks so much. Bring it to us when you learn.

So while the search for survivors continues, CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren breaks down how much rain has already inundated the area and what continues to remain the threat.

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fredricka, this is the amount of rain that came mainly in hours, but from Thursday through Friday, more than a summer's worth of rain for these areas falling here, and that would be in the orange to the red area. And it's not just that a couple areas had that some up to around a foot of rain.

The fact that so many counties had that amount of water draining into one drainage basin into the Guadalupe River, creating a catastrophic scene and results that we saw. As far as the rain goes in the threat for more, we are expecting more showers, more thunderstorms.

We've been tracking active flash flood warnings throughout the day, and the threat's not over. Still seeing more showers with the rain picking up again tomorrow morning and lasting here and there. So more scattered about showers and thunderstorms throughout the day on Sunday before things considerably dry out late on Sunday and into Monday. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Warren, thanks so much.

And we continue our breaking news out of Texas. A desperate search for survivors underway in Central Texas after catastrophic flooding. 27 fatalities and more than 25 girls still missing from a camp along the Guadalupe River.

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[13:18:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're continuing now with that breaking news out of Central Texas. Officials confirm at least 27 people are dead and dozens more missing after severe flash flooding swept through Kerr County. The area is home to popular summer camps along the Guadalupe River.

And one of those camps, La Junta, sits just west of Kerrville and that's where 14-year-old Windom Etheridge was staying when the floodwaters hit. His parents, Amy and Joe Etheridge, drove in from the Houston area after learning about what was happening.

Amy and Joe, along with their son, Windom, who is now safe. They are with us now to tell us about your experience and my goodness, I'm so glad Windom, you are here and you are OK, but I wonder if you could just tell me, you know, what you experienced, what are you reflecting on? How are you feeling right now? And tell me all that's happened.

WINDOM ETHERIDGE, ATTENDED CAMP ALONG GUADALUPE RIVER: Well, I'm reflecting more on how it all went down. I mean, it started out with just a little bit of water and it started slowly becoming more and more. And we didn't learn about what really happened to the rest of the camp until it woke up in the morning.

WHITFIELD: So you were in, what is it, your cabin, when, you know, it started raining or when you started hearing or feeling something, you know, was going on outside?

W. ETHERIDGE: The other -- yes, we woke up to (technical difficulty) people from the other (technical difficulty) bunks down towards more of the river. And we woke up to them coming to seek refuge in the downstairs at our cabin, because we were on the side of a hill. We didn't really get hit that hard.

[13:20:19]

WHITFIELD: My goodness. And I know it was -- I guess it was dark -- or was it dark? Were you able to see what was going on around you?

W. ETHERIDGE: We didn't really know what was going on around us because it was dark. We couldn't see past the trees. All we really knew is that we needed to move stuff in order for it not to get wet. And we -- there was just a lot of water creeping in from areas we didn't think it could. And it was really scary.

WHITFIELD: Oh it sounds incredibly scary. So I'm wondering, Windom, at what point did you all realize it's not just water that's seeping in, but we now somehow have to get out. And how are you able to do that? And where did you go?

W. ETHERIDGE: Well, after -- well, we didn't -- we couldn't really go anywhere because around us there were (technical difficulty) streams, really strong streams converging, and we didn't want to get swept away because of all the runoff from the mountain. And so we -- what we did is we tried to go into the loft of our cabin, but it was leaking up there, so we couldn't stay.

So at some point, we just decided it wasn't -- like we could go to bed for a little bit. Then we woke up again to more water.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. And Amy and Joe, I mean, your heart must be stopping even as you hear him, you know, reflect on how frightening all of this was. So where were you and what were you hearing? I guess you were at home in Houston. What were you hearing to now concern yourselves with how your son was doing at camp?

