There are several summer camps currently with active search and rescue teams working through multiple areas in/around Kerr County, Texas. The area around the Guadalupe River is directly impacted.
Devastating flooding from torrential rain has hit the area hard. Officials from around the region are sending in assistance and resources to assist the local rescue teams. The rescue work is ongoing using multiple assets.
(Via ABC) – Thirteen people have died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, leading to “catastrophic” flooding, the sheriff said.
Children are among the dead, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has taken on the duties of acting governor.
There are several major camps in the area, and at one of them, Camp Mystic, about 23 of its 750 campers are unaccounted for, according to Patrick.
“That does not mean they’ve been lost — they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication. We are praying for all of those missing to be found alive,” Patrick said at a news conference.
Camp Mystic said in a letter to parents, “If your daughter is not accounted for, you have been notified. If you have not been personally contacted, then your daughter is accounted for.” (more)
Dad gummit,, praying for the best
Massively unusual, wet Wx pattern in Texas this year. Ongoing for the past 8 weeks now.
A 30’ rise in the river at Kerville in less than 4 hrs. In the middle of the night, no less.
Ground is soaked across Central TX and cannot absorb quickly any longer.
Dangerous conditions.
God speed and blessings to all concerned.
Thinking of the Wimberley, Comfort, and New Braunfels floods in past few years. Also the recent flooding in San Antonio that cost 12+ people their lives.
On Wednesday, July 2, the State of Texas proactively activated 14 different Emergency Resource Departments, based on forecasted weather conditions. There were even people to handle livestock and other animal rescues.
Thank you, Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick for thinking ahead and making these resources readily available, as well as all the others who gave up their holiday!
FOR ALL THOSE SAYING THERE WAS NO WARNING:
Texas Activates Emergency Responses Ahead of Expected Floods
A flash flood warning is already in effect for a large portion of West Texas.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources on July 2 in preparation for anticipated increased threats of flooding heading into the Fourth of July weekend for parts of Central and West Texas.
This decision was made after the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center announced heavy rainfall that was set to begin on July 2 and last the next few days.
The center added, “Monsoonal moisture will bring locally heavy rainfall to parts of the Southwest.”
A flash flood warning is already in effect for a large portion of West Texas that includes Fort Davis.
“As rain and flooding threaten parts of Texas ahead of the Independence Day weekend, state emergency response resources have been activated to support local response efforts,“ said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd in a press release. ”Our priority remains protecting lives and property, and Texans are urged to proactively prepare for potential hazards. Remember: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
Several resources have been activated to support local flood response operations. They include the Texas Medical Emergency Task Force, rescue boat teams, and Game Wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Helicopters with hoist capabilities have also been activated in the Texas Department of Public Safety, as well as the Tactical Marine Unit and Texas Highway Patrol Troopers.
Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents have been activated from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, as well as County Extension Agents, in the event that livestock and agricultural needs require support. Saw crews from the Texas A&M Forest Service have been activated in the event that roadways need clearing. Texas A&M Task Force 1 and Texas A&M Task Force 3 swiftwater rescue boat squads were activated to assist with flood rescues.
The state’s public utility commission and the commission on environmental quality are monitoring power outages as well as air and wastewater. The Department of Transportation is monitoring road conditions, and the Railroad Commission is monitoring the natural gas supply and communications with the oil and gas industry.
“Texans are encouraged to follow instructions from local officials, make an emergency plan, and prepare an emergency supply kit,” the division stated in its press release. ”Texans can check road conditions at DriveTexas.org, locate flood safety information at TexasReady.gov, access flood information at TexasFlood.org, and find general preparedness tips at tdem.texas.gov/prepare.”
The division also warns Texans to monitor the local forecasts and not drive or walk in flooded areas.
FROM EPOCH TIMES JULY 2
Sorry, I don’t know how to insert a link.
Just saw this, after my comment. A lot of people either don’t get the alerts, don’t believe them because of over sensationalism by our news media, that would have us live everyday in a state of fear or they’re just too generalized, people dismiss them, thinking where they are won’t get hit. Communication is not our strong point anymore. I always hear, didn’t you see the news or Facebook? My answer is always “I don’t get local news and I don’t have Facebook. Attempting to sign up for state alerts is like jumping through hoops. AI is supposed to help but other than distracting us, we no longer talk to one another.
I don’t know how to insert a link, so I copied an article and pasted it here. It got tied up, awaiting approval, so I’ll see if this shorter bit goes through.:
Texas Activates Emergency Responses Ahead of Expected Floods
A flash flood warning is already in effect for a large portion of West Texas.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources on July 2 in preparation for anticipated increased threats of flooding heading into the Fourth of July weekend for parts of Central and West Texas.
This decision was made after the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center announced heavy rainfall that was set to begin on July 2 and last the next few days. The article was in The Epoch Times.
Governor Abbott said he was questioned by some people as to why he acted so early when there wasn’t any emergency going on. He said because if you wait until after an emergency begins, you’re too late!
Thank you very much. I’m glad Texas did so much, to prepare for the floods.
