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Death toll from Texas floods reaches 78; Trump plans visit

President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added.

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The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 78 on Sunday, including 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continued and fears of more flooding prompted evacuations of volunteer responders, Reuters reported.

Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicenter of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and confirmed 41 were missing.

President Donald Trump sent his condolences to the victims and said he would probably visit the area on Friday. His administration had been in touch with Abbott, he added.

“It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible. So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,” he told reporters as he left New Jersey.

Among the most devastating impacts of the flooding occurred at Camp Mystic summer camp, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp where 10 Camp Mystic campers and one counselor were still missing, according to Leitha.

“It was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through,” said Abbott, who noted he toured the area on Saturday and pledged to continue efforts to locate the missing.

The flooding occurred after the nearby Guadalupe River broke its banks after torrential rain fell in the central Texas area on Friday, the U.S. Independence Day holiday.

Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the destruction killed three people in Burnet County, one in Tom Green County, five in Travis County and one in Williamson County.

“You will see the death toll rise today and tomorrow,” said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, also speaking on Sunday.

Officials said on Saturday that more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain across the region, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio, read the report.

Kidd said he was receiving unconfirmed reports of “an additional wall of water” flowing down some of the creeks in the Guadalupe Rivershed, as rain continued to fall on soil in the region already saturated from Friday’s rains.

“We’re evacuating parts of the river right now because we are worried about another wall of river coming down in those areas,” he said, referencing volunteers from outside the area seeking to help locate victims.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was activated on Sunday and is deploying resources to first responders in Texas after Trump issued a major disaster declaration, the Department of Homeland Security said. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and planes were aiding search and rescue efforts.

Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government’s role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves.

Some experts questioned whether cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration, including to the agency that oversees the National Weather Service, led to a failure by officials to accurately predict the severity of the floods and issue appropriate warnings ahead of the storm, Reuters reported.

Trump’s administration has overseen thousands of job cuts from the National Weather Service’s parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, former NOAA director Rick Spinrad said.

Spinrad said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but that they would inevitably degrade the agency’s ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts.

Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts hobbled the disaster response or left key job vacancies at the National Weather Service under Trump’s oversight.

“That water situation, that all is, and that was really the Biden setup,” he said referencing his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. “But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either. I would just say this is 100-year catastrophe.”

He declined to answer a question about FEMA, saying only “They’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” Trump said.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA and NOAA, said a “moderate” flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system.

Joaquin Castro, a Democratic U.S. congressman from Texas, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program that fewer personnel at the weather service could be dangerous.

“When you have flash flooding, there’s a risk that if you don’t have the personnel … to do that analysis, do the predictions in the best way, it could lead to tragedy,” Castro said.

Katharine Somerville, a counselor on the Cypress Lake side of Camp Mystic, on higher ground than the Guadalupe River side, said her 13-year-old campers were scared as their cabins sustained damage and lost power in the middle of the night.

“Our cabins at the tippity top of hills were completely flooded with water. I mean, y’all have seen the complete devastation, we never even imagined that this could happen,” Somerville said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday.

Somerville said the campers in her care were put on military trucks and evacuated, and that all were safe.

The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters).

A day after the disaster struck, the summer camp, where 700 girls were in residence at the time of the flooding, was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet (1.83 m) from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall.

Climate Change

Iran war is supercharging the clean energy transition, UN climate chief says

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The Iran war is “supercharging” the world’s shift to renewable energy, as countries scramble to reduce their exposure to volatile oil and ​gas markets, the U.N. climate secretary said on Thursday.

The U.S.-Israeli war ‌with Iran has upended oil and gas supplies, prompting some countries to ration fuel and others to roll out subsidies and tax cuts to shield consumers from surging prices, Reuters reported.

Early signs indicate the ​war, which began two months ago, is speeding up some countries’ low-carbon ​transition.

