Emergency response teams conducted extensive search operations across central Texas' flood-devastated terrain on Saturday, scanning through twisted debris, overturned vehicles, and mud-covered wreckage in an increasingly desperate effort to find survivors, including 27 girls who vanished when their summer camp was obliterated by a historic flash flood, according to The Associated Press.
This video of the Guadalupe was shot in Kerrville, Tx from the Center Bridge. Watch how fast these flood waters were traveling & washing everything in front of it out.
It goes from low & barley flowing to over the top of the bridge in around 35 minutes.
I sped the video up to… pic.twitter.com/NcQe4UAQBa— Clyp Keeper (@DGrayTexas45) July 6, 2025
The catastrophic flooding in Kerr County has claimed the lives of at least 43 individuals, including 15 children, while an additional eight fatalities occurred in surrounding counties, The Associated Press reported. Officials have not disclosed the total number of missing persons beyond the children from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp situated along a river in Kerr County where the majority of victims were found, The Associated Press stated.
The devastating, rapidly moving waters surged 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River in merely 45 minutes before dawn on Friday, sweeping away residences and vehicles. The threat persisted as rainfall continued to hammer communities near San Antonio on Saturday, with flash flood warnings and watches remaining active.
Emergency personnel deployed helicopters, watercraft, and drones to search for victims and rescue individuals trapped in trees and at camps cut off by washed-out roadways. Governor Greg Abbott pledged that authorities would maintain round-the-clock operations and announced that new areas were being searched as floodwaters subsided. He designated Sunday as a day of prayer for the state. "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," Abbott stated.
Officials are facing examination over whether the camps and residents in areas historically susceptible to flooding received adequate warning and whether sufficient preparations were implemented. AccuWeather reported that the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service issued warnings about potential flash flooding hours in advance." These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety," AccuWeather stated. The company characterized the Hill Country as one of the most flash-flood-prone regions in the US due to its terrain and numerous water crossings.
The hills surrounding the Guadalupe River in central Texas are scattered with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where multiple generations of families have gathered to swim and enjoy outdoor activities. The region experiences particular popularity around the July Fourth holiday, complicating efforts to determine how many individuals are missing. "We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time," Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice stated earlier.
At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the Hunt community, officials had monitored weather conditions and decided to relocate several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also mentioned on social media that they were monitoring weather conditions the day before concluding their second summer session Thursday.
Desperate parents and families shared photographs of missing loved ones and appeals for information. Officials reported that more than 850 people had been rescued in the previous 36 hours, with heroic efforts at the camps to save children. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and committed that the Trump administration would utilize all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and aircraft were providing assistance to ensure operations could continue even in darkness.
A real life illustration on the power and speed of a Texas Flash Flood . If you don't understand - this is why people sleeping might have been swept away. This is few hours ago (afternoon of July 5) on the Llano River at the crossing of Ranch Road 3404 at the Kingsland Slab, a… pic.twitter.com/pZiPgKlNb0
— JW Spencer 🇺🇸👣 (@jeffwspencer) July 5, 2025
One reunification center at an elementary school remained mostly quiet after accommodating hundreds of evacuees the previous day. "We still have people coming here looking for their loved ones. We've had a little success, but not much," stated Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District.
In Ingram, Erin Burgess awakened to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Just 20 minutes later, water was flooding into her home, she reported. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son. "My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them," she explained.