AMY ETHERIDGE, SON ATTENDS CAMP ALONG GUADALUPE RIVER: Well, we -- I was awoken at 6:30 yesterday morning with a text message from Camp La Junta just saying that there had been a flood and that all the campers were accounted for and OK. And then I kind of went back to sleep because in the hill country, there's quite a few flash floods, any kind of rain, especially in the summer (technical difficulty) of any amount produces a small flash flood thing. And then I decided I needed to do some more research. So that's when I hopped on social media, and just started hearing about all the tragedy that had happened. Luckily, many of our friends go -- have kids that go to the camps around, but a lot of them were on term break. So that's when we started asking for information from Camp La Junta.

And then finally, somebody sent me a video of one of the cabins at Camp La Junta floating away. And that's whenever it kind of (technical difficulty) my husband went to camp there for eight years or so, so we're very familiar with the camp. And the video that was sent to me was of a cabin floating away. That was Julia (ph) is. So that was just very surprising and scary.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And so, is that when you, I guess, get in the car and start heading in that area to get your son or what happened next?

A. ETHERIDGE: Yes. Initially, my parent -- well, my parents live only an hour away from Hunt. So we were going to let them pick him up when we heard initially about it, when we thought it was just a small amount of flooding. But once we watched that video and then started hearing about all the Mystic girls, then we decided that probably we, as parents, needed to come and make sure he was OK.

And I'm glad we did. When we picked them up last night, all those boys were pretty traumatized. I was impressed with the older boys and how they had handled everything and the counselors and the leaders. And -- but everybody looked pretty traumatized. They had been up since 1:00 with only a little bit of -- that had been brought in by a helicopter. So it was a pretty long, rough day for them yesterday.

WHITFIELD: Yes, understandably, so many continue to be traumatized. I'm so glad, Windom, that you are OK and your fellow campers are OK. And I know Amy and Joe, this has been, I mean, quite the ordeal for all of you. But, you know, prayers continue to go out for all those families that are traumatized, as similar to yours and all those who are continuing to wait and wonder about how their loved ones are doing since so many remain missing in that area.

[13:25:19]

All the best to you. Thank you so much.

And we'll be right back.

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[13:29:45]

WHITFIELD: All right, right now, breaking news out of Central Texas and all hands on deck rescue effort now underway after three months worth of rain dropped in the area in a matter of hours. Officials confirming at least 27 people are dead and dozens more are missing following catastrophic flash flooding north of San Antonio.

Let's go straight to Ed Lavandera in hard hit Hunt, Texas. Ed. LAVANDERA: Well, Fredricka, here, you know, the nightmare situation continues as there are teams of rescue operations, and first responders fanning out over, many square miles here as the Guadalupe River bends and winds its way through this part of the Texas Hill Country.

And they're also just regular people, friends and families of those who are missing, who are coming out into areas like this, searching for that -- for any sign of a loved one. The hope is that perhaps they got flooded away. There have been some stories of people at the Camp Mystic where so many girls have gone unaccounted for and missing that other reports that some had maybe jumped on mattresses, and they were hope that they could get to a tree or to some higher ground where they still might just be waiting to be risk rescued.

But as the hours pass by, you know, the hope for that dwindles, and the pain of that becomes a definite reality here in this moment. But we know crews, and we've seen them as we've gone through some areas along the Guadalupe River here in Hunt, Texas, just down upstream from Ingram and from Kerrville, and they have been fanning out through some of the areas that are the most kind of desolated at this point because of all of the debris that has washed downstream and the force of all of this pushing a lot of the debris field, you know, in some cases, several 100 yards away from the river itself.

So, you know, you can imagine as the river winds its way down there, they're looking in these areas that are, you know, pushed off to the side, and there is a lot of debris, in many places debris that is just incredibly, stacked up thick and high. And so someone has to go through all of that.

We talked to a woman who owns a building whose son was inside the building and had to crawl out through a window and was basically holding on to a pole attached to the building, so that he wouldn't get washed away. So, you know, these stories of survival and, obviously, the stories of heartache emerging throughout every hour here this afternoon in Central Texas as the reality and the pain and the magnitude of what we've seen unfold here on July 4 is -- has settled has been settled in at this point intensely, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: It's incredible. It really is. It's so incredibly tragic. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

So the violence, that comes with this flooding is especially evident in the town of Kerrville in Texas Hill Country, where a house was swept away, and it's not even known if the occupants, were inside if they survived.

