At least 24 dead as flash flooding hits Texas, US
Listen to article
Torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas, US on Friday, killing at least 24 people as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said.
Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, authorities said.
At a news conference late on Friday, almost 18 hours after the July Fourth crisis began, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said search-and-rescue operations would press on through the night and into Saturday.
Abbott said resources devoted to the effort would be "limitless."
First responders survey rising flood waters of the Guadalupe River after flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas, U.S. July 4, 2025 in a still image from video. ABC Affiliate KSAT via REUTERS
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One at the end of a day of public events, President Donald Trump said "we'll take care of them," when asked about federal aid for the disaster.
The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr County in south-central Texas Hill Country, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of San Antonio, following thunderstorms that dumped as much as a foot of rain.
Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe swiftly rose above major flood stage.
"This happened very quickly, over a very short period of time that could not be predicted, even with radar," Rice said. "This happened within less than a two-hour span."
Photo: Reuters
State emergency management officials had warned as early as Thursday that west and central Texas faced heavy rains and flash flood threats "over the next couple days," citing National Weather Service forecasts ahead of the holiday weekend.
But the weather forecasts in question "did not predict the amount of rain that we saw," W. Nim Kidd, director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told a news conference on Friday night.
July Fourth fireworks displays ended up being canceled in flood-stricken communities throughout the region, including Kerrville, where the waterfront site for Friday night's planned US.Independence Day celebration was submerged by the rain-swollen river.
At Friday night's briefing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 24 flood-related fatalities had been confirmed, up from 13 tallied earlier in the day.
One more person found dead in neighboring Kendall County was not confirmed to be a flood-related casualty, Leitha said.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Friday afternoon that authorities were searching for 23 girls listed as missing from among more than 750 children at summer camp sites along the banks of the Guadalupe River when the area was inundated by floodwaters at around 4 a.m. local time.
The missing campers had all been attending Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls.
"We're praying for all those missing to be found alive," Patrick said.
It was not clear whether anyone unaccounted for might have ended up among the deceased victims tallied countywide by the sheriff.
Otherwise, all other campers were safe, authorities said, with campers being evacuated throughout the day.
"Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out," Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local elected official, had said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier.
Kelly said a number of scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hit hard.
Pressed by reporters why more precautions were not taken with stormy weather in the forecast, Kelly insisted a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen.
"We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States," Kelly said. "We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever."
As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter.
With additional rain forecast in the region, Patrick warned that an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding extended from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours.
On Friday night, Governor Abbott signed a disaster declaration to hasten emergency assistance to Kerr and a cluster of additional counties hardest hit by the floods.
Personnel from the US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency also were activated to assist local authorities in confronting the crisis, officials said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Dozens missing as Texas flash floods leave at least 43 dead
Listen to article At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. The casualty toll will likely rise, authorities said, as localities beyond the main site of the disaster in Kerr County were affected by the flooding. A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County. Photo: Reuters Some news organizations reported the death toll was already as high as 52. Reuters could not confirm that. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. Rice said 27 people were known to be missing, but "we will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know." The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). Photo: Reuters "We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming," said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch was in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. 'We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side," he said on Fox News Live. Photo: Reuters 'Complete shock' Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. Another girls' camp in the area, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. A Reuters photographer saw around 10 cars - some with smashed windshields and doors - that had been swept away by flood waters and lay abandoned near the river. Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. "Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor that request. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed condolences in a message on social media, saying Pakistan 'can fully understand the pain and suffering of the bereaved families' after recently experiencing similar flash floods in the country's northwest. Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the tragic flash floods in Texas, USA. Hope the ongoing rescue efforts will be successful in saving more people from this natural calamity. Having suffered a similar incident in north west Pakistan just a few days ago, we can… — Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 5, 2025
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Texas flood witness recalls furniture, trees and RVs swept down river
COMFORT: Tonia Fucci, a Pennsylvania resident visiting her grandmother for the Independence Day weekend, woke early on Friday to the sound of heavy rain 'coming down in buckets.' Along with the rain, she heard something else - loud, startling cracking noises. 'It's indescribable, the sounds, of how loud they were, which turned out to be … the massive cypress trees that came down along the river,' she told a Reuters reporter in an interview the next day. Flash floods in central Texas have killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. Hardest hit was Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old girls camp, where dozens of young girls were swept away in the flood waters, leaving many dead and many more still missing. Fucci, who was staying in Comfort on the banks of the overflowing Guadalupe River, filmed on her phone a torrent of muddy water flooding the road to her grandmother's house and two recreational vehicles in a parking lot, with their wheels submerged in water. Reuters verified the location of the video by matching buildings and vehicles to satellite imagery and confirmed the date by checking the metadata. 'I'm still in shock today,' Fucci told Reuters. She said she had little hope anyone would be found alive. 'There's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending… There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water.' Fucci said she had received National Weather alerts on her phone hours after the flood had already hit. The residents of the town had to rely on one another, as they ran to their neighbors to see who needed help before rescue teams arrived. 'Something I've never seen before. You knew it was tragedy,' Fucci said, recalling how quickly the river flooded the town. 'It wasn't slowing, it wasn't slowing. And debris and furniture and RVs were coming down the river.'
