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(NEW YORK) — The catastrophic flash floods in Texas have left communities reeling, claiming at least 90 lives and displacing families across the Hill Country. As recovery operations continue, safety concerns have intensified — not just for the current disaster but for how future flash flood events will be managed.

Officials say the tragedy has spotlighted confusion surrounding how disasters are categorized and managed, particularly around terms like response, rescue and recovery. Understanding these distinctions is essential to grasping how emergency teams work during such events.

How disaster response is organized

In the U.S., large-scale disaster management follows a tiered structure called the Incident Command System (ICS). This well-established framework is designed to ensure consistent coordination during crises, whether it’s a terrorist attack like 9/11, a major hurricane like Katrina, or the devastating floods currently hitting Texas.

Under ICS, the response is managed at local, state and federal levels. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott emphasized that all three tiers are currently active in the flood response, with resources being shared across jurisdictions. The terminology used under ICS is standardized, helping ensure that all agencies involved are aligned in their actions and goals.

As of this week, Abbott extended the state’s disaster declaration to cover 15 counties, while President Donald Trump approved a federal disaster declaration for Kerr County, one of the hardest-hit areas.

Response vs. Rescue vs. Recovery

Disaster operations follow a general pattern: response, then rescue, then recovery.

The Response Phase begins when the ICS is activated. This involves setting up an Emergency Operations Center and appointing an incident commander to coordinate efforts across all agencies.

The Rescue Phase prioritizes saving lives. In an event like the Texas floods, it would typically include:
– Land-based search teams using GPS grid searches.
– K9 search-and-rescue dogs.
– Boat and helicopter rescues carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and Texas National Guard.
– A U.S. military “Reaper” drone providing aerial surveillance to guide rescue teams.

Importantly, the safety of responders is a top priority — ensuring they don’t become additional victims.

A family reunification process is also underway to help reconnect loved ones affected by the flooding.

Eventually, operations will shift to the Recovery Phase, which focuses on finding those still missing and restoring the devastated infrastructure. Abbott said that this transition in Texas will not happen until all missing people are accounted for. For comparison, after 9/11, the shift from rescue to recovery at Ground Zero occurred around 24 to 48 hours post-impact.

Investigations and mental health support

Due to the tragic loss of life, evidence recovery is now part of the process. Investigators may need to conduct forensic or criminal inquests to determine the cause of deaths and evaluate any liability.

Mental health support teams are already in place. The trauma of such a disaster affects victims, families and even the rescuers. Crisis counselors, FBI and state victim support specialists and grief support services should be available and will be a key part of the long-term response.

The long road ahead

Recovery will include debris removal, damage assessments and rebuilding efforts — a difficult road that will require extensive state and federal support.

Meanwhile, officials are urging all Texans to be vigilant and prepared for future weather emergencies.

What to do in a flash flood

If you’re in a flood-prone area, here are key safety tips:

– Always be weather aware and monitor alerts.
– Leave early if conditions deteriorate.
– Have an emergency kit and communication plan.
– Seek high ground immediately when flooding is imminent.

Several resources can help you stay informed:

– FEMA Mobile App — Provides real-time alerts and shelter information.
– Weather alert apps — Multiple are available for download and can offer advanced warnings.

For all types of disasters, meteorologists say that it’s important to have at least two ways of receiving important weather alerts. Your phone should have the Emergency Alert System activated, but you’ll also need a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radio because it does not require cell service or electricity to operate.

“I really believe every person in the country should have a NOAA weather radio,” ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee said. “This is battery powered and will wake you from a dead sleep. The timely warnings from NWS that night can be programmed to go off and would wake folks and give them at least a few minutes, if not longer, to seek higher ground.”

How you can help

The American Red Cross is one of several organizations assisting with victim support, shelter and supplies.

Donald J. Mihalek is an ABC News contributor, retired senior Secret Service who served on the president’s detail and as an NSSE coordinator for UNGA contingency operations. He was also a police officer and served in the U.S. Coast Guard helping coordinate search and rescue operations.

Richard Frankel is an ABC News contributor and retired FBI special agent who was the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark Division and, prior to that, the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism TASK force. He was involved in the investigation and recovery efforts of TWA Flight 800, the 9/11 attacks and the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Kenya.

The opinions expressed in this story are not those of ABC News.