Sarah Acosta, CNN affiliate from San Antonio, KSAT shows us the devastating aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH ACOSTA, KSAT REPORTER (voice-over): This home floated about the length of a football field down the Guadalupe River when the flash flood rose quickly into the homes on Waterfront Drive in Kerrville along Bandera Highway and Loop 534.

ACOSTA (on camera): And this is what's left of that home completely leveled by the river behind it. And the neighbors tell us they fear that the people who lived here may have not survived. And we spoke with the people who live next door, and they walk us through what happened.

SCOTT WALDEN, NEIGHBORS' HOUSE SWEPT AWAY: But I had no idea that something like this could happen. And then, holy (BEEP) stuff started to hit the walls, and my wife jumped up and looked out the back porch. You know, it was a river.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Scott Walden and his wife say the water came in so fast there was no time to evacuate.

WALDEN: By the time I went to get my keys to move my truck out of the way, just back up across the street, the water had risen and flooded my truck. The water got up there in the door about this high. And I looked at my wife, and it was like, we need to get out of here.

ACOSTA (voice-over): That water too strong and fast sweeping them down the river.

WALDEN: We went ahead and jumped out, and we got washed down three houses, and we finally ended up snagged on a big bush. So we hung onto the bush until we got rescued.

ACOSTA (voice-over): They hung onto a crepe myrtle tree for about 30 minutes before they were rescued by police officers who formed a human chain.

WALDEN: We were kind of going, they helped us, isn't it?

ACOSTA (voice-over): Walden says they are grateful to be alive, saying his destroyed home and cars are just material things.

WALDEN: Yeah. This is just stuff.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Neighbor Irma Cantu says they live a couple of houses over, fortunate their home is safe, and they were able to evacuate quick enough, feeling overwhelmed.

IRMA CANTU, NEIGHBORS HOUSE SWEPT AWAY: A feeling of sadness because, I mean, even the people that were here weren't expecting this to happen.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As they pick up the pieces and continue to look for neighbors and loved ones, she hopes it's a time where the community can stand strong.

CANTU: Helping each other is this is when we need to come together and help each other out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:35:00] WHITFIELD: I mean, that is incredible. It's just hard to understand and comprehend those images, but we're so glad that they were able to survive that. Thank you so much to Sarah Acosta of KASAT.

And we'll get back to the breaking news in a moment. But first, President Trump says he is optimistic a Gaza ceasefire could be reached soon. Live to Tel Aviv, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll get back to our continuing coverage of the Texas flooding in a moment. But other news we're watching, new today, President Trump says he is optimistic a ceasefire can be reached in Gaza in the coming days. He also expressed his frustration that no deal has been reached so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have to do something about Gaza. We've been doing it. You know, we're sending a lot of aid. A lot of money and a lot of aid. Otherwise, you'll have people in big, big trouble. But, yeah, I think it's been very positive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Hamas said yesterday that it had, quote, submitted a positive response to a proposal for a 60 day ceasefire. CNN's Oren Liebermann is in a Hostage Square in Tel Aviv for us. Oren, I mean, no deal yet. Is there optimism? At the same time, a lot of humanitarian aid has not been reaching people in Gaza.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Fredricka, there have been two major developments over the course of the past 24 hours. The first, as you pointed out, is Hamas indicating late last night that they had responded positively to the latest proposal. That were ready to enter proximity talks.

The second development we learned about just moments ago where an Israeli official tells us that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved a delegation to go to Doha for those same proximity talks. Those are the final stages before a deal would be reached. Essentially, the negotiators going back and forth between Israel and Hamas to hammer out the final parts of a deal.

