At least 51 dead in Texas floods, with dozens still missing from summer camp

The number of deaths blamed on the flooding in Texas has risen to 51 tonight.

The tally includes the latest confirmed deaths — two from Burnet County.

Kerr County has reported 28 adults and 15 children deceased, Travis County has counted four deaths, Kendall and Tom Green counties have confirmed one each, and the Burnet County Emergency Management coordinator said in a statement that two fatalities have been confirmed tonight.

Multiple people are still missing, and the death toll could continue to rise.

Central Texas was inundated with several inches of rain yesterday as unstable air produced thunderstorms, but rising waters may have been punctuated by the nearly instant rush of a "flood wave."

A flood wave is "a rise in streamflow to a crest and its subsequent recession caused by precipitation, snowmelt, dam failure, or reservoir releases," according to the National Weather Service.

In video posted to Facebook yesterday, verified by NBC News, a flood wave appears to roll along the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas.

Taken from the vantage point of the Center Point Bridge, the roaring wave appears as a broken ocean wave might appear: roiling, foamy and white. It covers the wet river bottom and instantly brings additional inches of depth to the Guadalupe as it froths along the banks.

A forecaster for NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio said today that flood waves of 25 to 40 mph can strike the Guadalupe during flash flood events.

“It’s literally a situation that’s unique to a flash flood area,” the forecaster said.

In a study of 2011 Mississippi River flooding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded that most observed flood damage was a result of an initial flood wave. They can damage structures, ruin crops and disable roads and bridges, the corps said.

Alamo Heights Independent School District Superintendent Dana Bashara acknowledged the impact of the more than two dozen missing children on the academic community.

Bashara released a statement noting that the tragedy at Camp Mystic impacted many families in the area and said "the ripple effects will of this loss will be felt across our entire community." Alamo Heights is a suburb of San Antonio, located in Bexar County.

"We also want to acknowledge that many of our students were campers at other locations along the river and experienced the fear and trauma of yesterday's events first hand," Bashara wrote.

The district is offering counseling through both the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas and Alamo Heights Baptist Church, the superintendent's statement said.

The statewide death toll from flooding in Texas rose to 49 this evening.

The latest fatality was reported in San Angelo, a city in West Texas along the Concho River, about 200 miles west-northwest of Austin.

The body of Tanya Burwick, 62, was found "several blocks" from her flooded vehicle early today, San Angelo police said in a statement. She was last seen driving yesterday in an area that flooded, police said.

Her vehicle was found yesterday "submerged beneath the floodwaters," but she wasn't inside, the department said.

Search efforts reached into the evening but were suspended until this morning, when her body was found, police said.

So far, Burwick's death is the sole confirmed death from the flood event in Tom Green County. Twenty-eight adults and 15 children have died in Kerr County, four people are confirmed dead in Travis County and one person is dead in Kendall County, officials said.

The death toll in Travis County has risen to four, according to the county's public information office.

Additionally, at least 13 people have been reported missing as of this evening.

That brings the statewide total death toll to 48 following an update earlier tonight in confirmed fatalities in Kerr and Kendall counties.

A second reunification center has been opened in the city of Kerrville, this one specifically for people looking for information on missing loved ones unrelated to those who were at Camp Mystic.

The Calvary Temple Church opened this evening for those who are looking for unaccounted for friends and family, according to a Facebook post from the Kerrville Police Department.

"Additionally, the Dam Smoking Food Truck is there with food for anyone who needs a meal, no charge," the post said.

The church also posted that it was working with the Salvation Army and Red Cross, "doing everything we can to support our community during this challenging time."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed concerns over whether the federal government did enough to warn Texans about the deadly floods.

When asked by a reporter — who identified himself as a resident of Kerrville —if the federal government's foresight around the storm was a "failure," Noem said at a press conference alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that “everybody knows that the weather is extremely difficult to predict."

"The National Weather Service over the years, at times, has done well, and at times, we have all wanted more time and more warning and more alerts and more notification," she said. "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."

At least 47 deaths have been confirmed across Texas as of tonight, as severe flooding continues to hit the south-central area of the state.

Kerr County, near San Antonio, has been hit the hardest so far, reporting at least 43 people dead, including 15 children.

Kendall County, also on the outskirts of San Antonio, said it had confirmed one fatality but did not provide details on the deceased.

Travis County, where the city of Austin is located, reported three confirmed deaths as of this afternoon. No additional details were provided, but the county's public information office said another 11 people are missing.

The death toll in Kerr County is now 43 people, including at least 15 children, Sherif Larry Leitha told reporters at a press conference tonight.

Of the 43 found dead, 28 are adults, with a dozen still pending identification. The identities of five of the children are also still pending, officials said.

Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, county officials said.