Demand for rooftop solar systems across Europe has surged, while countries ⁠including Pakistan have reported a jump in electric vehicle sales.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called this month ​to speed up the construction of a new energy system to safeguard energy ​security, emphasising hydropower development and the expansion of nuclear power.

“Those who’ve fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom,” said Simon Stiell, Executive ​Secretary of the U.N.’s climate secretariat UNFCCC.

“Renewables offer safer, cheaper, cleaner energy ​that can’t be held captive by narrow shipping straits, or global conflicts,” Stiell told a meeting ‌of ⁠government officials at the International Energy Agency in Paris.

However, the war has also prompted some nations to increase the use of highly polluting coal or furnace oil-based power generation as they struggle to replace gas from the Middle East.

Turkey’s Climate Minister ​Murat Kurum – who will ​preside over the ⁠U.N.’s COP31 climate summit this year – said fossil fuel dependency now topped the global political agenda.

“The best way to protect ​citizens from the violent convulsions of global energy markets is ​to accelerate ⁠the clean-energy transition,” he said in a statement after the IEA event.

Around 60 governments including Brazil, Germany, Canada and Nigeria, met in Colombia this week for a summit to ⁠discuss how ​to phase out fossil fuels.

Conference hosts Colombia and ​the Netherlands said on Thursday countries had agreed to continue working, over the next year, on ​how to do this in their trade systems.

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Climate Change

Uzbek president emphasizes Afghanistan’s role in regional water cooperation

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At a regional water summit in Astana on Wednesday, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of involving Afghanistan in broader regional cooperation on water, climate, and environmental issues.

He underlined that Afghanistan’s participation is essential for effective management of shared water resources in Central Asia, particularly in the Aral Sea basin, where upstream and downstream countries are closely interconnected.

The Uzbek president also called for increased international support for environmental protection and land reclamation projects inside Afghanistan.

He further stressed that long-term stability in the region will depend on the development of a legal framework governing water allocation that clearly defines the rights and obligations of all countries in the basin.

Uzbekistan’s authorities have expressed concern over the construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan, saying it could “radically change the water regime and balance” in Central Asia.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), however, has said that Uzbekistan will not be harmed by the canal.

 

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Climate Change

Webinar series highlights growing climate pressures on livelihoods in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is widely regarded as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited capacity to manage its effects.

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A recent webinar series hosted by the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) in Afghanistan has underscored the escalating impact of climate change on humanitarian needs and livelihoods across Afghanistan.

Held in partnership with Samuel Hall, the six-part series in late 2025 brought together Afghan experts, humanitarian workers, UN agencies, NGOs and local stakeholders to examine the country’s mounting environmental challenges and explore potential responses.

Afghanistan is widely regarded as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited capacity to manage its effects. Participants warned that communities are already facing severe consequences, including rising displacement, worsening food insecurity and increasing pressure on natural resources.

The discussions highlighted that nearly 70 percent of the population depends on climate-sensitive agriculture, leaving livelihoods exposed to shifting weather patterns. A changing water cycle has intensified water scarcity nationwide, while urban centres such as Kabul are grappling with declining groundwater levels.

At the same time, increasingly erratic seasonal flooding continues to damage homes, infrastructure and farmland, compounding humanitarian needs.

Speakers also pointed to the growing link between climate change and displacement, noting that environmental shocks are driving both internal migration and cross-border movements as livelihoods come under strain.

Across the six sessions, participants explored a range of themes, including water management, climate finance, the role of women and youth, and the intersection of climate change with peace and security.

The series aimed to amplify Afghan perspectives and maintain focus on the country’s climate challenges, particularly as Afghanistan remains largely absent from global climate forums.

Organisers said the discussions highlighted both the scale of the crisis and the depth of local expertise available to respond, while calling for sustained, coordinated and evidence-based action.

Summary notes and recordings from the sessions have been released to inform policymakers, donors and practitioners, outlining key recommendations and areas requiring further investment and collaboration.

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