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At Least 51 Dead, 27 Campers Still Missing In Texas Floods; Residents Grapple With Devastation Left By Massive Floods; DHS Secy. Noem Says NWS, NOAA Tech Needs To Be Upgraded; More Rain Forecast For Texas Areas Hit By Deadly Floods. Noem Defends Federal Government Response to Texas; At Least 51 Killed in Texas Floods; Questions on Timing of Flash Flood Warnings. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired July 06, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:01:27]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Good morning and welcome to this special edition of CNN This Morning. I'm Boris Sanchez coming to you live from Hunt, Texas, where a desperate search is now underway following historic flash floods that have claimed the lives of more than 50 people, including more than a dozen children.

At this hour, dozens remain missing, including nearly 30 people believed to have been caught in floodwaters just outside where we are right now. This is Camp Mystic.

It's an all-girls summer camp in Kerr County, the hardest hit area, more than 40 fatalities coming in Kerr County. This camp is right on the Guadalupe River. You may actually hear it behind me. It overflowed after the amount of rain that usually falls in several months fell in a matter of hours. And all that water picked up through the Guadalupe River and rushed into this campsite extremely quickly.

You may be able to see the high water mark on the tree behind me, more than a dozen feet off the ground. It's reported that the Guadalupe River hit up to two dozen feet in a matter of hours.

On the way to the site this morning, we saw just a wide expense of damage. There were homes and businesses scarred, overturned vehicles on the side of the road, trees and debris lining the roadway. We also saw signs that this remains an active rescue effort, multiple emergency vehicles with Jon boats preparing for another day of searching when every hour at this point is precious as crews work to find any signs of life. And it is getting more complex because rain is on the way again.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott visited Mystic Camp yesterday and described the scene as horrendously ravaged. Here he is giving the public an update.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP) GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: We will be relentless in going after and ensuring that we locate every single person who's been a victim of this flooding event. We're not going to stop today or tomorrow. We will stop when the job is completed. Between now and whenever that day arrives when we -- when the job is completed, this is a 24-7 operation day and night.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

SANCHEZ: It is going to be some long days ahead for these folks. Residents are still grappling with the devastation left in the wake of these floods. We actually spoke to a local store owner who says that he'd never witnessed anything like it.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

FRANK, HUNT, TEXAS RESIDENT: I grew up with this storm. I've known -- like I said, I've danced here, I've been here, sat by the fireplace in a rocking chair and drank a beer. The devastation, there's just no words, Taylor (ph), that I can say that describe what I'm seeing.

My ranch, it was completely underwater. That the water got that high. Just unbelievable.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

SANCHEZ: Given the conditions on the ground, you can imagine how difficult it is for rescue crews. They've been battling poor conditions, debris and downed trees, as I mentioned a moment ago, blocking their boats and other rescue vehicles from reaching certain areas, areas that they are hoping to access very soon.

And now we're learning more rain could be on the way. In fact, on the way over here, we had to deal with a very harsh downpour. More of that is coming as this rescue effort continues.

[07:05:03]

We're joined now by Leigh Waldman. Leigh, walk us through the latest on these search and rescue efforts.

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, even in the darkness of these early morning hours, we saw half a dozen state troopers going down this road and then followed by a short time later, another half dozen pickup trucks. It looks like a rescue mission they're deploying out even in the darkness here.

We're waiting for the sun to rise so we can have a better view of Camp Mystic behind us. But Governor Greg Abbott was here yesterday. And while there's still more than 20 young girls missing, he says the efforts to find them won't stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DALTON RICE, KERRVILLE CITY MANAGER: We've been rescuing people out of these camps by the hundreds, you know, all day. WALDMAN (voice-over): Officials in the Texas Hill Country are calling rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of historic flooding a marathon. Authorities say more than 850 people have been brought to safety after the raging Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours Friday.

RICE: Our primary focus is on search and rescue of every single person involved and we'll continue through the night to make sure that happens.

WALDMAN (voice-over): At a local private Christian camp, Camp Mystic, 27 people are still missing. Families of four young campers have confirmed to CNN that their girls have died.

