For the first time in more than 30 years, drum corps is alive and well in Hutchinson — and the Sky Ryders are proving that rebuilding an iconic name starts at the ground level.

The corps has been rehearsing up to 10 hours a day since arriving on June 30 for its two-week training camp, wrapping up with a dress rehearsal on July 7 before hitting the road the next morning. Their short but impactful summer tour will take them to three Drum Corps International (DCI) SoundSport shows in Ankeny and Dubuque, Iowa, and Illinois before returning home on July 12.

It’s the second year the Sky Ryders have fielded a SoundSport ensemble — a division designed for developing groups with flexible instrumentation and performance lengths. It’s a starting point with big dreams attached.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/c601e85c-4c6d-41bd-a6b3-525c9dd64bdb">LINK:&nbsp;Sky Ryders to host free dress rehearsal performance at Gowans Stadium on Monday</a>

“The goal is to grow this step by step,” said Dale Antoine of the Sky Ryders. “This year is about getting kids on the road, giving them the experience of being a drum corps member, and laying the groundwork for the future. We hope to move into DCI’s Open Class in the next two years — but that depends on funding, logistics, and where the tour goes.”

This summer’s group includes 76 marching members, up from 68 last year. They come from across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, ranging in age from 14 to 21. While world-class drum corps tend to average members aged 18 to 19 — and many now won’t accept minors at all — the Sky Ryders see value in cultivating young talent early.

“There are only two kids here who’ve marched drum corps before,” Craig said. “So this really is a building block. We’re mixing kids with all levels of experience — but they’re all learning what it means to be a team.”

SoundSport allows the corps to keep its wind players for now — something that will need to change if they advance to Open Class, where only brass and percussion are permitted with one specialty instrument allowed. But for now, it’s all about accessibility.

“We’re not chasing perfection right now,” Antoine said. “We’re focused on giving the kids a positive experience. Hopefully, they’ll stick with it, grow their skills, and maybe pick up a new instrument if they want to move up.”

Putting a corps on the road isn’t cheap. The group’s operating budget this year is expected to come in around $135,000, a far cry from the $1.5 million a world-class corps might spend — but still a big leap for a program revived just two years ago.

Much of the equipment is borrowed from supportive schools, and community partners like the Hutchinson Community Foundation, the local school district and area band directors have stepped up to help. Marching fees are kept as low as possible — about $750 for each member — compared to upwards of $6,000 for world-class corps. Even so, basic expenses add up quickly, from bus rentals to borrowed tubas.

While the Sky Ryders missed out on hosting a local DCI show this summer — due to changes in the tour model — the goal is to bring one back to Hutchinson next season.

“Drum corps hasn’t had a home here for three decades,” Antoine said. “It takes time to rebuild. We’re trying to grow it organically, keep it affordable, and get more local kids involved. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished already.”

When the buses roll out on July 8, it won’t just be about the scores. For this corps, every mile on the road is another step toward reviving a legacy — one rookie marcher at a time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751775147024.jpeg" alt="Abby Linton, this year's Sky Ryders drum major, awaits instruction during a practice on Saturday evening practice. (Hutch Post Photo / Marc Jacobs" />
 <figcaption>Abby Linton, this year's Sky Ryders drum major, awaits instruction during a practice on Saturday evening practice. (Hutch Post Photo / Marc Jacobs</figcaption>
 </figure>For the first time in more than 30 years, drum corps is alive and well in Hutchinson — and the Sky Ryders are proving that rebuilding an iconic name starts at the ground level.The corps has been rehearsing up to 10 hours a day since arriving on June 30 for its two-week training camp, wrapping up with a dress rehearsal on July 7 before hitting the road the next morning. Their short but impactful summer tour will take them to three Drum Corps International (DCI) SoundSport shows in Ankeny and Dubuque, Iowa, and Illinois before returning home on July 12.It’s the second year the Sky Ryders have fielded a SoundSport ensemble — a division designed for developing groups with flexible instrumentation and performance lengths. It’s a starting point with big dreams attached.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/c601e85c-4c6d-41bd-a6b3-525c9dd64bdb">LINK:&nbsp;Sky Ryders to host free dress rehearsal performance at Gowans Stadium on Monday</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751776881767.jpeg" alt="Sky Ryders.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Sky Ryders.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>“The goal is to grow this step by step,” said Dale Antoine of the Sky Ryders. “This year is about getting kids on the road, giving them the experience of being a drum corps member, and laying the groundwork for the future. We hope to move into DCI’s Open Class in the next two years — but that depends on funding, logistics, and where the tour goes.”This summer’s group includes 76 marching members, up from 68 last year. They come from across Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, ranging in age from 14 to 21. While world-class drum corps tend to average members aged 18 to 19 — and many now won’t accept minors at all — the Sky Ryders see value in cultivating young talent early.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720005977685.jpeg" alt="A historical picture of the Hutchinson Sky Ryders drumline-Provided by Dale Antoine" />
 <figcaption>A historical picture of the Hutchinson Sky Ryders drumline-Provided by Dale Antoine</figcaption>
 </figure>“There are only two kids here who’ve marched drum corps before,” Craig said. “So this really is a building block. We’re mixing kids with all levels of experience — but they’re all learning what it means to be a team.”SoundSport allows the corps to keep its wind players for now — something that will need to change if they advance to Open Class, where only brass and percussion are permitted with one specialty instrument allowed. But for now, it’s all about accessibility.“We’re not chasing perfection right now,” Antoine said. “We’re focused on giving the kids a positive experience. Hopefully, they’ll stick with it, grow their skills, and maybe pick up a new instrument if they want to move up.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720006008963.jpeg" alt="A historical picture of the Hutchinson Sky Ryders horn section-Provided by Dale Antoine" />
 <figcaption>A historical picture of the Hutchinson Sky Ryders horn section-Provided by Dale Antoine</figcaption>
 </figure>Putting a corps on the road isn’t cheap. The group’s operating budget this year is expected to come in around $135,000, a far cry from the $1.5 million a world-class corps might spend — but still a big leap for a program revived just two years ago.Much of the equipment is borrowed from supportive schools, and community partners like the Hutchinson Community Foundation, the local school district and area band directors have stepped up to help. Marching fees are kept as low as possible — about $750 for each member — compared to upwards of $6,000 for world-class corps. Even so, basic expenses add up quickly, from bus rentals to borrowed tubas.While the Sky Ryders missed out on hosting a local DCI show this summer — due to changes in the tour model — the goal is to bring one back to Hutchinson next season.“Drum corps hasn’t had a home here for three decades,” Antoine said. “It takes time to rebuild. We’re trying to grow it organically, keep it affordable, and get more local kids involved. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished already.”When the buses roll out on July 8, it won’t just be about the scores. For this corps, every mile on the road is another step toward reviving a legacy — one rookie marcher at a time.

