At least 13 fatalities reported in Texas as devastating floods slam Hill Country, officials say
The Kerr County Sheriff's Office said during a news briefing that 13 people have died in the flooding. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about six to 10 bodies have been found, and that the situation is fluid and ongoing. He said he expects the fatality count to rise.
"Within 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet and it was a destructive flood — taking property and sadly lives," Patrick said during a news conference Friday afternoon, adding that they got 12 inches or more of rain per hour.
A raging Guadalupe River leaves fallen trees and debris in its wake, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
Eric Gay / AP
There are hundreds of people on the ground from various units helping with search and rescue operations, Patrick said, including swimmers in the water, 12 drones and 14 helicopters.
Texas issued flash flood emergencies in five counties in West Texas on Friday as Hill Country continues to be slammed by severe rain and flooding. Between 5 and 11 inches of rain have fallen in northwestern Bandera County, Central Kerr County, Northeastern Tom Green County, East Central Kerr County and West Central Kendall County, according to the National Weather Service.
About 20 unaccounted for at Camp Mystic
Patrick addressed parents of children at Camp Mystic, where there were about 750 children at summer camp when the floods hit. The lieutenant governor, who is acting as governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is on vacation, said around 20 children were unaccounted for on Friday. He said they are praying for all those missing "to be found alive."
"If they are alive and safe, we will find them and bring them home to you," Patrick said.
The camp said in a statement, read by Patrick, that there has been a "catastrophic level" of flooding. He told parents watching the news conference that if they have not been contacted, their child is accounted for at this time.
Patrick said Camp Mystic is an all-girls summer camp in the area that has several camps with thousands of children attending for the summer. The camp said they have no power, no water and no Wi-Fi , adding that "the highway has washed away, so we are struggling to get more help."
A flood gauge marks the height of water flowing over a farm-to-market road near Kerrville, Texas, on Friday, July 4, 2025.
Eric Gay / AP
Earlier Friday, the city of Kerrville, Texas, said in a social media post, "Search and recovery efforts are ongoing and will increase as the waters recede."
Water rescues continue along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, with a number of local and regional emergency service organizations taking part, the city said. The Guadalupe River at Hunt reached its second-highest height on record, higher than the famous 1987 flood, the city said, citing the National Weather Service.
Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement posted to social media, "Please pray right now for everyone in the Hill Country, especially Camp Mystic." He said multiple helicopters are performing search and rescue, and added that he's spoken with Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov Patrick, the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management
and President Trump.
"President Trump committed ANYTHING Texas needs," Cruz said.
Abbott said the state has mobilized resources to assist those dealing with the floods.
"Texas is providing all necessary resources to Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt and the entire Texas Hill Country dealing with these devastating floods," Abbott said Friday in a statement. "The State of Texas today has mobilized additional resources in addition to the resources sent in preparation for the storms. I urge Texans to heed guidance from state and local officials and monitor local forecasts to avoid driving into flooded areas."
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Texas flooding: Desperate families post pictures of children as 23 girls remain missing
Texas parents frantically posted photos of their young daughters on social media with pleas for information as they remain missing after flash flooding. More than 20 campers from an all-girls summer camp were unaccounted for Friday after floods tore through the state's south-central region. At least 24 people were reported dead Friday and dozens missing after months worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours on Texas Hill Country, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. The flood-prone region is dotted with century-old summer camps that draw thousands of kids annually from across the Lone Star State. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about 23 girls attending Camp Mystic, a Christian camp along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, were unaccounted for Friday afternoon. Search teams were working to conduct helicopter and boat rescues in the fast-moving floodwaters. 'I'm asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying this afternoon — on-your-knees kind of praying — that we find these young girls,' Patrick 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 that if they have not been contacted directly, their child is accounted for. The camp sits on strip known as 'flash flood alley,' said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a charitable endowment that is collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster. 'When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil,' Dickson said. 'It rushes down the hill.' Camp leaders said they are without power, Wi-Fi and running water, and the highway leading to the camp has washed away. Two other camps on the river, Camp Waldemar and Camp La Junta, said in Instagram posts that all campers and staff there were safe.
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an hour ago
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In pictures: Deadly flooding in Texas
Torrential rain has caused flash flooding in parts of central Texas, killing more than 20 people. In Kerr County, more than 20 girls are missing from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp located along a river that rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours. It 'does not mean they are lost,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick cautioned, while Gov. Greg Abbott said that search and rescue operations will continue through the night. Throughout Kerr County, more than 230 people have been rescued or evacuated so far, many by helicopter, authorities said. Some areas saw a month's worth of rain in just a few hours overnight into Friday. Heavy rain is expected to continue Saturday.
New York Times
2 hours ago
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The most urgent alerts came in the middle of the night.
Early Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for parts of south-central Texas, including Kerr County, warning that a slow-moving storm system was expected to bring anything from scattered showers to intense storms through Friday morning. Such warnings are common when conditions are favorable for a weather event, and are often followed by a warning when a dangerous event is occurring or about to occur. And that's what happened very early on Friday morning, when the Weather Service issued a series of upgraded warnings in quick succession. Rivers across the region were beginning to rise as storms dropped more and more rain — first, the San Saba River at 1 a.m. local time, and again at 5 a.m., followed by the Concho River and then the Colorado River, each of which are expected to keep rising slowly through the weekend. The Weather Service also issued warnings for flash floods as the storm's impacts were becoming more clear. Unlike a slowly rising river, flash floods are sudden deluges that can occur after heavy rainfall with very little notice. A little after 4 a.m., the Weather Service sent one of its most urgent alerts, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning, reserved for the most urgent and potentially deadly scenarios. It is meant to grab attention, and is most often used when violent tornadoes are nearby, but also for floods and wildfires. The warnings are often shared on the Weather Service's social media accounts and broadcast by local news organizations. At 5:34 a.m. local time, a 'particularly dangerous situation' warning came for Kerr County: 'Automated rain gauges indicate a large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River,' forecasters wrote. 'Flash flooding is already occurring.' It identified Hunt, Kerrville and Center Point, all communities along the Guadalupe River, as places of concern: 'Residents and campers should SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding along the river is expected.' Other nearby areas, including Tom Green County, were also under these warnings starting a little after 6 a.m., one of which noted that 'law enforcement reported major flooding and very dangerous conditions across San Angelo,' the county seat. Another warning for the eastern portion of Kerr County as well as part of Kendall County came at 7:24 a.m. By then, reports were starting to emerge from the banks of the Guadalupe. The flooding hazards continued through Friday, though the storms were expected to be less intense as the day went on. Weather Service forecasters in San Angelo noted that because of the rain that had already fallen, even small amounts of additional precipitation could exacerbate the flooding hazards. A flash flood watch was in effect through parts of west-central Texas until 7 p.m. local time on Friday, and forecasters said isolated showers and thunderstorms were likely through the weekend. Observed rainfall