ROBERT KELLY, KERR COUNTY JUDGE: I got to see firsthand many of the body bags and it breaks my heart. And we didn't know. We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Local, state, and federal resources have been deployed to Central Texas to assist. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says they've deployed Coast Guard assets for around-the- clock search and rescue.

KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: That will be deployed so that the search and rescue efforts don't stop even when it does get dark at night.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Officials warn they expect the number of deaths to rise. The Kerr County Sheriff says several adult and child victims have yet to be identified.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WALDMAN: And Boris, where we are right now in the Texas Hill Country, it's a very tight-knit community between all of these small towns. People are donating their time, supplies, whatever they can do to try and help their neighbors in the wake of this historic flooding.

We know that there's going to be another update from the local officials here at about 10:00 local time. We're hoping to get some positive news on the search and recovery efforts.

SANCHEZ: Leigh Waldman, thank you so much for that update.

Dozens of families are facing a parent's worst nightmare as they search and wait for any sign of their missing kids. We're also hearing some miraculous stories about how some of the campers actually managed to escape the floods. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on what happened here at Camp Mystic.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris, as we stand here on the edge of the Guadalupe River and look out over Camp Mystic, those cabins that you see there in the distance on the left edge of the screen, these are some of the cabins that were in the worst of the harm's way as the floodwaters were rapidly rising. But those are the cabins where the youngest campers would spend their time. I've spoken with a number of counselors and other parents who had young children in here, and what they describe as a simply traumatizing scenario and seen as the middle of the night, 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., the kids were awoken by the thunder and lightning. They were terrified by the storm that was dumping, unbeknownst to them, massive amounts of rainfall that would send floodwaters rushing and filling up this entire area.

The counselors, young counselors, and we're talking about 18, 19-year- olds, so kids themselves in many ways, had the presence of mind to shatter the windows in the back and start pulling children out through those windows and climbing up that hill in their -- many of them were in their pajamas and getting those young kids to safety.

But despite all of that, there's still 27 of these campers that are still -- at least 27 still presumed missing. But the stories of heroics that these young girls did to save as many kids as possible in these incredibly traumatizing and dire situations is something that one parent described to me as simply heroic. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for that reporting.

The Trump administration is now working with state officials in Texas on disaster relief, on giving these folks a much-needed helping hand. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is in Texas. And yesterday, she said that President Donald Trump indicated he would honor Governor Greg Abbott's federal disaster declaration.

Governors typically request federal disaster declarations. They don't actually declare them themselves. Governor Abbott made the request on Saturday. The president and First Lady Melania Trump both offered condolences to the victims on social media as well, we should note.

Let's go to CNN's Camila DeChalus who joins us now. Camila, what else are we hearing from the White House?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN REPORTER: That's right. President Trump has said that he is going to work with state and local authorities to make sure that they get the resources that they need and really assist in these recovery efforts. And that even means giving federal aid.

[07:10:09]

But it's really important to note that they've also been a little bit on the defense when it comes to the National Weather Service. That is a federal agency that has played a critical role in forecasting whether events like these take place. And they've come under intense scrutiny, but it's also shined a light on their staffing levels.

Earlier this year, when the Trump administration came into office, there was a lot of staff cuts led by DOGE efforts, and that has brought a lot of questions on whether they were significantly prepared for this moment, which they say that their staffing was.

But it's also important to note that even the White House, the fiscal year 2026 budget that they put out for congressional approval, it showed that they were trying to eliminate all the research division in the NOAA and even close a lot of the forecasting agencies -- of forecasting offices that play a critical role in this.

Take a listen to the Homeland Security Kristi Noem kind of defend President Trump in saying that he instead wants to really focus on technology.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

NOEM: That is something and one of the reasons that when President Trump took office that he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology and the National Weather Service has indicated that with that and NOAA that we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years.