Sky Ryders gears up for first tour in decades

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — The death toll from flash floods that rampaged through Central Texas rose to at least 67 on Sunday as rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain found more bodies and continued their desperate search for many others, including 11 missing girls from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">a summer camp</a>.

Searchers in Kerr County have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, said Sheriff Larry Leitha. The dead included 21 children, he said.

He pledged to keep searching in that Hill Country region until “everybody is found” from Friday’s flash floods.

Four deaths also were reported in Travis County, three in Burnet and 1 in Kendall.

Rescuers dealt with broken trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in the difficult task to find survivors. Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the 11 children and a camp counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp.

Families were allowed to look around the camp Sunday morning while nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches out of the water as they searched along a riverbank. Thunder rumbled from a new storm.

A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.

With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.

Authorities faced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-floods-hill-country-weather-warnings-238d4325bb58f0b410015f74684738b6">growing questions</a>&nbsp;about whether enough warnings were issued in area long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;and whether enough preparations were made.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive, fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He&nbsp;<a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/DISASTER_Hill_Country_flood_Day_of_Prayer_IMAGE_07-05-2025.pdf" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;Sunday a day of prayer for the state.

“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History’s first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, “I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”

The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday.

Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn’t reach them.

At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road.

Locals know the area as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood</a>&nbsp;alley” but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings.

The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flash-flood-hill-country-climate-change-6f16e4c4413c3795094553269f059120">months’ worth of rain</a>&nbsp;for the area.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris Saturday in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors, including 27 girls who have not been seen since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">their camp was slammed with a wall of water</a>&nbsp;in a historic flash flood.

The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties.

Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive, fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.

Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said earlier.

Raging storm hit camp in middle of the night

“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

The raging storm, fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flash-flood-hill-country-climate-change-6f16e4c4413c3795094553269f059120">incredible amounts of moisture</a>, woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.

Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road.

The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.

AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.

“These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,” AccuWeather said in a statement. It called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before wrapping up their second summer session Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, called it a once-in-a-century flood and acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.

Helicopters and drones used in frantic search

Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” Rice said.

Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last 36 hours and there were heroic efforts at the camps to save children.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were assisting to ensure operations can continue even in darkness.

One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.

“We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much,” said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teen son.

“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.

Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson.

“I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,” he said.

Locals know the place as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood</a>&nbsp;alley.”

“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. “It rushes down the hill.”

The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.

“We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official.

The county had considered a flood warning system on the river similar to a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, but Kelly said the idea never got off the ground and the cost would have been an issue.

Kelly said he was heartbroken seeing body bags at the funeral home and the devastation on the ground during a helicopter tour.

“The rescue has gone as well as can be expected. It’s getting time now for the recovery,” he said. “And that’s going to be a long, toilsome task for us.”

Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751800122218.png" alt="Image from Texas Parks and Wildlife video" />
 <figcaption>Image from Texas Parks and Wildlife video</figcaption>
 </figure>KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — The death toll from flash floods that rampaged through Central Texas rose to at least 67 on Sunday as rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain found more bodies and continued their desperate search for many others, including 11 missing girls from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">a summer camp</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">View of the Guadalupe River shows the devastating impacts of the flood.<a href="https://twitter.com/TexasGameWarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TexasGameWarden</a> continues to work with other first responders on search and rescue. ⚠️ Water is moving to other parts of the state. Please heed local warnings. <a href="https://t.co/mhKLyMAZhR">pic.twitter.com/mhKLyMAZhR</a>&mdash; Texas Parks &amp; Wildlife (@TPWDnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPWDnews/status/1941525934374519034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Searchers in Kerr County have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, said Sheriff Larry Leitha. The dead included 21 children, he said.He pledged to keep searching in that Hill Country region until “everybody is found” from Friday’s flash floods.Four deaths also were reported in Travis County, three in Burnet and 1 in Kendall.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Dear Governor <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GregAbbott_TX</a>: I have declared a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq. (the “Stafford Act”), for the State of Texas due to damage resulting from severe storms, straight-line winds, and… <a href="https://t.co/oz2GzIyGiI">pic.twitter.com/oz2GzIyGiI</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1941905521302257874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Rescuers dealt with broken trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in the difficult task to find survivors. Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the 11 children and a camp counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp.Families were allowed to look around the camp Sunday morning while nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches out of the water as they searched along a riverbank. Thunder rumbled from a new storm.A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">⚠️ Due to ongoing flooding, the following <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexasStateParks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TexasStateParks</a> are currently closed: 👉 Inks Lake SP 👉 Lost Maples SNA 👉 Old Tunnel SP 👉 Colorado Bend SP Before visiting, check: 🚨 Park Alerts 🌨️ Weather 🚙 Road Conditions 🔗 <a href="https://t.co/5XYB9eOBIb">https://t.co/5XYB9eOBIb</a> <a href="https://t.co/djAey0T99w">pic.twitter.com/djAey0T99w</a>&mdash; Texas State Parks (@TPWDparks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPWDparks/status/1941532113268060440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Authorities faced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-floods-hill-country-weather-warnings-238d4325bb58f0b410015f74684738b6">growing questions</a>&nbsp;about whether enough warnings were issued in area long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;and whether enough preparations were made.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive, fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.<h2>Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican</h2>Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He&nbsp;<a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/DISASTER_Hill_Country_flood_Day_of_Prayer_IMAGE_07-05-2025.pdf" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;Sunday a day of prayer for the state.“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History’s first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, “I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday.<h2>Harrowing escapes from floodwaters</h2>Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn’t reach them.At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road.Locals know the area as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood</a>&nbsp;alley” but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings.<h2>Warnings came before the disaster</h2>The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday.Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flash-flood-hill-country-climate-change-6f16e4c4413c3795094553269f059120">months’ worth of rain</a>&nbsp;for the area.U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.---------------KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris Saturday in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors, including 27 girls who have not been seen since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">their camp was slammed with a wall of water</a>&nbsp;in a historic flash flood.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">View of the Guadalupe River shows the devastating impacts of the flood.<a href="https://twitter.com/TexasGameWarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TexasGameWarden</a> continues to work with other first responders on search and rescue. ⚠️ Water is moving to other parts of the state. Please heed local warnings. <a href="https://t.co/mhKLyMAZhR">pic.twitter.com/mhKLyMAZhR</a>&mdash; Texas Parks &amp; Wildlife (@TPWDnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPWDnews/status/1941525934374519034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftexasparksandwildlife%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0y4EMoAZsaQ1MVrXHtcztUQNuBK3XxpNJgjyX6yqoNNTktHGXffcYhiQYmRazWPsPl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="358" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive, fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our hearts are with those impacted by the Central Texas floods. I thank Gov. Abbott, state officials, and the U.S. Coast Guard for their swift, heroic response. President Trump is committed to deploying all federal resources to unify families, rescue the missing, and return… <a href="https://t.co/yUa4yNd4SW">pic.twitter.com/yUa4yNd4SW</a>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1941615054853456249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He&nbsp;<a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/DISASTER_Hill_Country_flood_Day_of_Prayer_IMAGE_07-05-2025.pdf" target="_blank">declared</a>&nbsp;Sunday a day of prayer for the state.“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said earlier.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Declared this Sunday, July 6th, as a Day of Prayer in Texas in response to the floods in the Hill Country. I invite Texans to join me in prayer for the communities affected by this disaster. <a href="https://t.co/vHWt1CQPzW">pic.twitter.com/vHWt1CQPzW</a>&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1941662751601897729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>Raging storm hit camp in middle of the night</h2>“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”The raging storm, fueled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flash-flood-hill-country-climate-change-6f16e4c4413c3795094553269f059120">incredible amounts of moisture</a>, woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road.The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise.AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.“These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,” AccuWeather said in a statement. It called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before wrapping up their second summer session Thursday.Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, called it a once-in-a-century flood and acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.<h2>Helicopters and drones used in frantic search</h2>Search crews were facing harsh conditions while “looking in every possible location,” Rice said.Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued in the last 36 hours and there were heroic efforts at the camps to save children.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were assisting to ensure operations can continue even in darkness.One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.“We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much,” said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.<h2>People clung to trees and fled to attics</h2>In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teen son.“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson.“I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,” he said.Locals know the place as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood</a>&nbsp;alley.”“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. “It rushes down the hill.”<h2>‘Nobody saw this coming’</h2>The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.“We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official.The county had considered a flood warning system on the river similar to a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, but Kelly said the idea never got off the ground and the cost would have been an issue.Kelly said he was heartbroken seeing body bags at the funeral home and the devastation on the ground during a helicopter tour.“The rescue has gone as well as can be expected. It’s getting time now for the recovery,” he said. “And that’s going to be a long, toilsome task for us.”___Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.___

Texas floods: Death toll grows, many campers still missing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vinay-prasad-fda-vaccines-kennedy-8bbdc172215a9ba1cd587733b1732bbf">government’s top vaccine official</a>&nbsp;working under Health Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-vaccines-trump-rfkjr-7f8dcb25de76a5a70710d22bbc63f6fa">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-heart-myocarditis-warning-07103a53236cb715400aac0608e27dab">restricted the approval</a>&nbsp;of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released Wednesday.

