Heavy rain in Central Texas caused devastating and deadly flooding that at Final Call presstime had killed at least 80 people—68 in Kerr County, Texas, about 90 miles northwest of San Antonio, including several children, 5 in Travis County, Texas, which includes Austin, 3 in Burnet County, Texas and 2 in Kendall County, Texas, during the July 4 weekend.
The downpour occurred late July 3 into the early morning of July 4. The months’ worth of rainfall, which dropped in a few hours, led to the water levels of the Guadalupe River quickly rising.
The river surged from 3 feet to 34 feet in less than two hours, according to data from The New York Times, recorded from a river gauge near the town of Comfort, Texas.
The floods damaged Camp Mystic, a summer camp for girls in Kerr County. Authorities had been searching for 27 children missing from the camp since the flood.
In Travis County, Texas, at least 12 people were reported missing. Using helicopters, boats and drones, rescue teams worked across the weekend to save trapped victims and to search for missing people.
On the night of July 4, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for 15 counties due to the severe property damage, injuries and deaths. On July 5, the National Weather Service field office for Austin and San Antonio issued additional warnings of rain rates near 2 inches per hour and of “dangerous and life-threatening flooding.” The weather service announced several flash flood warnings and flood watches along the Guadalupe River.
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told reporters on July 4 that the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes that morning, as reported by ABC News.
The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office reported on July 5 that 850 uninjured people and eight injured people had been evacuated. On July 5, the Georgetown, Texas, Police Department posted on X, urging residents near the San Gabriel River to evacuate due to rising river levels. Georgetown is about 30 miles north of Austin.
The floods also led to widespread power outages, with more than 17,000 customers in Texas experiencing power outages on July 5.
Roads, buildings, and cars were flooded, and houses were swept away by the floodwaters. Weather services had warned of rain and the potential for flash floods in advance, but officials said they were unaware of the devastating impact it would have.
“We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water.
We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here, none whatsoever,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, said in a news conference on July 4.
According to several reports, officials were “surprised” by the amount of rain and flooding that has occurred.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office predicted the heavy rains would last into July 6 and linger into July 7, according to The New York Times.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, warned for decades that Allah (God) would use the forces of nature to humble America. His National Representative, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, echoing his Teacher’s Divine Warning, has constantly cautioned, to “watch the weather.”
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches that rain is a destructive force. In Chapter 36 of His book, “The Fall of America,” He writes of “Four Great Judgments of America”: rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.
“To be plagued with too much rain will destroy property and lives. It swells the rivers and creeks. Too much rain floods cities and towns. Large bodies of water at the ocean shore lines will be made to swell with unusually high waves, dumping billions of tons of water over the now seashore line,” the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad wrote.
“Rain destroys property and kills cattle by drowning them in low lands. Rain destroys the hiding places of vicious beasts and reptiles bringing them out fighting in small towns in peoples’ homes and farms,” He continued.
“Rain weakens and destroys railroads, truck line beds and bridges. Rain undermines foundations of all types of buildings. Rain makes the atmosphere too heavy with moisture causing sickness.”
He described how rain can bring destruction to towns and cities. “Rain is a destructive army within itself,” He wrote.
In a message titled, “The Man Jesus and How Not To Fall Into Idolatry,” delivered on July 21, 2019, at Mosque Maryam, the Nation of Islam’s headquarters in Chicago, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, asked the question, “Do you know why God is using weather like this?”
“I’m going to be very clear: It’s about you, and I have to say, it’s about me,” he answered, referring to Black people in America. “Now, you have been a prey in the hands of America for 464 years. He (the enemy) doesn’t want to let you go and he doesn’t want to give you a good send off.”
In another message delivered on June 17, 2002, in preparation for a peace mission to Africa and the Middle East, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan warned America: “We need to fear Him who has control of the wind, the rain, the storms, the tornadoes, the earthquakes, the turning of Nature against you.”
“Wake up, America! Look at what is happening to this country while you sleep and party. Floods, fire, wind, rain, drought, hailstorms. You have not seen the destructive power of Allah (God),” he said. “If America goes on like she’s going, I say this from the depth of my heart … watch! Allah (God) says He will bring calamity after calamity against you.”
“Submit!” he urged. “Get away from the arrogance and become the great nation that you were set up to become—the base of the Kingdom of Allah (God) on Earth. Or (become) that nation that Allah (God) destroyed so that the people will know that He is Allah (God) and beside Him there is no God.”
Sister Christina Muhammad, coordinator for the 10,000 Fearless First Responders in Austin, Texas, traveled to Kerrville, Texas, Georgetown and other cities to assist with recovery. The flood water reached up to a 31-foot high bridge, she said to The Final Call.
“There were cars and things that we saw. All those cars were underneath 31-foot high (water) and it receded down,” she said, describing the scene in Kerrville. “There’s still people missing.”
The floods affected everything from heavy machinery to the trees. She said the city has been working and has been doing a lot of rescuing. “They’ve found children in trees. They’ve found children floating on mattresses,” she continued.
Illustrating the emotions from people on the ground in Kerrville, Sister Christina Muhammad shared the story of a man who saved 5 girls before the flood swept him away. “You have to go in and you have to see the emotions. And Minister Farrakhan said ‘watch the weather’ for a reason,’” she said.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan are Divine Servants of Allah (God) and have served as watchmen on the wall, warning and guiding America and the world.
In a message delivered January 10, 2005, at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Chicago, Minister Farrakhan explained that both the Bible and Holy Qur’an say, “And the worst is yet to come.”
“So, what are you going to do? You cannot play your life away. God is after you. You have a rendezvous with destiny and He is angry with you because you have heard a lot and you know a lot, but you act on very little of what you know.
You do not play with a message that comes for your deliverance, which is Mercy and Grace from Allah (God). To even teach, warn and guide you is Mercy from God. But when you reject Guidance, Warning and Mercy, then what is next?” Minister Farrakhan said in the message titled, “By the time, surely man is in loss.”
“The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, ‘What you see afar, pay attention because it soon will be at your door,’” Minister Farrakhan said.