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Texas floods latest: Over 130 dead as report claims Camp Mystic leader received flood warning hour before disaster
Officials ordered volunteer crews to suspend search operations near the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, as the area hit hardest by catastrophic flash flooding on July 4 faced a renewed flood threat.
A broad swath of the Hill Country remained under flood watch alerts early Tuesday morning, while officials warned of 'life-threatening' flash floods in parts of South Central Texas.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said that the number of people missing statewide had fallen to 97, a significant reduction from the 173 unaccounted for that he announced almost a week ago.
It comes amid a Washington Post report that Richard 'Dick' Eastland, the Camp Mystic executive director who died in the July 4 flooding, received a severe flood warning on his phone an hour before floodwaters slammed into the all-girls summer camp.
Life-threatening flash floods threaten South Central Texas
A broad swath of South Central Texas remains under flash flood warnings early this morning as torrential downpours persist across the region.
The alerts are currently in place for Dimmit, Edwards, Kinney, Maverick, Real, Uvalde, and Zavala counties, where the National Weather Center warns of potentially 'life threatening' flash flooding.
Doppler radar suggests that some counties could experience up to four inches of rainfall in an hour.
James Liddell15 July 2025 08:47
Death toll: At least 131 dead as missing falls to double digits
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said that at least 131 people have been killed by the July 4 flash floods that tore through the Hill Country.
The number of people missing statewide, he said, had fallen to 97, a significant reduction from the 173 unaccounted for that he announced almost a week ago.
James Liddell15 July 2025 08:38
In pictures: Children's toys placed on Texas flood victim memorial
A memorial wall in Central Texas includes children's toys as dozens of victims from the July 4 flash floods were kids.
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 07:30
Camp Mystic reportedly waited an hour to evacuate after warnings of 'life-threatening' Texas floods
The director of Camp Mystic waited more than an hour after receiving a life-threatening flood alert before beginning to evacuate campers asleep in their cabins, his family confirmed through a spokesman.
Executive Director Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, along with his wife, had been in charge of the beloved all-girls Christian summer camp in Hunt, Texas, since the 1980s.
It's located directly in the flood zone. But when the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Kerr County at 1:14 a.m. on July 4, warning of 'life-threatening flash flooding' near the Guadalupe River, little direction was given by the leadership of the camp.
Eastland did not order evacuations until 2:30 a.m., by which time torrential rains were already falling and the river was rapidly rising, according to family spokesman Jeff Carr, as reported by The Washington Post.
Camp Mystic director waited an hour to evacuate girls after receiving warning
Executive Director Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 70, drowned while trying to rescue some of the youngest girls
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 06:30
Texas officials share photos of search efforts after catastrophic floods
The Texas Department of Public Safety shared photos on X of special agents conducting search operations along the North Fork of the Guadalupe River after it burst its banks on July 4.
At least 131 have been killed by the floods, and 101 are still missing, according to Governor Greg Abbott.
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 05:30
ICYMI: Trump brands reporter 'evil' for asking if warnings could have saved kids' lives in Texas floods
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 04:30
Hard-hit Kerrville warns of flood watch tonight
The city of Kerrville, which was hit hard by the July 4 flash flooding, warned residents Monday of a flood watch that remains in effect until 7 a.m. local time Tuesday.
'The National Weather Service continues to forecast moist and unstable weather conditions over the region with continued risks of locally heavy rainfall through late tonight,' city officials wrote in a Facebook post.
The post continued: 'Most rainfall totals should be in the 1 to 3 inch range, but an isolated total to 6 inches cannot be ruled out. Rivers and streams remain elevated and will be capable of rising rapidly with any new downpours.'
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 03:30
Timelapse shows deadly Texas floodwater rising in minutes
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 02:30
National Weather Service forecasts 'stable weather' rest of the week, 'fingers crossed'
The National Weather Service has forecasted on X Monday 'stable weather and warming temperatures' the rest of the week, adding 'fingers crossed.'
Rachel Dobkin15 July 2025 01:46
Trump approves request to make more Texas counties eligible for disaster assistance
President Donald Trump approved a request to make more Texas counties eligible for federal disaster assistance after flash flooding on July 4 devastated communities along the Guadalupe River.
With the new addition of Burnet, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, and Tom Green counties, 10 counties are now approved for the FEMA Public Assistance program.
'President Trump's approval of my request to add more counties to his disaster declaration is another critical step to get Texans the support they need to recover,' Abbott said in a statement Monday.
He added: 'I thank President Trump for swiftly approving my request to approve these additional counties. Texas continues to work around-the-clock to help every impacted community heal and rebuild.'
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