But I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that that may have felt like a failure to you.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

DECHALUS: Now, the National Weather Service on their part says that they had the proper staffing at the time and they did predict that this was going to happen and they did send out warnings. But it does shed a light at how important this federal agency is and how they should be adequately resourced and staffed in order to prepare for moments like this.

Boris, back to you.

SANCHEZ: Camila DeChalus, thank you so much for that reporting.

Search and rescue operations have found hundreds of people already. One of those who made it to safety was Ricky Gonzalez. He managed to escape his Airbnb, stuck in the middle of flushing rush -- flood -- rushing floodwaters, I should say. This is video that he actually shared with us. And he joins us now this morning.

Ricky, thank you so much for being with us. We're so glad that you're OK. I want to know, when did you first realize that something was wrong?

RICKY GONZALEZ, FLOOD SURVIVOR: Around this time, Monday or Friday morning, 4th of July, we were all at the Airbnb. We were in town for 4th of July and for a friend's birthday. And we were waking up by one of our dogs, Nash. He was pawing at the door. And a friend of mine, you know, just heard him and saw him, woke up, happened to open the curtain and saw one of our four vehicles being swept away.

And that's kind of when everything just kind of just became surreal. Everyone in the house woke up. All 13 of us that were in the house, we were, despite everything going on, it was pretty calm and collected. And we just went around just checking everything. We are -- we're on the second floor of the Airbnb and the water was coming up to the floor. So it was going really quickly and we were we were stranded. We were struck. There was one of the trucks that was merged underneath the house and was banging up against the pillar. So I was very worried that the house was either going to fall or the water was going to continue to rise. So everything happened so quickly.

What felt like, you know, two minutes was actually a two-hour ordeal for us. And we were saved by a family who just so happened to be driving by to check on some property that they had. And I was looking out the window, talking with my sister, you know, just letting her know what's going on. And she saw me. I waved at her and they went to the front.

They were able to access the house and were telling us, you know, the house was in bad shape. We need to get out. And thankfully, by that time, the water was going down enough for us way steep to be able to get out. And this family, the Garcia family, Paula and Leo, they took us in. They fed us. They made sure we were dry.

They drove us all the way to the San Antonio airport so we can rent vehicles since we didn't have any vehicles anymore. And they were just our guardian angels for this trip. And so many different things had to happen right on this trip in order for us to be safe.

The house next door was swept away. The poor little children in the camp and everyone. It's just we're one of the great, you know, the lucky ones. And we're extremely grateful for all the local support there in Kerrville. And despite everything going on, people still have a heart and are willing to help out strangers. So thank you to everyone out there.

SANCHEZ: Yes, I mean, you got so lucky first with the dog. What a great dog. And then with that family that was able to help you out.

[07:15:01]

I wonder, as all this is happening, you described it as two minutes -- that it felt like two minutes, but it was actually two hours. Talk to me about what's happening in your mind as all of this is going on around you.

GONZALEZ: So as soon as I was woken up, I immediately just went into, we need action mode. This is what we need to do. I made sure everyone was OK. Some of us don't know how to swim. The water was more than almost 30 feet deep. I can't swim personally.

So everyone, I just made sure -- we all made sure -- everyone came together, we made sure all the floaties were inflated, air mattresses, coolers, getting everything ready just in case that we need to, you know, survive, you know. All the windows were open up. I immediately went to attic just to make sure that we're -- there's a way for us to get on the roof.

Coming from Houston, I know during hurricane season, it's really bad. And Katrina, I saw those bad images. And thankfully, there were two big windows in the attic that were big enough to get all of us out. And so everyone was just on the phone, just getting everything done, ready to go.

And I was on FaceTime with my sister, basically giving my last goodbye, telling her where I was. And I was outside the window. I was showing her some of the concrete fences that were falling over by the pool. And if I wasn't there at that exact time, the neighbor wouldn't have seen me outside of the window.

So many different things had to go right between the dog, me being outside the window with the family. The vehicle lodged underneath the truck really blocked so much debris to come in and really knock out the pillars. So we definitely had people watching out for us and guardian angels.

