Deadly and 'catastrophic' flooding unfolding along Texas' Guadalupe River
People have died in Kerr County and roads were flooding in Kerrville, a city of 25,000 people about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, authorities said.
"This is a catastrophic flooding event in Kerr County. We can confirm fatalities but will not release further information until next of kin are notified," the Kerr County Sheriff's Office said. "The entire county is an extremely active scene."
Residents were urged to shelter in place and not attempt to travel. Anyone along creeks, streams and the Guadalupe River should seek higher ground, the sheriff's office said.
The area was under a flash flood warning and between 5 and 11 inches of rain had already fallen by about 9 a.m., the National Weather Service in Austin and San Antonio said.
"This is a very dangerous and life-threatening flood event along the Guadalupe River! Move to higher ground!" the weather service there said.
Earlier in the morning, the Guadalupe River at Hunt in western Kerr County had already reached the second-highest level on record at over 29 feet, surpassing levels of the 1987 Guadalupe River Flood at that spot, the weather service in Austin and San Antonio said. The 1987 flood killed 10 teenagers on a church camp bus and van on July 17 near Comfort, Texas.
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2 hours ago
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A boy saved by barbed wire, a 'destroyed' camp and missed warning signs in Texas floods
The warning signs were already flashing as hundreds of young people celebrated the Fourth of July public holiday at Camp Mystic, an all-girls' Christian summer retreat, nestled on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas. There had not been a drop of rain in the area recently until the inundation, when the river rose 26ft (8m) in less than an hour, according to state officials. By Saturday evening, at least 51 people were dead, including 15 children. Search for missing continues Texas flood victims: Girl 'living her best life' and 'heart and soul' of camp The first hint of the devastation to come appeared on Thursday morning as rain and thunderstorms soaked a number of central Texas counties. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a common warning called a flood watch at 13:18 that afternoon for parts of the region, including Kerr County. In the early hours of Friday, the outlook became more dire as the NWS issued a series of upgraded warnings. The San Saba river, the Concho River and the Colorado River were rising. At 04:03, the NWS sent a "particularly dangerous situation" alert, reserved for the most urgent and potentially deadly scenarios such as wildfires. Another "particularly dangerous situation" warning was issued for the city of Kerrville at 05:34, before dawn on Friday. "Residents and campers should SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding along the river is expected," forecasters said. "Automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River. Flash flooding is already occurring." Such alerts are shared on NWS social media accounts and by broadcast news outlets, but most people were asleep. Elinor Lester, 13, said younger campers at Camp Mystic were bunked in cabins closer to the riverbank and those were the first to flood. "The camp was completely destroyed," Elinor, who was evacuated by helicopter, told the Associated Press news agency. "It was really scary." Just outside Kerrville, the BBC met Jonathan and Brittany Rojas as they came to see what was left of a relative's home. Only the foundations remain. Five people were in the house the night of the deluge - the mother and her baby are still missing. The teenage son, Leo, survived after he became snared in barbed wire, preventing him from being swept away. The boy is recovering in hospital. As the BBC was interviewing the Rojas couple, a neighbour walked up to present them with an item salvaged from the house. It was the teenager's money jar. The label on it read, "Leo's survival kit". Desperate Camp Mystic parents took to social media looking for news of their children. One Facebook group - Kerrville Breaking News - turned into a missing persons page. Some parents have since updated their social media pleas to say their missing family members did not survive. Kerr County is in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a getaway destination because of its scenic rolling hills, countless rivers and lakes and abundance of wineries. But the region is also known as "Flash Flood Alley", because of the recurring threat that has devastated local communities over the years. When asked why the riverside summer camp was not evacuated, officials said the sudden scale of the deluge caught them unawares. "No-one knew this kind of flood was coming," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said.
2 hours ago
Floods turned beloved Texas camp into a nightmare. At least 27 girls remain missing
KERRVILLE, Texas -- As the floodwaters began to recede from Camp Mystic, a torrent of grief remained as the identities of some of the campers who died in the flash floods began to emerge on Saturday. At least 43 people, including 15 children, died in Kerr County after a storm unleashed nearly a foot (0.3 meters) of rain on Friday and sent floodwaters gushing out of the Guadalupe River through the hilly region known for its century-old summer camps. Another eight people died in nearby counties. State officials said 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a riverside Christian camp for girls in Hunt, Texas, still were unaccounted for about 36 hours after the flood. An 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp just up the road were among those confirmed dead Saturday. Gov. Greg Abbott, who toured the camp Saturday with rescue crews, vowed that authorities will work around the clock to find the missing girls and others swept away in the storm that caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. Many more are still missing, and authorities said about 850 people had been rescued so far. The National Weather Service said a flood watch would remain in effect for the Hill Country region through late Saturday night. The camp was established in 1926. It grew so popular over the following decades that families are now encouraged to put prospective campers on the waitlist years in advance. Photos and videos taken before the flood are idyllic, showing large cabins with green-shingled roofs and names like 'Wiggle Inn,' tucked among sturdy oak and cypress trees that grow on the banks of the Guadalupe River. In some social media posts, girls are fishing, riding horses, playing kickball or performing choreographed dance routines in matching T-shirts. Girls ranging in age from 8 to 17 years old pose for the camera with big smiles, arms draped across the shoulders of their fellow campers. But the floodwaters left behind a starkly different landscape: A pickup truck is balanced precariously on two wheels, its side lodged halfway up a tree. A wall is torn entirely off one building, the interior empty except for a Texas flag and paintings hung high along one side. A twisted bit of metal — perhaps a bedframe — is stacked next to colorful steamer trunks and broken tree limbs. First responders are scouring the riverbanks in hopes of finding survivors. Social media posts are now focused on the faces of the missing. State and county officials defended their actions Saturday amid scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in towns long vulnerable to flooding received proper alerts. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the region on Thursday, and it sent out a series of flash-flood warnings in the early hours Friday. The federal agency had predicted 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) of rain in the region northwest of San Antonio, but 10 inches (25.4 cm) fell. The Guadalupe River rose to 26 feet (7.9 meters) within about 45 minutes in the early morning hours, submerging its flood gauge. It was not immediately clear what kind of evacuation plans Camp Mystic might have had. The county itself does not have a warning system, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said. He maintained that no one knew a flood of this magnitude was coming. By Friday afternoon, Texas Game Wardens had arrived at Camp Mystic and were evacuating campers. A rope was tied so girls could hang on as they walked across a bridge, the floodwaters rushing around their knees. Elinor Lester, 13, said she was evacuated with her cabinmates by helicopter after wading through floodwaters. She recalled startling awake around 1:30 a.m. as thunder crackled and water pelted the cabin windows. Lester was among the older girls housed on elevated ground known as Senior Hill. Cabins housing the younger campers, who can start attending at age 8, are situated along the riverbanks and were the first to flood, she said. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' she said. 'It was really scary.' Her mother, Elizabeth Lester, said her son was nearby at Camp La Junta and also escaped. A counselor there woke up to find water rising in the cabin, opened a window and helped the boys swim out. Camp La Junta and nearby Camp Waldemar said in Instagram posts that all campers and staff were safe. Elizabeth Lester sobbed when she saw her daughter, who was clutching a small teddy bear and a book. 'My kids are safe, but knowing others are still missing is just eating me alive," she said. Dozens of families shared in local Facebook groups that they received devastating phone calls from safety officials informing them that their daughters had not yet been located among the washed-away camp cabins and downed trees. Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the roughly 750 campers that if they have not been contacted directly, their child is accounted for. Camp Mystic sits on a strip known to locals as 'flash flood alley." 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations. 'It rushes down the hill.' Decades prior, floodwaters engulfed a bus of teenage campers from another Christian camp along the Guadalupe River during devastating summer storms in 1987. A total of 10 campers from Pot O' Gold Christian camp drowned after their bus was unable to evacuate in time from a site near Comfort, 33 miles (53 kilometers) east of Hunt. Chloe Crane, a teacher and former Camp Mystic counselor, said her heart broke when a fellow teacher shared an email from the camp about the missing girls. 'To be quite honest, I cried because Mystic is such a special place, and I just couldn't imagine the terror that I would feel as a counselor to experience that for myself and for 15 little girls that I'm taking care of,' she said. 'And it's also just sadness, like the camp has been there forever and cabins literally got washed away.' Crane said the camp is a haven for young girls looking to gain confidence and independence. She recalled happy memories teaching her campers about journalism, making crafts and competing in a camp-wide canoe race at the end of each summer. Now for many campers and counselors, their happy place has turned into a horror story, she said.
Business Upturn
3 hours ago
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Texas floods leave 51 dead, 27 girls missing as rescuers continue search in devastated Kerr County
A catastrophic flash flood in central Texas has left at least 51 people dead and 27 girls still missing, as search and rescue operations continue across Kerr County and surrounding areas. The disaster struck overnight Friday (July 4–5, 2025), with waters rising at unprecedented speed and engulfing homes, camps, and vehicles in what officials have called a once-in-a-century flood. The flooding has claimed the lives of at least 43 people in Kerr County alone, including 15 children, and more fatalities have been reported in nearby counties. Many of the missing are girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River, which was completely destroyed when floodwaters rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes before dawn on Friday. Search and rescue under way Rescue crews, aided by helicopters, drones, and boats, are scouring the devastated landscape for survivors. More than 850 people have been rescued in the past 36 hours, but the fate of many remains unknown. Families and friends of the missing have posted desperate pleas and photographs on social media, hoping for information. Governor Greg Abbott declared Sunday a day of prayer for Texas and vowed to keep rescue efforts running around the clock. 'I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,' he said. Camps and homes swept away Survivors described scenes of chaos as water tore through the hills and campsites. Elinor Lester, a 13-year-old camper at Mystic, recalled how the girls were evacuated across a bridge as water whipped around their legs. 'It was really scary,' she said. In Ingram, Erin Burgess and her son clung to a tree for an hour after floodwaters overwhelmed their home, while Barry Adelman's family, including a 94-year-old grandmother and a 9-year-old grandson, fled to their attic to escape the rising water. Questions over preparedness The scale of destruction has raised questions about whether adequate warnings and preparations were made. The National Weather Service and private forecasters say they issued flood warnings hours in advance, but many residents and camp organizers said they were caught by surprise. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly acknowledged the community's shock. 'We know we get rains. We know the river rises. But nobody saw this coming,' he said. Relief and recovery efforts begin Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived in Kerr County to oversee relief efforts and pledged federal support. The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has begun collecting donations to assist victims and rebuild the devastated communities. As water levels slowly recede, officials are shifting focus from rescue to recovery, but the task ahead remains daunting. 'The rescue has gone as well as can be expected,' said Kelly. 'Now it's getting time for the recovery — and that's going to be a long, toilsome task for us.' Ahmedabad Plane Crash