So these are very significant developments, and yet you're right to be cautious because they don't mean we're there yet until the final deal has been signed. Still, these are all very positive developments, which is what this crowd around me in the Hostage Square has been looking for.

This is the protest and the rally that's been happening pretty much every weekend, almost every weekend for more than the past year and a half, but they know this time is different. They have tracked the latest developments in in terms of negotiators pushing forward, the latest proposal put forward by Qatar earlier this week. And they know that this is a critical moment where the sides have to come together under the negotiators and, crucially, under President Donald Trump to get this deal over the line at this point.

We spoke to one of those who's been coming here regularly, and here is the position of not only her, but so many others we've talked to here.

ORLY EREZ-LIKHOVSKI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ISRAEL RELIGIOUS ACTION CENTER: Again, it's too bad that it's not going to be a whole deal that brings everyone back. I think the fact that those are, you know, sort of dividing to -- steps that are going to take for so long, that's very dangerous. But, obviously, it's better than, you know, nothing.

LIEBERMANN: The crowd here knows that it's only a partial deal. It's only half of the living hostages and about half of the deceased hostages. They are openly calling for all of the hostages, even if that means the end of the war. And this is what the rally is about.

But, crucially, they know a comprehensive deal is not on the table, so they're pushing the government and the country to take the deal that is on the table, to begin the process of releasing the remaining hostages, trying to pressure Netanyahu to agree to what Qatar has put forward now and to hammer out these final deals in proximity talks to get to a comprehensive framework.

What's interesting here, in terms of the signs we've seen this crowd has far more faith in Trump to make that deal happen than the Israeli Prime Minister.

WHITFIELD: All right. Oren Liberman in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. We're continuing to follow breaking news out of Central Texas where at least 27 people are dead from severe flash flooding, and officials say 27 girls from a summer camp in Kerr County are still missing.

Joining me right now is Nick Sorter, who is with the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer group primarily from the Louisiana region, assisting in recoveries and rescues in a variety of natural disasters.

Nick is joining us now live from Kerrville, Texas. So, Nick, what have been your observations? How have you all been able to help?

NICK SORTOR, UNITED CAJUN ARMY: You know, it's (inaudible) out here. I mean, the video has always (inaudible) to a justice. The people have lost everything. You know, if your house was even close to the riverbank, it's gone, swept off the foundation. At this point, we don't know how many people were even home when this happened.

If you were home and that happened, you probably got swept down the river. You know, driving up and down the riverbank, Camp Mystic, several miles down the road here, obviously, that's what we've been talking about a lot and that's what we've been focusing a lot of resources on is finding those missing children.

I just got back from Camp Mystic, and I'm telling you the how close that was to the riverbank. There's a cliff on one side, so the camp is trapped in between the cliff and the river. There was nowhere for these kids to go. The buildings were washed out, just carved out from the inside. If you were inside one of those buildings, if you were a thing or a person inside of those buildings, you got washed down the river.

And the, rescue operations with river boats, you can see all the debris everywhere in the water route here. Those trees that are in the way, you're constantly chainsaw, chainsaw, chainsaw to try to get down the river. That is hampering, relief efforts out here.

You can see the clouds are very low clouds, making helicopter rescues difficult as well. I mean, the weather is not cooperating today, and, you know, these guys are working hard out here. But it's sad to say it's really tough.

[13:50:00]

WHITFIELD: So, Nick, it sounds like for you and your group, you're spending most of your time just trying to traverse, trying to get from one point to the next. Have you actually been able to, you know, assist in, you know, rescues or recovery or, you know, has your focus been primarily trying to create paths, you know, for other rescue and recovery workers?

SORTOR: Yeah. So there's definitely there's several aspects to this. Right? So, you know, we have the -- like, special operations volunteers that are on the ground now. We had a second wave, the Cajun Navy did come in today with multiple airboats, which are almost -- you're really not going to get around with anything but an airboat in this water out here. It's too shallow, too much too much stuff in the way.