And now that we're back in Houston with my friends and I, it's really just kind of, you know, hitting us what's going on and what happened, you know? It's like, whoa. And two hours, I was on the phone for two hours, but for me, it felt two minutes.

SANCHEZ: Yes, yes. I mean, and that's -- I can't imagine that you thought something like this could happen. You were getting ready to enjoy the 4th of July and then this crazy flood just shows up out of nowhere. Did you ever anticipate that you would be dealing with something like this?

GONZALEZ: No, not at all. I mean, we were there just to enjoy the river, hang out by the pool and just be there with my friends like we always do. Very close-knit group of friends. And at that moment of me getting ready, in my mind, it crossed that some of us aren't going to make it out alive.

In my mind, I was just thinking, whoa, I might see some of my friends pass away this morning. It was very surreal. And I just wanted to be focused. And we use humor a lot. And now that it's passed, it's really just kind of setting in.

And, you know, I joke around about, like, I wanted to go to the river, but I didn't want -- I wasn't expecting the river to come to us, jokingly, just to release some of the stress. But it was very -- I mean, we're lucky. A lot of people have had it a lot worse, but, you know, I'm just grateful that, you know, in Texas, we do come together as much as possible in these disasters.

And this isn't my first natural disaster, unfortunately, but, you know, we just have to find a silver lining in any moment, you know?

SANCHEZ: Yes. Ricardo Gonzalez, we're so glad that you're OK. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

GONZALEZ: You're welcome, Boris. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

So one of the difficult things about rescue in a situation like this is that there is debris everywhere and it is blocking access to certain areas. And it's going to get more difficult because more rain is in the forecast for the areas in Texas hit hardest by the deadly floods. And as search and rescue enters its third day, any additional rain just complicates those efforts.

Let's go live to Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin who's been tracking this storm system. Tyler, what's the latest?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So Boris, we have rain on radar in the area right now. I know you mentioned earlier, you drove through one of those downpours to get to where you are right now. There are more in the way of scattered showers in the area. These should die off, but come right back later this afternoon.

Once we start hitting our daily highs in the area, you start seeing temperatures in the low to mid 90s. Presto, you get those summertime thunderstorms. So we are going to see more in the way of rain.

We are not going to see anywhere as much rain as we saw on Friday. Sure, that will exacerbate any issues that we've seen so far. That's why we have a slight risk for some flash flooding and a flash flood watch in effect until later this afternoon.

But the Guadalupe River is well below flood stage now. And any of this rain, yes, it will exacerbate issues, but it's not going to spark a repeat of what we saw on Friday. So we are going to see some afternoon thunderstorms today. We'll likely see some afternoon thunderstorms on Monday as well. And then some drier air comes in and it helps end this rain machine. We'll actually see some drier conditions and some sunnier skies come our way in central Texas.

How much rain are we looking at for the next 24 to 48 hours? Roughly 2 to 4 inches. So it pales in comparison to what we saw on Friday. Again, we're not going to see a repeat of what we saw on Friday at all.

[07:20:04]

And then after Monday, Boris, you can see on the seven-day forecast in the area, the sunshine returns and that rain, it finally comes to an end.

SANCHEZ: Now that sunshine can't get here quickly enough.

Tyler Mauldin, thank you so much for bringing us the forecast.

Still to come this morning, dozens killed, dozens still missing after historic flooding in Texas. We have a look at disaster response from state and federal emergency responders. Don't go anywhere. We're back in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:15]

SANCHEZ: Amid major cuts to National Weather Service and NOAA and other federal agencies that monitor and track and warn folks about the weather, HHS Secretary Kristi Noem is defending the government's response to the disaster in Texas. Kristi Noem says that President Trump is, quote, "currently upgrading technology at the National Weather Service."