Business Recorder
7 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Death toll from Texas floods reaches at least 43; dozens still missing
HUNT: At least 43 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on Saturday as rescuers continued a frantic search for dozens more campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. The casualty toll will likely rise, authorities said, as localities beyond the main site of the disaster in Kerr County were affected by the flooding. A Travis County official said four people had died from the flooding there, with 13 unaccounted for, and officials reported another death in Kendall County. Some news organizations reported the death toll was already as high as 52. Reuters could not confirm that. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio. Among the missing were 27 girls from the Camp Mystic summer camp, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told a press conference on Saturday evening, and there may be others beyond that. Rice said 27 people were known to be missing, but 'we will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know.' The disaster unfolded rapidly on Friday morning as heavier-than-forecast rain drove river waters rapidly to as high as 29 feet (9 meters). 'We know that the rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming,' said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the top local official in the region. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 of the confirmed dead, including five children, had yet to be identified. The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch was in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region. Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said an unknown number of visitors had come to the area for an Independence Day celebration by the river. 'We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side,' he said on Fox News Live. 'Complete shocks' Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Patrick. A day after the disaster struck, the camp was a scene of devastation. Inside one cabin, mud lines indicating how high the water had risen were at least six feet from the floor. Bed frames, mattresses and personal belongings caked with mud were scattered inside. Some buildings had broken windows, one had a missing wall. Another girls' camp in the area, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. In Comfort, a town about 40 miles down the river from Camp Mystic, huge trees, some over 60 feet tall, were pulled out and scattered around the river by the floods, with several blocking roads. While the main highway from San Antonio to affected areas remained mainly intact, some two-lane bridges were severely damaged by water. A Reuters photographer saw around 10 cars - some with smashed windshields and doors - that had been swept away by flood waters and lay abandoned near the river. 'Complete shock. I'm still in shock today,' said Tonia Fucci, 52, a Pennsylvanian who was in Comfort visiting her grandmother. 'The devastation was such that I'm still in shock today. And with the rescues going on and helicopters, you just know there's so many missing children and missing people. You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But, you know, it's not going to be a good ending. It's just not going to be. There's no way people could have survived the swiftness of the water.' Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported. 27 people confirmed dead as flood waters recede in central Texas President Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for the victims. 'Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best,' he said on social media. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a press conference he had asked Trump to sign a disaster declaration, which would unlock federal aid for those affected. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump would honor that request. Trump has previously outlined plans to scale back the federal government's role in responding to natural disasters, leaving states to shoulder more of the burden themselves. Noem said a 'moderate' flood watch issued on Thursday by the National Weather Service had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall and said the Trump administration was working to upgrade the system. The administration has cut thousands of jobs from the National Weather Service's parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving many weather offices understaffed, said former NOAA director Rick Spinrad. He said he did not know if those staff cuts factored into the lack of advance warning for the extreme Texas flooding, but said they would inevitably degrade the agency's ability to deliver accurate and timely forecasts. 'People's ability to prepare for these storms will be compromised. It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and probably more property damage,' he said.