And then connectivity has been one of the biggest problems out here. Last night, you know, we've been out here, like, nonstop, since this started. And overnight, police weren't able to use their radios. You know, they hit the button. It would just beep and not do anything. They couldn't communicate with each other. It was, you know, pitch black. Cell phones didn't work, and so we were able to reconnect a lot of them using Starlink systems.

Starlink, contacted me today, and they said that they're going to be -- every law enforcement first responder vehicle in Kerr County out here is going to be equipped with a Starlink receiver by today. So a lot of those communication issues are have been working out, and the operation is being streamlined in that manner. But that was a huge hang up overnight.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So you've been an incredible conduit, you know, to help with the communications, you know, just as one aspect of what you're doing. And then, you know, just looking at some of the videotape that we've been running, I mean, the water is treacherous, along many portions of the river. You talk about your airboats. What are you all experiencing with your airboats, and what you're able to traverse, and what are the currents like? Talk to me about just kind of the conditions for -- that you've encountered.

SORTOR: Yeah. So the water is receding a little bit, and it's also it's moving slower now than it was this morning, especially. And so it -- sorry -- there's a lot of first responder activity right here, obviously.

And, you know, as the water goes down, though, it creates more and more and more obstacles, which, you know, means you're spending tons of time moving those obstacles out of the way just to be able to move a 100 feet down the river.

And luckily, there the state of Texas has mobilized dozens of additional airboats that have just gotten here recently from all across the state. Border Patrol is bringing up airboats as well. You have Coast Guard here that's just shown up recently. And so there are a lot of airboats that are being put in, you know, in various portions of the water.

But also another issue that's being run into, a lot of the boat ramps have been washed away. This this current was so strong. It picked up concrete and just ripped it and shoved it down the river. So, obviously, launching boats at some of these some of these areas is almost impossible. You know, I could sit here all day and name the conditions that are making this more and more difficult for rescuers, and time is precious right now especially when we're talking about the amount of missing children, these young girls who see these pictures, and it it's horrifying to even think about.

WHITFIELD: And all of us want to remain optimistic. But based on what you have been seeing, where is your level of optimism?

SORTOR: You know, look, every minute that goes by, it looks more and more bleak. There -- the number of missing children has not gone down significantly, unfortunately. I believe we're at nine dead, still over 20 missing, children. And, I haven't seen much movement on those numbers today.

I know there was luckily -- thank god, there was a rescue from a tree earlier this morning. I don't know if you guys have covered that or not, but 12 miles -- 12 miles this girl, went downstream and, and was able to be rescued after grabbing onto a tree. That is nothing short of a miracle. That is a long way in these treacherous waters.

You can see how strong these currents were looking at all the damage all over the place. It is it's remarkable that she was able to survive that. She beat the odds for sure.

WHITFIELD: Well, Nick Sortor, you're doing an amazing work. I know so many are so grateful that you are being the conduit in so many different facets of the rescue and recovery that continue. Thanks so much, for what you and the Cajun Navy are doing. SORTOR: Thank you guys for having us.

[13:55:00]

WHITFIELD: We'll have much more on the dangerous weather that is also brewing now near the South Carolina coast, a tropical depression has officially been upgraded to a tropical storm by the name of Chantal. CNN Meteorologist Chris Warren has more on what we can expect from this system.

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WARREN: We did see the system become a tropical storm during this morning as its storm has gotten much better organized, and it will be moving onshore tonight into early Sunday. And with that there will be a lot of rain.

Potential is there for flash flooding, but also expecting tropical storm force winds. Could see winds around 50 miles an hour by morning on Sunday, and then the rain and showers continue to work up the East Coast. And as it does work up the East Coast, we are going to be seeing some of the heavier rain move into the Northeast.

But before that, for the rest of today and into tomorrow at the beaches, going to see some rough surf, also some rip currents of possibility. And, again, that threat, Fredricka, for more flash flooding exists right into tomorrow.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Warren, thank you so much for that. And thank you for joining me today. We'll see you again in about an hour from now. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Smerconish begins next.

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