However, the president's mega bill, which he just signed into law on Friday, makes cuts and even closes some weather research labs that help make forecast improvements. A local meteorologist tells us the area is so prone to flooding here in Central Texas, it's known as Flash Flood Alley. And local officials say because the area is so sparsely populated that no one was there to warn folks of what was coming downstream.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KELLY: Going to be a long time before we're ever going to be able to clean it up, much less rebuild it. But there's nothing on the other side of craters. It's just hill country. And we didn't know. We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now to discuss is former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Administrator, thank you so much for being with us. The National Weather Service, we've learned, sent out early morning warnings about life-threatening flooding. But officials say they would have had a difficult time figuring out how serious this threat would be. Given what we know now about the forecasts and the warnings that were put out, do you think there was a breakdown between forecasting and local preparedness?

DEANNE CRISWELL, FORMER FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Good morning, Boris. You know, I just want to first start by saying how much my heart breaks right now for all of those families in Texas and watching what's going on. We continue to see so many of these types of severe weather events just intensify at a rate that isn't expected.

And I think, you know, my opinion is that we need to continue to invest in the research that's needed because the types and the strength of these storms keeps breaking records and keeps surprising people because of the impacts from the changing climate. And so, you know, whether there was breakdown or not, I wasn't there, so I can't say. But I know that we need to continue the research so we can better understand how these storms are intensifying and what the damage potentially could be from them.

SANCHEZ: Do you have any awareness or understanding of what the secretary is describing in terms of technology upgrades that are needed? Obviously, National Weather Service, a separate agency, but nevertheless, it seems like she's insinuating that this is a long-held problem. I wonder if you had ever been aware of it.

CRISWELL No, I personally have not. I mean, the National Weather Service has amazing forecast centers, right? You have -- we use a lot, the National Hurricane Center, there's the National Water Center, there's the Storm Prediction Center, and it's a combination of technology and scientists that come together to understand these storms. And so, whether or not they have technology that needs to be updated, I don't know. I mean, technology changes so rapidly that there's certainly a possibility that technology needed to be updated, but we also need to have the people that can use it and understand and look at these storms and understand how they're going to react and where they're going to provide the most impact.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And to that point, I'd recently spoken with officials with the National Weather Service who had been warning that a lot of areas are understaffed, in part, because of DOGE cuts. We also have the president signing the Big Beautiful Bill Act into law, which guts a number of different programs.

The president has been direct in his view that federal emergency response should be handled by the states. He has a very different perspective of what the last four decades or so of federal emergency response has been. I wonder what your concerns might be about having states, individual states, look after folks when things like this happen, because these incidents are of enormous scale. I wonder if you think that that would be an impediment to getting folks the help that they need.

CRISWELL: Boris, it's important to remember that states and local jurisdictions have always had the responsibility to take care of the people in their communities. I was a local emergency manager in Colorado, as well as in New York. And every one of these types of events starts and ends with that local emergency manager. And then the state comes in to assist. And that's what we're seeing happen in Texas right now.

And Texas is a very capable state. You know, I had to talk to Governor Abbott many times because of the severe weather that we experienced during my time as administrator. And he has a great team and they do a good job of getting out there. But we see these events continue to become so significant and exceed expectations that even a state like Texas needs some assistance, right.

And so, how is that assistance going to continue to be able to be offered and deployed to communities that need it timely, right? We need to get resources in there as quickly as possible to help with search and rescue, but also this massive debris removal effort that's going to have to happen in the next days, weeks, or even months after a storm like this.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, we have to leave the conversation there. We're so grateful to get your perspective. Thanks for joining us.

CRISWELL: Thanks Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still to come, search and rescue operations are still underway in Central Texas, and rain is in the forecast that could make things much more difficult. We're going to take a closer look at where efforts stand after a quick break. We're back in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:35:00]

SANCHEZ: Historic flooding and now a frantic search for survivors in Central Texas is our breaking story. We're bringing you live updates from Texas Hill Country. Here's what we know so far, at least 51 people have died, including 15 kids when the Guadalupe River surged over its banks following torrential rain. Several months of rain falling in just a matter of hours.

And more rain is forecasted today as search and rescue teams race to find some 27 missing children from where we are right now, Camp Mystic. This is a girl's summer camp and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says, the Trump administration is committed to using federal resources to help after Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested federal aid.

