Latest news with #GuadalupeRiverFlood
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Historic Texas Flood Kills 13 and Wipes Out Summer Camp
At least 13 have been killed and dozens are missing after the Guadalupe River in Central Texas burst through its banks amid torrential rain, engulfing several towns underwater and causing flash floods that have swept away homes, cars, and RVs. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Greg Abbott is on vacation, said that at least 20 girls are unaccounted for from Camp Mystic near San Antonio, where around 700 kids were camping when the floods struck. Patrick said he is praying for the children 'to be found alive.' 'Within 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet, and it was a destructive flood, taking property and sadly lives, ' Patrick said at a press conference. An entire RV park community in Ingram was swept away by the flood, with families still in their homes, according to WOAI. The former trailer park is now an empty lot. Dozens of summer camps across the area were damaged or destroyed during the storm. The remains of a summer camp cabin were swept down the river between Kerrville and Comfort, reportedly with people calling from inside, according to the Daily Mail. 'We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what's happened here. None whatsoever,' Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said during a press conference on Friday. 'Everyone is doing their very best trying to identify as much as they can.' The worst of the damage has affected rural, unincorporated communities along the river, including those in Hunt, Center Point, and Comfort counties. The Guadalupe River rose to 34 feet Friday morning—reaching a historic high—before the flood gauge broke. Search efforts for the missing are underway, with local fire crews and police assisting, along with the United Cajun Navy and federal response agencies, according to CNN. The Texas National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been activated to assist with rescue and recovery operations. Up to ten inches of rain fell in the towns of Kerr County and Tom Green County late Thursday evening, CNN reports. Joe Herring Jr., the mayor of Kerrville, the seat of Kerr County, declared a disaster on Friday morning. The county was unprepared for the extent of the flooding. Even a few inches of water can sweep away vehicles, and witnesses have reported sightings of cars being carried away by the flood with people still inside, according to KEYE-TV. The rapid waters are carrying debris from destroyed infrastructure. Rescue operations are ongoing, with residents being rescued from their rooftops and families being reunified in the Kerrville local Walmart, according to the Daily Mail. The last time the area experienced a severe flood was during the Guadalupe River Flood of 1987, which resulted in the death of 10 teenagers. The river is now higher than it was in 1987, according to CNN. The effects of climate change have exacerbated the disaster; much of the soil is extremely dry due to drought, creating conditions that are conducive to flash flooding. Texas has faced several floods this year, following a record-breaking number in 2024. The flooding comes after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gutted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is tasked with responding to natural disasters. The National Weather Service has warned that Mason and San Saba counties are expected to be affected by flooding, with the San Saba River expected to rise by more than 20 feet by Saturday morning. Gillespie County and Kendall Counties have also issued warnings due to the spread of the flood in nearby Kerr County. Governor Greg Abbott released a statement around noon on Friday. 'Texas is providing all necessary resources to Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt, and the entire Texas Hill Country dealing with these devastating floods,' Abbott wrote. President Donald Trump has not commented on the flooding. This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.
