CNN reporter Isabel Rosales broke some important news on Tuesday to rescue crews working to find survivors of the deadly flood in central Texas.
Rosales was on the ground reporting on rescue efforts when she told crews that the number of missing people had increased to more than 170. That figure was news to the crew members, Rosales said, who were putting in long hours to find missing survivors.
Early estimates suggested that just 18 people were missing after the flood. So far, the flood has claimed the lives of 111 people, including 27 people from nearby Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls.
“What a stunning jump from 18 to over 170 missing in hard-hit Kerr County alone,” Rosales said on CNN’s “OutFront” with host Erin Burnett. “It came as a shock to the volunteers who were working here.”
Rosales added that officials expect the number of missing people to increase in the coming days.
The flood in central Texas is one of the worst natural disasters the state has witnessed in decades. Overall, some parts of the state received as much as 15 inches of rain, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow within an hour.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was asked earlier in the day about who was to blame for the damage the flood caused. Abbott responded by calling the question “the word choice of losers” before offering a football analogy to explain that even though state officials “made mistakes,” they are more focused on finding solutions at this point.