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(CHATHAM COUNTY, N.C.) — Crews in North Carolina are “overwhelmed” with water rescues and search efforts on Monday after Chantal, then a tropical storm, made landfall a day earlier, causing record-breaking flooding in the central part of the state and at least one death, officials said.

While the storm has dissipated as of Monday morning, Chantal — the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season — brought up to 6 inches of rain in some areas, causing many to be displaced from their homes.

A woman in Chatham County, North Carolina, died on Sunday after she drove into the floodwaters and was swept approximately 100 feet off the roadway, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

More than 120 roads have closed due to flooding and a portion of Highway 902 collapsed and was washed away, officials said.

“Just because the water may have subsided in some areas it is still dangerous to travel in some places,” Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said on Monday.

In Orange County, North Carolina, the storm brought 5 to 9 inches of rain, causing flooded roads along with fallen trees and power lines. The counties of Alamance, Moore and Orange have declared states of emergency, according North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein.

“I urge all North Carolinians to listen to any guidance from local weather and local emergency management officials and be aware of any road warnings and closures before they leave the house,” Stein said in a statement.

The Eno River near Huckleberry Springs — just outside of Durham, North Carolina — rose more than 20 feet in less than six hours as of Monday morning, and the Haw River near Burlington grew from 2 feet to 32.5 feet in just 13 hours.

More than 33,000 customers were still without power in North Carolina as of noon on Monday and the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina, issued a notice asking residents to boil their water as flooding from the Eno River impacted the local water treatment plant.

The town will have a “limited supply of water until the river recedes and the drinking water can be processed to refill the water tanks,” officials said.

Chantal will continue to move northeast on Monday, with flood watches in effect for northeast Virginia through central New Jersey. About 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible in these areas, with the storm hitting Baltimore and Philadelphia on Monday afternoon and New York City seeing light rain on Monday evening into Tuesday morning.

ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — The federal judge overseeing Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case in Maryland has denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss the case.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, at a hearing Monday in Maryland, pressed DOJ attorneys on why they claimed in May court filings that they could not return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. after securing an indictment against him in Tennessee on charges of human smuggling.

“Your client secured an indictment against Mr. Abrego Garcia on May 21 … how could you six days later say you had no power to produce him?” Judge Xinis asked. “Why else would you file a criminal indictment against someone who you can’t produce? It’s illogical.”

Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution, was brought back to the U.S. last month to face charges in Tennessee of allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S. while he was living in Maryland. He has pleaded not guilty.

Judge Xinis, pointing to a filing submitted by the DOJ in May that said the U.S. government did not have the power to bring Abrego Garcia back from detention in El Salvador, repeatedly asked DOJ layers about the timeline of the criminal probe and whether the Tennessee indictment played a role in his release.

“Those are powerful arguments to say ‘I don’t have the power’… yet, at the same time, you’re putting in place the power of the prosecutorial arm to charge an individual, who you say will never come back to the United States, with a crime,” Judge Xinis said.

“You began a criminal investigation … on April 28, which was a month after this case began, and common sense would dictate that the only possible defensible use of investigative criminal resources would be if you eventually secured an indictment to bring Mr. Abrego Garcia back,” Judge Xinis said.

When DOJ attorney Bridget O’Hickey said the investigation into Abrego Garcia in Tennessee did not begin on April 28, Judge Xinis said the attorney was contradicting the government’s sworn testimony in the criminal case.

“That’s noteworthy to me, because I do believe that your client has taken a different position in front of the Tennessee court,” Judge Xinis said.

O’Hickey said Abrego Garcia was not indicted “with the purpose of bringing him back.”

“He was indicted because he was under investigation for those criminal charges,” O’Hickey said.

When Judge Xinis asked the plaintiffs how they found out Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S., Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said, “We found out on ABC News.”

Judge Xinis was also scheduled to hear arguments Monday over whether Abrego Garcia should be transferred to Maryland as he awaits trial in Tennessee.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys filed an emergency motion last week seeking to have him returned to Maryland as he awaits trial, but government attorneys say they will seek to deport him to a country other than his native El Salvador, where he is prohibited from being sent due to a 2019 court order.

The magistrate judge overseeing the Tennessee case is expected to release him on bond as he awaits trial, setting up a battle over his potential removal.