The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency’s vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna.

Both vaccines were approved by the FDA in May after months of analysis by rank-and-file FDA reviewers.

But internal correspondence show Prasad disagreed with staffers who planned to approve the shots for everyone 12 and older, similar to previous COVID vaccines. The scientists had concluded the benefit from the vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 outweighed the risk of possible side effects, which are rare.

Instead Prasad decided the shots should be limited to those who face special risks from the virus— seniors or children and adults with underlying medical issues.

Prasad explained that the COVID vaccine benefits must be reconsidered in light of falling rates of death and hospitalization and the possibility for vaccine side effects. It’s the latest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccine-policies-promises-d1ad570053583d953f15ec3e566e426f">a series of vaccine restrictions</a>&nbsp;imposed by officials working under Kennedy, who has long questioned the benefits of vaccines.

“Even rare vaccination related harms both known and unknown now have higher chance of outweighing potential benefits” Prasad wrote in a five-page memo explaining his decision.

COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months.

Top FDA leaders are typically not involved in the review of individual products. Officials like Prasad can overrule staffers, but such cases are rare and often controversial.

News of the FDA documents was first reported by the New York Times.

Prasad was hired to lead the FDA’s vaccine center in May, after the previous director, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign over disagreements with Kennedy. An academic researcher&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-health-science-business-government-and-politics-019790c439dfd39a11868ede5d55b6e6">specializing in cancer therapies</a>, Prasad came to prominence during the pandemic for criticizing public health measures, including the FDA’s approval of COVID boosters for healthy adults and children.

Since arriving at the agency he has worked with FDA Commissioner Mark Makary on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-fda-kennedy-covid-shots-rfk-trump-bb4de15b6ff955d6cd0b406aaec3cdc5">new guidelines that will limit</a>&nbsp;approvals of future COVID boosters to higher-risk Americans, mainly seniors and those with medical conditions like asthma and obesity.

Those limits match the terms FDA recently approved for Novavax’s shot, Nuvaxovid and Moderna’s mNexspike. Novavax’s vaccine is the only protein-based coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Moderna’s vaccine is an updated, lower-dose version of its existing mRNA-based vaccine.

The review team for the Novavax vaccine pointed to data from a study in 30,000 adults, concluding that “the risk-benefit assessment for this vaccine technology remains favorable.”

FDA staff reached a similar conclusion for the Moderna vaccine, deeming it similar in safety and effectiveness to the company’s original shot.

Last week, the FDA finalized new warning labeling about the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation, on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, the other maker of an mRNA-based shot for COVID.

In his “override memo,” reversing FDA staff’s decision on the Moderna shot, Prasad pointed to the ongoing risk of myocarditis and questions about its frequency. The agency ordered Moderna to conduct further studies of the risk as a condition for the approving its updated shot.

A spokesman for the administration said Prasad “has raised serious concerns” about the issue.

“We will not ignore these risks and will ensure that the gold standard of science is used for any decisions,” said Andrew Nixon, in an emailed statement.

