Houston - Saba:
Flash floods caused by torrential rains that hit central Texas have killed at least 30 people. Authorities confirmed that more than 13,000 others have been rescued, while more than 20 girls participating in a summer camp remain missing.
Authorities imposed a curfew in Houston, the hardest-hit city in Texas so far, in anticipation of looting.
Authorities confirmed that the rescue operation for residents trapped in their homes by the floods is ongoing, and that approximately 20,000 people remain in temporary shelters.
Torrential rains caused by Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas a few days ago, submerged a large area in the southeast of the state.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick stated that some of the dead were children.
Patrick said that "about 23 girls" from the Mystic camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which rose eight meters in 45 minutes overnight, have not been found.
"That doesn't mean they're lost," he added. "They may have climbed trees or lacked communication."
Local and federal officials warned residents against traveling to the area, where camps are scattered along the river, with dozens of roads blocked.
Videos on social media showed homes swept away by flash floods caused by heavy rains.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared a video on Twitter showing a rescue worker hanging from a helicopter pulling a person from the top of a tree trapped by floodwaters.
Approximately 500 rescuers and 14 helicopters were deployed, with support from the Texas National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for south-central Kerr County, urging residents to avoid any travel and urging those living near the Guadalupe River to "move to higher ground."
California Fires
In California, authorities announced Thursday that more than 300 firefighters are battling the largest wildfire California has seen this year, expressing fears of an extremely dangerous summer threatening the state.
The Madre Fire broke out Wednesday in San Luis Obispo County, a rural area located in the central part of the state.
Authorities have issued evacuation orders for approximately 200 people in the area, where the flames threaten dozens of structures.
But even more serious than the potential damage is the rapid spread of the fire. In just 24 hours, the flames burned nearly 213 square kilometers, according to the latest bulletin issued by the state fire department.
California Governor Gavin Newsom's office said in a post on the X platform that "the state will always be there to protect all communities, regardless of where the fire is burning."
The office announced that reinforcements were being sent to San Luis Obispo to help fight the blaze.
This fire comes after several other fires in California in recent days that have prompted evacuations and raised concerns about a difficult summer ahead for the state.
Southern California experienced unusually dry winter and spring, leaving vegetation today as dry as it would be in the middle of summer, according to Daniel Swain, an extreme weather expert at the University of California, Los Angeles.
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