Just minutes ago, Pope Leo actually used his Sunday morning prayer to express condolences for Texas flooding victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPE LEO XIV: I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular, their daughters who were at summer camp in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And now, the search here continues in the Texas Hill Country after this catastrophic flash flooding. Hundreds of search and rescue crews are now combing the miles of riverbanks along the Guadalupe River. They are on foot and in the air, even on horseback, looking for any survivors or to bring family's closure, those that are desperately waiting for answers.

Reporter Gage Goulding from affiliate KPRC reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAGE GOULDING, KPRC: Search crews are using every single resource that they have available in their toolbox. They are dealing with some of the most difficult and rugged terrain. On Saturday, throughout our journey in Kerr County, we ran into many search crews that are doing just that. They are trying to find survivors, but for at least two of the crews that we met up with, they found victims of this flooding here in the Hill Country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just haven't felt the urge to do something like this and felt the fight or flight since I was at war in the military.

GOULDING (voice-over): Everyone has their own reason, their own drive to help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, so the family has closure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Closure. They know where they're missing. They're not missing. They know where they're at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They know they were found.

GOULDING (voice-over): Here, we call that Texans helping Texans. And by the hundreds they came out in the Hill Country to find their neighbors, their friends, people from the next town or two over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Odds are, it hasn't been searched, so we're going to give our efforts. And, yes, well hopefully it turns out something positive.

GOULDING (voice-over): Gary Hugo and his buddy paddling up the Guadalupe River. They started here in Center Point, getting a unique perspective of the now torn up river banks that twist and turn to these small communities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking for survivors. I'm looking for unfortunate non-survivors so they can have a final resting place.

GOULDING (voice-over): On the banks, people hiking, looking in the now gigantic piles of tree trucks and torn up trucks that litter the river. In the sky, helicopters are scanning for anything that might lead them to answers. And on horseback, volunteers are bringing those answers to families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We decided we should look in that spot a little bit more before we went back down, and that's when we found it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, the girl that was with us was like, I feel like we need to really look like I'm drawn to this tree, and sure enough she was right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I walked up and he was kind of hesitant and we looked down and there she was. Different. Yes, it takes a while to process it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We covered her with a towel.

GOULDING (voice-over): That's the reality of what our first responders and volunteers are seeing. It's incredibly hard and emotional, but one they find closure for a family.

GOULDING: Now, here comes one of the most difficult and challenging parts of this search and rescue mission, the nighttime. Make no mistake, this is an around the clock effort. However, a lot of those search crews will turn in and they'll get a fresh start in the morning and that's exactly when we also expect to hear from the governor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks to Gage for that report. For more information on how you can help Texas flood victims, you should go to cnn.com/impact right now or text flood to 70-70-70. You've seen just how devastating these floods have been. If you can help -- lend a helping hand, now would be a great time to do so.

[07:40:00]

There are still questions being raised about the warnings that people got about these floods and when specifically they got them. Coming up, we're going to dig into the timeline of this devastating disaster. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Given the human toll of this disaster in Central Texas, this historic flooding, at least 51 killed, some 30 plus missing.

[07:45:00]

27 coming from Camp Mystic, where we are. There are questions this morning, surfacing about the systems in place to warn residents about flash floods and the timing of the alerts that were sent out.

Let's go to CNN Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin to walk us through when these warnings were first issued. Tyler, what do you know?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, Boris, Thursday afternoon, the local National Weather Service office in Central Texas started seeing signs of a serious situation, potentially on the horizon. At that time, Thursday afternoon, they did issue a broad aerial flash flood watch. And then shortly after midnight, in the wee hours of Friday, they began issuing their flash flood warnings. Shortly around midnight, around 1:00 a.m.

In total between midnight Friday and lunchtime on Friday, the National Weather Service Office issued more than two dozen flash flood warnings for this entire area, including in the Kerrville area that also included four flash flood emergencies as well. It's important to note that this happened during the overnight hours of Friday. So, a lot of people were asleep, unfortunately, when this event started to evolve.

