82 dead in devastating Texas floods, Donald Trump's visit likely | 5 points

Here's what to know about the deadly Texas flooding in and around Kerr County and ongoing efforts to identify victims as well as survivors.

The Texas floods have claimed dozens of lives and the death toll continues to climb as the devastation along the Guadalupe River prompted a massive search and rescue operation to find those who went missing after being swept away by floodwater.

Rescuers paddle an inflatable boat as they search along a waterway following flash flooding, in Kerrville, Texas. (REUTERS)

Several people are still missing, including girls from the Camp Mystic Summer camp and an unknown number of July 4 victims. Officials are facing questions over their preparedness and speed, while US President Donald Trump is planning to visit the affected area after signing a disaster declaration.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

Texas floods: Death toll rises, Donald Trump likely to visit| 5 points

• The death toll in the catastrophic Texas floods has risen to 82 as of Sunday, with most of the devastation centred in Kerr County, where 28 children have died, Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Sunday. The death toll is expected to rise even further.
• The number of missing people is uncertain. Governor Greg Abbott said that 41 people were confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. 10 girls from Camp Mystic are still to be found.
• Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings, the Associated Press reported. Officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 AM or told to evacuate. On the other hand, officials say that people could become weary of too many flooding alerts and forecasts for things that may turn out to be minor.
• President Donald Trump has said that he would probably visit the area affected by the Texas floods on Friday. He also signed a disaster declaration for Texas: "It's a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas," he told reporters as he left New Jersey.
• A frantic search operation is going on to locate those who are still missing, including a young woman named Joyce Bandon, who sent a text message to her family that may have been her last: "Their house collapsed at about 4 in the morning and they were being washed away. On her cellphone, the last message (her family) got was 'we're being washed away' and the phone went dead," Louis Deppe, leader of a group of volunteers trying to help her family, told AFP news agency.