Outside researchers have noted that cases of the heart condition tend to resolve quickly and are less severe than those associated with COVID infection itself, which can also cause myocarditis.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1649947283663.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vinay-prasad-fda-vaccines-kennedy-8bbdc172215a9ba1cd587733b1732bbf">government’s top vaccine official</a>&nbsp;working under Health Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-vaccines-trump-rfkjr-7f8dcb25de76a5a70710d22bbc63f6fa">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccines-heart-myocarditis-warning-07103a53236cb715400aac0608e27dab">restricted the approval</a>&nbsp;of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released Wednesday.The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency’s vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna.Both vaccines were approved by the FDA in May after months of analysis by rank-and-file FDA reviewers.But internal correspondence show Prasad disagreed with staffers who planned to approve the shots for everyone 12 and older, similar to previous COVID vaccines. The scientists had concluded the benefit from the vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 outweighed the risk of possible side effects, which are rare.Instead Prasad decided the shots should be limited to those who face special risks from the virus— seniors or children and adults with underlying medical issues.Prasad explained that the COVID vaccine benefits must be reconsidered in light of falling rates of death and hospitalization and the possibility for vaccine side effects. It’s the latest in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccine-policies-promises-d1ad570053583d953f15ec3e566e426f">a series of vaccine restrictions</a>&nbsp;imposed by officials working under Kennedy, who has long questioned the benefits of vaccines.“Even rare vaccination related harms both known and unknown now have higher chance of outweighing potential benefits” Prasad wrote in a five-page memo explaining his decision.COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months.Top FDA leaders are typically not involved in the review of individual products. Officials like Prasad can overrule staffers, but such cases are rare and often controversial.News of the FDA documents was first reported by the New York Times.Prasad was hired to lead the FDA’s vaccine center in May, after the previous director, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign over disagreements with Kennedy. An academic researcher&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-health-science-business-government-and-politics-019790c439dfd39a11868ede5d55b6e6">specializing in cancer therapies</a>, Prasad came to prominence during the pandemic for criticizing public health measures, including the FDA’s approval of COVID boosters for healthy adults and children.Since arriving at the agency he has worked with FDA Commissioner Mark Makary on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-fda-kennedy-covid-shots-rfk-trump-bb4de15b6ff955d6cd0b406aaec3cdc5">new guidelines that will limit</a>&nbsp;approvals of future COVID boosters to higher-risk Americans, mainly seniors and those with medical conditions like asthma and obesity.Those limits match the terms FDA recently approved for Novavax’s shot, Nuvaxovid and Moderna’s mNexspike. Novavax’s vaccine is the only protein-based coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Moderna’s vaccine is an updated, lower-dose version of its existing mRNA-based vaccine.The review team for the Novavax vaccine pointed to data from a study in 30,000 adults, concluding that “the risk-benefit assessment for this vaccine technology remains favorable.”FDA staff reached a similar conclusion for the Moderna vaccine, deeming it similar in safety and effectiveness to the company’s original shot.Last week, the FDA finalized new warning labeling about the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation, on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, the other maker of an mRNA-based shot for COVID.In his “override memo,” reversing FDA staff’s decision on the Moderna shot, Prasad pointed to the ongoing risk of myocarditis and questions about its frequency. The agency ordered Moderna to conduct further studies of the risk as a condition for the approving its updated shot.A spokesman for the administration said Prasad “has raised serious concerns” about the issue.“We will not ignore these risks and will ensure that the gold standard of science is used for any decisions,” said Andrew Nixon, in an emailed statement.Outside researchers have noted that cases of the heart condition tend to resolve quickly and are less severe than those associated with COVID infection itself, which can also cause myocarditis.

FDA official restricted COVID vaccine approvals against the advice of agency staff

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">children from a girls’ camp</a>&nbsp;and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 27 people, including nine children.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.

“People need to know today will be a hard day,” said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. “Please pray for our community.”

Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.

Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said.

A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.

On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup truck tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall.

Among those confirmed dead was the director of a camp just up the road from Camp Mystic.

The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.

AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.

“These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,” AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.

Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.

One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week "did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Helicopters, drones used in frantic search for missing

Search crews were facing harsh conditions while "looking in every possible location,” Rice said.

Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.

One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was traveling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground.

“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” Trump said in a statement on his social media network.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son.

Local resident know it as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood alley.</a>&nbsp;”

‘No one knew this kind of flood was coming’

The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.

“Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land," Patrick said. "Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that’s when the storm started to zero in.”

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: “We do not have a warning system.”

When pushed on why more precautions weren't taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.

The slow-moving storm is bringing more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.

The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.

Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas. Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporter Susan Haigh contributed from Hartford, Connecticut.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Crews searched through the dark early Saturday for two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">children from a girls’ camp</a>&nbsp;and many others who were still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 24 people. The death toll was certain to rise.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people. The total number of missing was not known but one sheriff said about 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”

A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs, she said.

At a news conference late Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 people were confirmed dead, including some children. Authorities said about 240 people had been rescued.

The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday.

Questions were being raised about whether enough warnings and preparations were made. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

One National Weather Service forecast this week had called for only between three and six inches (76 to 152 millimeters) of rain, said Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said.

A river gauge near Camp Mystic recorded a 22 foot rise (6.7 meters) in about two hours, said Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet (9 meters).

“The water’s moving so fast, you’re not going to recognize how bad it is until it’s on top of you,” Fogarty said.

More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue teams, helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home from the river, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son and waiting for the water to recede enough to walk up the hill to safety.

“Thankfully he’s over 6 feet tall. That’s the only thing that saved me, was hanging on to him,” she said.

Matthew Stone, 44, of Kerrville, said police came knocking on doors but that he had received no warning on his phone.

“We got no emergency alert. There was nothing,” Stone said. Then “a pitch black wall of death.”

At a reunification center in Ingram, families cried and cheered as loved ones got off rescue vehicles. Two soldiers carried an older woman who could not get down a ladder. Behind her, a woman clutched a small white dog.

Later, a girl in a white “Camp Mystic” T-shirt and white socks stood in a puddle, sobbing in her mother’s arms.

Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. Water started coming through the attic floor before receding.

“I was horrified,” he said. “I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death.”

The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.

“Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land,” Patrick said. “Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that’s when the storm started to zero in.”

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, said: “We do not have a warning system.”

When pushed on why more precautions weren’t taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.

The slow-moving storm stuck over central Texas is expected to bring more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.

The area is known as “flash flood alley” because of the hills’ thin layer of soil, said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster.

“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” Dickson said. “It rushes down the hill.”

River tourism industry is a key part of the Hill Country economy. Well-known, century-old summer camps bring in kids from all over the country, Dickson said.

