A beloved soccer coach and his wife have been confirmed among those killed by the devastating floods sweeping Texas, as the death toll surpasses 50 people.
The ongoing deluge which started on July 3 has taken the lives of at least 52 people, including 15 children, while destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
Soccer coach Reece Zunker and his wife Paula died in the horrific torrent – and their two young children are still missing.
The couple’s family and local soccer team confirmed their deaths on social media, while one relative said their house was spotted ‘floating down the Guadalupe River’.
It comes as residents have started questioning why officials failed to warn them about the floods until 1.18pm on July 3, and framed them as only ‘moderate’ storms.
The National Weather Service escalated the alert to a flash flood warning at 1am Friday, then a more serious Flash Flood Emergency by 4.30am – but by this stage water was already pouring into families’ homes.
A flood watch remains in place for many of the worst-hit areas of central Texas through Sunday, including Kerrville County where the majority of the deaths have been recorded. Forecasters have warned that more rain is on the way.
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