Texas flash floods claim at least 82 lives, leaving trail of destruction

The south-central U.S. state of Texas is reeling from severe flash floods that struck early Friday, leaving at least 82 dead and over 40 missing.

Kerr County, the hardest hit among 20 affected counties in the region, alone accounts for at least 68 of the fatalities, including 21 children, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Sunday.

Local residents and authorities are grappling with the catastrophic aftermath, as the landscape is littered with uprooted trees, debris, and mud, all jumbled into chaotic heaps.

Metal road signs have been completely torn away, leaving no trace of their former presence. Many vehicles have been swept to the roadside by the sheer force of the floodwaters, their windows shattered and frames twisted.

The deadly floods have left many homes in the region damaged and cordoned off with caution tape.

Residents are desperately sifting through the wreckage in search of personal belongings, while cleanup crews work tirelessly to restore a sense of order to the devastated communities.

As authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage, efforts are ongoing to locate missing individuals and provide assistance to those affected.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 20 pips to 7.0108 against the U.S. dollar Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In China's spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.