“It’s generally a very tranquil river with really beautiful clear blue water that people have been attracted to for generations,” Dickson said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751724125124.png" alt="Heavy rains in Kerr County and elsewhere in Central Texas have caused severe flooding and loss of life. Credit: City of Kerrville Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>Heavy rains in Kerr County and elsewhere in Central Texas have caused severe flooding and loss of life. Credit: City of Kerrville Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">children from a girls’ camp</a>&nbsp;and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 27 people, including nine children.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">💔 <a href="https://t.co/ylhTDXGVly">pic.twitter.com/ylhTDXGVly</a>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1941512723449446807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for. <a href="https://t.co/tqwTr1RkEi">pic.twitter.com/tqwTr1RkEi</a>&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1941236386646077698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/USCG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USCG</a> is punching through storms to evacuate Americans from central Texas. We will fly throughout the night and as long as possible. This is what the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard do. <a href="https://t.co/2vOgkS5Hun">pic.twitter.com/2vOgkS5Hun</a>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1941280141260488771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“People need to know today will be a hard day,” said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. “Please pray for our community.”Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flood-deaths-flash-flooding-weather-408b11abe0389f38c93d8722b9d15dd0">vulnerable to flooding</a>&nbsp;received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.<h2>Raging storm hit camp in middle of the night</h2>Some 27 children were among the missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river, he said.“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs, she said.Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.On Saturday, the camp was mostly deserted. Helicopters roared above as a few people looked at the damage, including a pickup truck tossed onto its side and a building missing its entire front wall.Among those confirmed dead was the director of a camp just up the road from Camp Mystic.The flooding in the middle of the night caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise in the Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio.AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.“These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,” AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Hill Country one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week "did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.<h2>Helicopters, drones used in frantic search for missing</h2>Search crews were facing harsh conditions while "looking in every possible location,” Rice said.Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet Saturday after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before.“We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We’ve had a little success, but not much,” said Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.President Donald Trump said Saturday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was traveling to Texas and his administration was working with officials on the ground.“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” Trump said in a statement on his social media network.<h2>Residents clung to trees, fled to attics</h2>In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son.“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson.“I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death,” he said.Local resident know it as “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/flash-flood-warning-watch-texas-986af31b0402a7a721fd9cc275622457">flash flood alley.</a>&nbsp;”“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. “It rushes down the hill.”<h2>‘No one knew this kind of flood was coming’</h2>The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.“Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land," Patrick said. "Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that’s when the storm started to zero in.”Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: “We do not have a warning system.”When pushed on why more precautions weren't taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.<h2>More pockets of heavy rains expected</h2>The slow-moving storm is bringing more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.___Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas. Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporter Susan Haigh contributed from Hartford, Connecticut.------------------KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Crews searched through the dark early Saturday for two dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">children from a girls’ camp</a>&nbsp;and many others who were still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 24 people. The death toll was certain to rise.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-flooding-girls-missing-camp-mystic-395992e236e35c4486f9a6a97eed7704">destructive fast-moving waters</a>&nbsp;along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas.Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people. The total number of missing was not known but one sheriff said about 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs, she said.At a news conference late Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 people were confirmed dead, including some children. Authorities said about 240 people had been rescued.The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday.Questions were being raised about whether enough warnings and preparations were made. Officials defended their actions while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.One National Weather Service forecast this week had called for only between three and six inches (76 to 152 millimeters) of rain, said Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.“It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” he said.<h2>Helicopters, drones used in frantic search for missing</h2>A river gauge near Camp Mystic recorded a 22 foot rise (6.7 meters) in about two hours, said Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet (9 meters).“The water’s moving so fast, you’re not going to recognize how bad it is until it’s on top of you,” Fogarty said.More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue teams, helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.<h2>‘Pitch black wall of death’</h2>In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home from the river, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son and waiting for the water to recede enough to walk up the hill to safety.“Thankfully he’s over 6 feet tall. That’s the only thing that saved me, was hanging on to him,” she said.“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said.Matthew Stone, 44, of Kerrville, said police came knocking on doors but that he had received no warning on his phone.“We got no emergency alert. There was nothing,” Stone said. Then “a pitch black wall of death.”<h2>‘I was scared to death’</h2>At a reunification center in Ingram, families cried and cheered as loved ones got off rescue vehicles. Two soldiers carried an older woman who could not get down a ladder. Behind her, a woman clutched a small white dog.Later, a girl in a white “Camp Mystic” T-shirt and white socks stood in a puddle, sobbing in her mother’s arms.Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. Water started coming through the attic floor before receding.“I was horrified,” he said. “I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death.”<h2>‘No one knew this kind of flood was coming’</h2>The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.“Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land,” Patrick said. “Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that’s when the storm started to zero in.”Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, said: “We do not have a warning system.”When pushed on why more precautions weren’t taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.<h2>More pockets of heavy rains expected</h2>The slow-moving storm stuck over central Texas is expected to bring more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.<h2>Popular tourism area prone to flooding</h2>The area is known as “flash flood alley” because of the hills’ thin layer of soil, said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster.“When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” Dickson said. “It rushes down the hill.”River tourism industry is a key part of the Hill Country economy. Well-known, century-old summer camps bring in kids from all over the country, Dickson said.“It’s generally a very tranquil river with really beautiful clear blue water that people have been attracted to for generations,” Dickson said.