In a court filing last week, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said he had been subjected to severe mistreatment including “beatings, severe deprivation, inadequate nutrition and psychological torture” while he was held in CECOT, arguing that he “could face persecution or torture if removed directly to various other countries, including but not limited to countries with notorious human rights abuses like Libya, South Sudan, and Eritrea.”

The next hearing in Abrego Garcia’s criminal case is set for July 16 in Tennessee.

Robert McGuire, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, filed a motion last week to set a jury trial date “within 70 days of his initial appearance.”

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(MCALLEN, Texas) — A suspect is dead after opening fire at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen, Texas, on Monday morning, authorities said.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda, fired at the federal building that houses the U.S. Border Patrol offices at the McAllen International Airport, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said at a news conference. The suspect never made it inside the building but fired “many, many rounds at the building,” Rodriguez said.

A photo of the door of the building showed the damage from bullets striking the glass.

Mosqueda was “neutralized” by Border Patrol agents and local police, according to McAllen police and the Department of Homeland Security.

Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, including one officer who was shot in the knee, DHS said. He is expected to be fine, police said.

There is no known motive, Rodriguez said.

Mosqueda was reported missing from a Weslaco, Texas, address at 4 a.m., police said, adding they don’t have more details on the missing person’s report.

Mosqueda has a Michigan address and arrived in a car with Michigan tags, Rodriguez said. His car had additional weapons and ammunition inside, Rodriguez said.

City officials said all flights at McAllen International Airport were delayed following the incident.

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(MCALLEN, Texas) — A suspect is dead following an active shooter incident at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen, Texas, according to a Department of Homeland Security official.

Border Patrol agents and local police “neutralized” the shooter, according to DHS.

One McAllen police officer was struck in the leg, apparently when officers returned fire at the suspect, according to two officials familiar with the incident.

City officials said all flights at nearby McAllen International Airport are delayed.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — The federal judge overseeing Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation case in Maryland will hear arguments Monday over whether Abrego Garcia should be transferred to Maryland as he awaits trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys filed an emergency motion last week seeking to have him returned to Maryland should he released on bond, but government attorneys say they will seek to deport him to a country other than his native El Salvador, where he is prohibited from being sent due to a 2019 court order.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has been handling Abrego Garcia’s Maryland case, will also hear arguments from the Trump administration seeking to have Abrego Garcia’s Maryland case dismissed.

Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution, was brought back to the U.S. last month to face charges in Tennessee of allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S. while he was living in Maryland. He has pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate judge overseeing the Tennessee case is expected to release him on bond as he awaits trial, setting up a battle over his potential removal.

In a court filing last week, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said he had been subjected to severe mistreatment including “beatings, severe deprivation, inadequate nutrition and psychological torture” while he was held in CECOT, arguing that he “could face persecution or torture if removed directly to various other countries, including but not limited to countries with notorious human rights abuses like Libya, South Sudan, and Eritrea.”

The next hearing in Abrego Garcia’s criminal case is set for July 16 in Tennessee.

Robert McGuire, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, filed a motion last week to set a jury trial date “within 70 days of his initial appearance.”

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(NEW YORK) — At least 27 people, both children and counselors, are dead at Camp Mystic after historic flooding wiped out the the Christian summer camp housing hundreds of young girls in the middle of the night.

“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement. “We are praying for them constantly.”

“We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls,” the statement continued. “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level.”

At least 80 people are believed dead in six counties across Texas after the deadly floods that struck the state on the Fourth of July, according to the latest information from state officials.

The majority of the deaths — 68 in all, including 28 children — occurred in hard-hit Kerr County after heavy rain pounded the Texas Hill Country region early Friday, leading to “catastrophic” flooding, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

At least 10 campers from the girls-only Camp Mystic summer camp, along with a counselor, remained unaccounted as of late Sunday afternoon, Leitha said.

A Flood Watch was in effect for parts of New Mexico and western Texas Thursday afternoon as rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms packing heavy rain moved through the area. By Thursday evening, five inches of rain had fallen in parts of western Texas, including Midland and Odessa.

The flooding caught local officials off guard as the torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic levels in a matter of minutes, officials said at a press conference Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River is located, around 1:14 a.m. Friday.

The river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes that morning, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told reporters on Friday.

“This came at night when people were asleep in bed,” he said.

