Devastating Flash Floods Kill Dozens in Texas Hill Country, Many Still Missing

Torrential rains triggered catastrophic flash floods in Texas Hill Country overnight, killing approximately two dozen people and leaving many others missing, including children from a local summer camp.

At a Friday night press conference, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that “about 24” people had died after more than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain fell rapidly, causing the Guadalupe River to overflow. The region—infamously known as “flash flood alley” due to its shallow soil and steep terrain—was inundated within hours.

Authorities said at least 237 people have been rescued so far, 167 of them airlifted. Among those unaccounted for are more than 20 girls from Camp Mystic, a well-known summer camp in the area.

“We’re doing whatever we can to find everyone,” said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. “Some of the victims are adults, some are children. We don’t yet know who all the bodies belong to.”

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said identification efforts were still underway. “Most of them, we don’t know who they are yet,” he said at the briefing.

Desperate Search and Reunions

On social media, families posted photos of missing loved ones, pleading for help. Nearly 400 personnel, including nine rescue teams, 14 helicopters, and 12 drones, have been deployed. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.

Meteorologist Bob Fogarty of the National Weather Service said the river rose 22 feet in just two hours near Hunt, where the Guadalupe forks. A local gauge recorded levels up to 29.5 feet before it failed. “The water’s moving so fast, you don’t realize how bad it is until it’s on top of you,” he said.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess described how she and her 19-year-old son clung to a tree after water surged into their home around 3:30 a.m. Her boyfriend and dog were swept away but later rescued. “The only thing that saved me was my son—he’s over six feet tall,” she said.

Matthew Stone of Kerrville said he received no emergency alert before a “pitch black wall of death” engulfed the area. Police later used his paddle boat to help rescue a neighbor. “We thought we heard someone yelling ‘help!’ from the water but couldn’t see anything,” he recalled.

At a reunification center in Ingram, families wept and embraced loved ones as buses brought in evacuees. Soldiers carried an elderly woman unable to climb down a ladder. A girl in a soaked Camp Mystic T-shirt cried in her mother’s arms, standing barefoot in a puddle.

Warnings Came Too Late

Although a flood watch had been issued and upgraded to a warning overnight for at least 30,000 people, many said the alerts came too late. Some residents reported receiving no warnings at all.

“We don’t have a warning system,” Judge Kelly admitted. Pressed on why more wasn’t done to alert residents, he said, “Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming. We have floods all the time—this is the most dangerous river valley in the U.S.”

Lt. Governor Patrick added, “Everything was done to give people a heads-up. But once the storm zeroed in after dark, it moved fast.”

Popular Tourist Region Devastated

The Texas Hill Country, a scenic area dotted with river homes, vacation cabins, and century-old summer camps, is a hub for river tourism. Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, said the region’s thin soil exacerbates flooding. “When it rains, water doesn’t soak in—it rushes down the hills.”

“The Guadalupe is usually a tranquil, beautiful river,” he added. “This storm turned it deadly.”

Storms Claim Lives Beyond Texas

Elsewhere, severe weather also struck central New Jersey, where thunderstorms caused at least three deaths. Two men in Plainfield died when a tree fell onto their vehicle, city officials said. In response, the city canceled its July Fourth parade and fireworks display.