Desperate search for two dozen girls from summer camp amid Texas floods

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-beautiful-gop-taxes-ced365c347de9320eef2ccb8df16dda2">sweeping tax and spending legislation</a>&nbsp;that President Donald Trump signed into law say the changes to Medicaid, food aid and other programs will encourage personal responsibility and halt those scamming the system.

Critics of the bill, given final congressional approval Thursday, say the requirements will upend lives.

Here’s a look at what people are saying about the new law.

Work requirements added for accessing more federal benefits

To enroll and stay on Medicaid, many ages 19 through 64 would be required to work, go to school or perform at least 80 hours of community service a month.

The Medicaid work requirement would apply to people in 40 states who are enrolled through expanded access that states agreed to put in place since 2014. Ten states, including Texas and Florida, did not expand the program.

For the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which already requires adults ages 18 to 55 to work, working would become mandatory for many until they turn 65.

For both benefits, there would be exceptions, including for parents who are caregivers to children under age 14.

Most people covered by Medicaid already meet the work requirement or qualify for an exception.

The requirements are sparking worry for some enrollees

Theresa Gibbs, who lost her job as a school bus driver, is enrolled in both Medicaid and SNAP. She likely would be exempt from the work mandate because she has three children under age 14. But Gibbs said she is applying for jobs anyway.

“I don’t think people should just live off the state if they’re perfectly capable to work,” said Gibbs, 34, of Jefferson City, Missouri.

Amanda Hinton, 39, of St. Martins, Missouri, receives Medicaid and SNAP benefits. She puts in enough hours at a part-time gas station job to likely meet the new requirements but is concerned should her fibromyalgia, which causes pain and fatigue, keep her from working for a time.

“I’m panicked. I mean I have some chronic health conditions that are not curable, and I rely on my medication to help me just get through the day,” she said. “And without my Medicaid, I couldn’t afford these.”

Brittany Phillips, 32, of Greensboro, North Carolina, said being on Medicaid has helped her stay afloat both financially and health-wise while she works a temporary, remote medical services job paying about $600 weekly.

“I do believe that Medicaid should be available for everyone regardless of who they are -- regardless of capacity, faculty -- everyone should have Medicaid,” she said.

It’s not just the work requirement; it’s also the paperwork

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gop-bill-trump-medicaid-cuts-coverage-health-bb4f090d2706ffb3d5652e70f246a10e">11.8 million fewer people</a>&nbsp;could have health insurance by 2034 because of the changes, which also include booting off non-citizens who are not in the U.S. permanently and legally. And that doesn’t include those who could lose coverage for other reasons.

Advocates say that even people who are covered by exceptions to the work requirement could lose their Medicaid coverage. One major reason is a requirement that people’s eligibility would be assessed at least every six months.

“Every additional paper someone has to submit separately from their application,” said Deborah Steinberg, a senior health policy analyst at the Legal Action Center, “you lose people.”

Julia Bennker, who runs an in-home daycare in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, relies on SNAP and Medicaid and has had paperwork issues under existing Medicaid requirements. She said that earlier this year, she didn’t have health coverage for a month after she was told her forms were late — though she believes she submitted them on time.

That meant going a month without therapy and needing to reschedule another appointment with a prescriber.

Some of the conditions that would trigger exceptions — mental illness or substance use disorder — are not currently tallied in Medicaid computer systems.

“It’s not like you wave a magic wand and everyone who should be exempt is exempt,” said Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

States will face pressure - and deadlines - to revamp their programs

State health care and social services agencies will have to rework their computer systems to account for the various changes while also dealing with federal funding reductions. That’s cause for concern for some health care advocates.

The legislation requires all states to shoulder more of the administrative costs of SNAP starting in 2027 and, for the first time, could force some states to pay for a portion of food assistance benefits starting in 2028.

States also must implement the Medicaid work requirement by 2027.

“It will be a very tight and difficult timeline for many of these states,” said Sophia Tripoli, senior health policy director at Families USA, a health care advocacy organization. “There’s a huge cost burden on states from the administrative side just to stand up these systems.”

Julieanne Taylor, a lawyer at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in North Carolina, said her organization’s clients already face delays in verifications for the food program.

“To add more to them, it’s going to be a disaster,” she said. “It’s going to cause people to drop off because they’re like, ‘I don’t want to have to do this every year or every six months.’”

Rural hospitals could face financial struggles

The bill could also put rural hospitals at financial risk, experts say, because it seeks to cap the taxes that states impose on hospitals and other health care providers in a way that boosts Medicaid funding.

The nonprofit KFF, which studies health care issues, estimates that Medicaid spending in rural areas would decrease by $155 billion over the next decade under the bill.