08-07-2025
- Climate
Deadly floods at Camp Mystic: How the tragedy compares to a similar event in 1987
Camp Mystic, the Christian girls summer camp that was hit with devastating floods on July 4, was part of an eerily similar tragedy that occurred almost 38 years ago to the day, officials said. That tragedy on July 17, 1987, known as the Guadalupe River Flood, began when 5 to 10 inches of rain fell in the upper headwaters of the Guadalupe River basin, which resulted in a "massive flood" that traveled down the river through Ingram, Hunt -- near Camp Mystic -- Kerrville and Comfort, Texas, according to reports from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At approximately 2:45 a.m., a flood warning was issued for the Guadalupe River from Kerrville upstream, with 4 to 6 inches of rain pummeling down in only three to four hours -- causing a 15-foot rise in the river near the camp. There were also reports of people being trapped in rising waters at this time, officials said. Then at 4:30 a.m., an alert was released saying officials at camps along the river -- including Camp Mystic -- "should have everyone well away from the flood plain and to high ground already," according to the report from officials. Five minutes later, Camp Mystic officials said they had "polled camps in the area and all campers are accounted for," according to the report. While no one at Camp Mystic died from the 1987 flood -- unlike the dozens that died in the tragedy over the weekend -- 10 teenagers were killed when a bus and van washed away near Comfort, Texas. The teenagers were attending a church camp at the Pot O' Gold Ranch, which was scheduled to end the same day that the flood washed away the group, officials said. Law enforcement officials had notified the camp at 2 a.m. and at 6 a.m. of the flood wave coming down the Guadalupe River, and the decision was then made to evacuate the children early "to avoid being trapped at the camp," officials said. When the caravan of buses and a van left the camp, one of the buses and the van encountered a "flooded low water crossing" on the river and decided to try an alternate route, officials said. The lead buses "successfully made the sharp turn to head a different direction" but rapidly rising water from the river -- which had reached 29 feet tall that morning -- caused the last bus to stall and the van behind it to become stranded, officials said. An attempt was made to evacuate the children off the bus and the van, but "as they were wading back to dry ground a wall of water around half a mile wide rushed upon the campers," officials said. Forty-three people -- 39 teenagers and four adults -- were swept into the waters, with 10 teenagers drowning. The remaining 33 children and adults were rescued, officials said. It is unclear if any changes were implemented in the wake of the 1987 tragedy. This weekend's tragedy has already raised questions about whether there were adequate safety measures in the region in the event of a major flooding event.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deadly floods at Camp Mystic: How the tragedy compares to a similar event in 1987
Camp Mystic, the Christian girls summer camp that was hit with devastating floods on July 4, was part of an eerily similar tragedy that occurred almost 38 years ago to the day, officials said. That tragedy on July 17, 1987, known as the Guadalupe River Flood, began when 5 to 10 inches of rain fell in the upper headwaters of the Guadalupe River basin, which resulted in a "massive flood" that traveled down the river through Ingram, Hunt -- near Camp Mystic -- Kerrville and Comfort, Texas, according to reports from the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At approximately 2:45 a.m., a flood warning was issued for the Guadalupe River from Kerrville upstream, with 4 to 6 inches of rain pummeling down in only three to four hours -- causing a 15-foot rise in the river near the camp. There were also reports of people being trapped in rising waters at this time, officials said. Then at 4:30 a.m., an alert was released saying officials at camps along the river -- including Camp Mystic -- "should have everyone well away from the flood plain and to high ground already," according to the report from officials. Five minutes later, Camp Mystic officials said they had "polled camps in the area and all campers are accounted for," according to the report. MORE: These are the factors that contributed to the extreme Texas flooding While no one at Camp Mystic died from the 1987 flood -- unlike the dozens that died in the tragedy over the weekend -- 10 teenagers were killed when a bus and van washed away near Comfort, Texas. The teenagers were attending a church camp at the Pot O' Gold Ranch, which was scheduled to end the same day that the flood washed away the group, officials said. Law enforcement officials had notified the camp at 2 a.m. and at 6 a.m. of the flood wave coming down the Guadalupe River, and the decision was then made to evacuate the children early "to avoid being trapped at the camp," officials said. When the caravan of buses and a van left the camp, one of the buses and the van encountered a "flooded low water crossing" on the river and decided to try an alternate route, officials said. The lead buses "successfully made the sharp turn to head a different direction" but rapidly rising water from the river -- which had reached 29 feet tall that morning -- caused the last bus to stall and the van behind it to become stranded, officials said. An attempt was made to evacuate the children off the bus and the van, but "as they were wading back to dry ground a wall of water around half a mile wide rushed upon the campers," officials said. Forty-three people -- 39 teenagers and four adults -- were swept into the waters, with 10 teenagers drowning. The remaining 33 children and adults were rescued, officials said. It is unclear if any changes were implemented in the wake of the 1987 tragedy. This weekend's tragedy has already raised questions about whether there were adequate safety measures in the region in the event of a major flooding event.
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Deadly and 'catastrophic' flooding unfolding along Texas' Guadalupe River
A "catastrophic" and deadly flooding emergency was unfolding in Texas on the Fourth of July as heavy rains caused the Guadalupe River to rapidly rise. 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.