Now, as it did, it was tapping on some really deep tropical moisture which led to this system -- because it wasn't going anywhere, dropping approximately a foot of rainfall in Central Texas. Some areas, Boris, seeing more than a foot.

SANCHEZ: And Tyler, how did the drought that Texas has been experiencing play a role in this?

MAULDIN: Yes, it seems a little counterintuitive, doesn't it? Because this area was under an exceptional drought. So, when you think of an exceptional drought, you think of some very dry soil and that soil is just -- it just needs some rainfall, right?

However, too much rainfall, too quickly, no matter how much rain you see is going to lead to some issues. So, when you have an exceptional drought like this in Central Texas, the ground is essentially like concrete. And you know what happens in a major city when you just pick up a couple of inches in an hour or so, you start seeing some standing water on the roadways. Same thing here, except this was exceptional, right? So, you've got this drought, the very arid ground. Nothing wants to seep through. And then you pick up a foot of rainfall in short order, presto, you go from river level of less than a foot to more than 22 feet in a matter of two to three hours. And that is what led to this absolutely devastating impact in Central Texas.

SANCHEZ: Yes, devastating is right, especially here at Camp Mystic where we see the high watermark behind us, quite high. Especially in comparison to some of the cabins where we know these campers had been staying. Tyler Mauldin, thank you so much for that context.

The National Weather Service is defending itself regarding the alerts that it issued and the timing of them. Kristina Dahl, the Vice President of Climate Central, addressed the role of staffing at NWS and other federal agencies and whether cuts are potentially impacting forecasts.

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KRISTINA DAHL, VP FOR SCIENCE, CLIMATE CENTRAL: I think it's too early to say. We do know that the National Weather Service issued multiple warnings about flood risk, and so clearly, they were getting messages out. They do have a vacancy right now in a critical position called the Warning Coordination Meteorologist.

And so, it could be that that vacancy had, you know, connections to local authorities who could have helped to raise the early warnings for residents. But generally, weather forecast office for the National Weather Service has someone on staff, 24 hours watching the radar to see what is happening in terms of precipitation, rainfall, other threats.

And there are national weather service offices throughout the country that because of staffing cuts are no longer staffing their offices 24 hours a day. And so, we need these critical people to be keeping us safe 24 hours a day in every one of these offices across the country.

And the second piece of this is that staffing cuts at NOAA, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more broadly are threatening the future ability to forecast events better. Forecasting a storm like this one. Where exactly is the heaviest rain going to fall? How is it going to translate from rain into flooding?

These are extremely challenging problems scientifically, and it's the research of NOAA that enables us to improve our forecasts year over year so that we can more accurately pinpoint the warnings that need to go out to the public.

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SANCHEZ: Our breaking news coverage will continue in just a moment. 51 people losing their lives in this flooding here in Hill Country in Texas. We're going to tell you about some of the victims when we come back.

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SANCHEZ: As the death toll from the devastating flooding in Central Texas rises to at least 51, we're learning more about some of the victims and we want to share their stories with you. This is Reece Zunker and his wife Paula. They are two of the people who perished in these historic floods. Reece was actually the coach for the boys soccer team at Tivy High School in Kerrville.

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A tribute on the team's Facebook page said, quote, "Coach Reece Zunker was not just a soccer coach, he was a mentor, a teacher, and a role model for our Kerrville kids."

We also want to tell you about 13-year-old Blair Harber who you see pictured there on the left. On the right is her sister, 11-year-old Brooke Harber. Their father tells us that his two daughters died in the flooding. They were not at Camp Mystic.

But nevertheless, RJ Harber says that Blair, quote, "Was a gifted student and had a generous kind heart." He described Brooke as someone who people gravitated to and who would light up a room. RJ says that his own parents, Charlene and Mike Harber are currently missing and he believes that they also have perished as a result of these floods.

Obviously, our thoughts are with all of the victims and their families. This is going to be a difficult time for Central Texas, not only as more families get the horrendous news that no family wants to get, but also as the search continues for those who may be alive. Our special coverage continues.

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