“While there are already a number of small and rural hospitals that are vulnerable,” said R. Kyle Kramer, CEO of Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Connecticut, “it’s going to lead to a lot of closures.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750772403338.png" alt="(Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)." />
 <figcaption>(Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA).</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Supporters of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-beautiful-gop-taxes-ced365c347de9320eef2ccb8df16dda2">sweeping tax and spending legislation</a>&nbsp;that President Donald Trump signed into law say the changes to Medicaid, food aid and other programs will encourage personal responsibility and halt those scamming the system.Critics of the bill, given final congressional approval Thursday, say the requirements will upend lives.Here’s a look at what people are saying about the new law.<h2>Work requirements added for accessing more federal benefits</h2>To enroll and stay on Medicaid, many ages 19 through 64 would be required to work, go to school or perform at least 80 hours of community service a month.The Medicaid work requirement would apply to people in 40 states who are enrolled through expanded access that states agreed to put in place since 2014. Ten states, including Texas and Florida, did not expand the program.For the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which already requires adults ages 18 to 55 to work, working would become mandatory for many until they turn 65.For both benefits, there would be exceptions, including for parents who are caregivers to children under age 14.Most people covered by Medicaid already meet the work requirement or qualify for an exception.<h2>The requirements are sparking worry for some enrollees</h2>Theresa Gibbs, who lost her job as a school bus driver, is enrolled in both Medicaid and SNAP. She likely would be exempt from the work mandate because she has three children under age 14. But Gibbs said she is applying for jobs anyway.“I don’t think people should just live off the state if they’re perfectly capable to work,” said Gibbs, 34, of Jefferson City, Missouri.But the changes worry others.Amanda Hinton, 39, of St. Martins, Missouri, receives Medicaid and SNAP benefits. She puts in enough hours at a part-time gas station job to likely meet the new requirements but is concerned should her fibromyalgia, which causes pain and fatigue, keep her from working for a time.“I’m panicked. I mean I have some chronic health conditions that are not curable, and I rely on my medication to help me just get through the day,” she said. “And without my Medicaid, I couldn’t afford these.”Brittany Phillips, 32, of Greensboro, North Carolina, said being on Medicaid has helped her stay afloat both financially and health-wise while she works a temporary, remote medical services job paying about $600 weekly.“I do believe that Medicaid should be available for everyone regardless of who they are -- regardless of capacity, faculty -- everyone should have Medicaid,” she said.<h2>It’s not just the work requirement; it’s also the paperwork</h2>The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gop-bill-trump-medicaid-cuts-coverage-health-bb4f090d2706ffb3d5652e70f246a10e">11.8 million fewer people</a>&nbsp;could have health insurance by 2034 because of the changes, which also include booting off non-citizens who are not in the U.S. permanently and legally. And that doesn’t include those who could lose coverage for other reasons.Advocates say that even people who are covered by exceptions to the work requirement could lose their Medicaid coverage. One major reason is a requirement that people’s eligibility would be assessed at least every six months.“Every additional paper someone has to submit separately from their application,” said Deborah Steinberg, a senior health policy analyst at the Legal Action Center, “you lose people.”Julia Bennker, who runs an in-home daycare in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, relies on SNAP and Medicaid and has had paperwork issues under existing Medicaid requirements. She said that earlier this year, she didn’t have health coverage for a month after she was told her forms were late — though she believes she submitted them on time.That meant going a month without therapy and needing to reschedule another appointment with a prescriber.Some of the conditions that would trigger exceptions — mental illness or substance use disorder — are not currently tallied in Medicaid computer systems.“It’s not like you wave a magic wand and everyone who should be exempt is exempt,” said Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.<h2>States will face pressure - and deadlines - to revamp their programs</h2>State health care and social services agencies will have to rework their computer systems to account for the various changes while also dealing with federal funding reductions. That’s cause for concern for some health care advocates.The legislation requires all states to shoulder more of the administrative costs of SNAP starting in 2027 and, for the first time, could force some states to pay for a portion of food assistance benefits starting in 2028.States also must implement the Medicaid work requirement by 2027.“It will be a very tight and difficult timeline for many of these states,” said Sophia Tripoli, senior health policy director at Families USA, a health care advocacy organization. “There’s a huge cost burden on states from the administrative side just to stand up these systems.”Julieanne Taylor, a lawyer at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in North Carolina, said her organization’s clients already face delays in verifications for the food program.“To add more to them, it’s going to be a disaster,” she said. “It’s going to cause people to drop off because they’re like, ‘I don’t want to have to do this every year or every six months.’”<h2>Rural hospitals could face financial struggles</h2>The bill could also put rural hospitals at financial risk, experts say, because it seeks to cap the taxes that states impose on hospitals and other health care providers in a way that boosts Medicaid funding.The nonprofit KFF, which studies health care issues, estimates that Medicaid spending in rural areas would decrease by $155 billion over the next decade under the bill.“While there are already a number of small and rural hospitals that are vulnerable,” said R. Kyle Kramer, CEO of Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, Connecticut, “it’s going to lead to a lot of closures.”The bill includes a $50 billion fund to partially offset those reductions.<h2>Planned Parenthood would lose federal money</h2>Federal taxpayer money is already barred from paying for abortions in most cases.The bill would also ban federal funds going to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-funding-pills-clinic-closures-56694deb186a0339e1fe9fe3e1c1c363">Planned Parenthood,</a>&nbsp;the nation’s largest abortion provider, for other purposes like family planning programs and cancer screenings.The group says that one-third of its roughly 600 clinics across the U.S. could face closure as a result of the legislation, and that states where abortion is legal would be hardest hit.At least one other group says it also stands to lose funding because of the provision. Maine Family Planning has 19 sites and subcontracts with other health care organizations, including Planned Parenthood, to provide services at other locations across the rural state.___Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.