Texas, Flash Flood and Guadalupe River
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The Guadalupe River has risen to catastrophic levels in the same area three times in the past century, impacting camps and campers each time.
The Guadalupe River has a history of deadly flooding. Here is a look over the decades. (AP video Marshall Ritzel/Albee Zhang)
As Texas mourns lives lost in the recent Hill Country floods, a survivor of the 1987 Guadalupe River flood that killed 10 North Texas teens shares her story of survival, grief, and hope. NBC 5’s Allie Spillyards reports.
The region of Texas where flash flooding killed more than 90 people -- including dozens of campers -- is known for its tendency to experience flood emergencies.
A major flood event also struck the Texas Hill Country in July of 1987 after a series of 17 thunderstorms moved slowly, in succession, over the headwaters of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of rain fell on the flood-prone areas, now deemed “Flash Flood Alley,” according to a National Weather Service report.
Teens at the Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp near Comfort, Texas, were swamped by a wall of water as they tried to escape.
The devastation in Texas Hill Country isn't the first time Americans have mourned the victims of deadly floodwaters.
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The Texas Tribune on MSNHills, rivers and rocky terrain: Why the Hill Country keeps floodingWhen storms roll in, water rushes downhill fast, gaining speed and force as it moves — often with deadly results.