The Guadalupe River reached its second-highest height on record, surpassing a 1987 flood level, the National Weather Service said.

Stuart Gross, the code enforcement officer for the city of Ingram, Texas, in Kerr County, told ABC News Live that the damage and flooding levels in his town were unprecedented.

“They came up high, never seen it come up this high in my 45 years,” he said. “It was horrific.”

Gross also told ABC News that he didn’t recall receiving a warning about the flood but that the town’s volunteer fire department brought speakers to alert residents during the torrential storm.

“The only reason we got out is because of our volunteer fire department,” he said. “It’s tragic. The screams for help, and there’s nothing you could do.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told reporters that it is up to local mayors and counties to evacuate if they feel the need and many were unsure where the storm would land.

At a news conference Friday, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said the county does not have a warning system on the river.

Kelly was pressed by a reporter as to why evacuations didn’t take place Thursday, but the judge said, “We didn’t know this flood was coming.”

“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,” he said.

Rain continued to hit the region Saturday, prompting flash flood emergency warnings for much of Burnet County and western parts of Williamson County and Travis County.

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Kyle Reiman contributed to this post.

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NEW YORK — A review ordered by President Donald Trump-appointed leadership of the Justice Department and the FBI found no evidence that notorious deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein kept a “client list” of associates whom he blackmailed or conspired with to victimize dozens of women, according to a new memo reviewed by ABC News.

The department has also released hours of purported footage as part of its review, which officials say further confirms Epstein died by suicide while in custody in his jail cell in Manhattan in 2019 — contradicting conspiracy theories long embraced or spread by allies of President Trump and others.

The memo is also likely to generate outrage among those who have claimed Epstein’s known high-profile associates could be implicated in his crimes. According to the FBI and DOJ review, no further charges are expected in connection with their probes into Epstein, as investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously promised the public release of scores of records associated with federal probes into Epstein, though in recent interviews, she has claimed the delay was attributed to “tens of thousands” of videos within the FBI’s possession showing potential pornography of minors.

In late February, Bondi handed out binders with Epstein case files to pro-Trump social media influencers at the White House — files that ultimately contained little new information. As ABC News reported at the time, the move caught White House officials off guard and outraged some supporters of the president, who had been promised that more details would be made public.

Bondi has faced growing criticism from some Trump supporters over the delay in releasing the records. The Epstein files for years have been the subject of widespread speculation and conspiracy theories that the government was covering up information and a supposed “client list” to protect powerful businessmen and politicians. Multiple sources have told ABC News that no such list has ever surfaced.

In explaining their determination not to release further records from the investigation, the DOJ memo states that one of the government’s “highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” before adding, “Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”

President Trump and the White House have been peppered with questions in recent months over the timing of the release of the next “phase” of documents previously promised by Bondi.

In an exchange in the Oval Office on April 22, Trump said he was unaware of when the Epstein files would be released.

“I don’t know. I’ll speak to the Attorney General about that,” Trump said. “I really don’t know.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, in the midst of a public falling out with Trump in the wake of his departure from the administration last month — shared a post on X that claimed the delay in releasing the Epstein files was due to Trump’s name appearing in them.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” he wrote. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT.”

The post was among several critical of Trump that Musk later removed from his account.

Trump soon after dismissed Musk’s claims in an interview with NBC News.

“That’s called ‘old news.’ That’s been old news. That has been talked about for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it — it’s old news,” he said.

“This has been talked about for years and years. And as you know, I was not friendly with Epstein for probably 18 years before he died. I was not at all friendly with him,” Trump added.

In tense private conversations, Bondi had previously pressed FBI Director Kash Patel to review the still-secret information from the case involving one of the most infamous sex trafficking criminals in modern history, sources told ABC News.

As many as a thousand FBI agents, many of whom were typically focused on national security matters, were enlisted to help with the effort, sources added.

In an interview in March, Bondi was asked about the increasing pressure from Trump’s base to release more files, and confirmed that the department was working to make them public.

“The MAGA group is mad that we don’t know more about the Epstein files…are you going to give us any more information? Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo asked the attorney general.

Bondi responded that FBI Director Kash Patel was working on providing the DOJ with a timeline for the next document release.

“We will get out as much as we can, as fast as we can to the American people,” Bondi said.

Axios was first to report the release of the DOJ and FBI’s memo.

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