You can just type (or copy and paste) an internet URL into your post. That URL will automatically become a link.
Best wishes to you. Stay safe.
This is so sad for the people in this region. I cannot imagine how devastated the families are.
Some of the best people you could ever hope to meet and know.
Thank you, Sundance.
🙏
.
Dear Father, Please Help these girls to be delivered back to their parents, or Please Deliver them Into Your Kingdom . . .
Prayers for the rescuers and responders who put their own lives in peril in this endeavor.
Thank you for putting words to my sighs and groans and tears that the Holy Spirit has carried to the Throne of God for me.
Oh Lord, hear our prayers.
Amen!
In Jesus name, Amen.
The Will of God prevails in all matters. Bless all of the fallen little angels.
Prayers….
President Trump has spoken to Governor Abbott or Lt Governor Patrick, and the White House is keeping abreast of developments.
Thanks Betsy
Ad rem, dear lady…
Do you believe in miracles????
Blessed be His merciful Name 🙏🏻
Is this for real?
Yes, Breitbart has videos of the choppers arriving.
Glory be to God on high, for his mercies endure forever.
Dear Lord – we are grateful beyond words for the miracle you have given us. All glory be to Him on high…
Amen!
Iwent to sleep early last night, with prayers and tears, thinking of these girls and the agony of their parents.
Thank You, almighty God for wrapping these children in Your loving protective arms and delivering them back to their families. 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️
AMEN Ad rem! Tearful joy for the continued miracles from our awesome God!
THANK YOU, JESUS
Oh Betsy that is wonderful news. Sorry this response is a day late. I hope you see it. I am shedding tears of thankfulness and am praising our merciful God for his deliverance of this owner and the 27 missing campers.
Amen
“Five to 10 inches of rain had fallen before sunrise due to slow-moving and intense storms in Kerr and Kendall counties, which remain under a Flash Flood Warning until at least noon. That’s likely to be extended after the Guadalupe River crested to one of its highest-ever peaks earlier on Friday morning; water levels in Kerrville rose from 7 feet at midnight to 29 feet by 4 a.m.”
https://www.kens5.com/article/weather/weather-floods-kerrville-july-4-texas-evacuations/273-361090c5-4352-4e2d-84ba-3adcf2007354
Seven feet to 29 feet in 4 hours. Horrible.
The gentleman mentioned that this valley/area is the worst flooding area in the nation on a yearly basis. No one expected this level of flooding.
Was definitely unexpected, and happened while they were sleeping.
We live only a few miles from Kerrville. We’ve not had flooding like this since 2002 and this was not at all in the weather forecast. Hopefully released and confirmed soon, we have heard that all of the girls at Camp Mystic have miraculously been rescued.
Lord please may it be so 🙏🏻
Live updates.
Something the Daily Mail is very good at.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14876425/texas-river-guadalupe-flooding-map-live-updates.html
Pictures of the girls missing will break your hearts…
🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻
So familiar with the area as I was golf instructor at Waldemar for 2 summers in 1960’s which is only 11 miles from Mystic. Too, I understand the owner of Camp Heart of Hills is missing. Never dreamed Guadalupe could rise so fast, so swiftly. Yes, let’s pray for these families and their little loved ones.
I hear Center Point is cut off as well. My in-laws had a horse ranch there.
I’m hearing here, an hour & a half from you, is 10 confirmed fatalities & 20+ still unaccounted for. I pray that your info is more accurate than mine.
Didn’t really understand how that happens until living in TX, it is a scary deal.
It happens so quickly.
There are quite a few short dippy crossings within San Antonio. Knew a young doctor in residency at the medical centre there who didn’t believe the signs which warned of sudden flooding. Until one day during a heavy rain, he was just going through the dip when he looked up to see a powerful rush of water headed straight for him. He barely managed to get out before the waters reached him and would have been swept away. He was a believer after rhat.
Yep, as someone who has professionally been deployed state & country wide as part a Swiftwater Rescue Strike Team as a Swiftwater Rescue Squad Leader, this is more commonplace than realized. However, this said, the River authorities usually have a better handle on the gauges & flooding forecasts. Also,, the National Weather Service has a station an hour or so from that location & they’re usually pretty accurate with their predictions in central Texas. This was a total miscalculation & failure.
Weather forecasts are more “efficient” after DOGE cuts to NOAA and NWS.
Treeper posts overwhelmingly support the cuts.
Results. “Winning”!
Same strategy is being applied to DoD civilians, as demand is increasing. Results will take longer, but likely more “winning”! except in military conflict.
Question that amount of rain to the amount of time lapsed. Not questioning it happened, questioning the origins.
Limestone rock. The water just flows over it.
Praying for these innocents and all affected by this torrent. Dear God, please help these people, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the desert, flash-flooding can strike almost without warning … even with many fewer inches of rain. But, if you can just climb a tree …
This flood at thirty feet high would make it hard to climb that high in the darkness and also many of those trees were not thirty feet tall.
True, but many of the girls were able to get up into some trees and have been rescued. I am afraid many did not. Many of the cabins were just washed away with the girls in them.
Not the first time. Pray for the kids ,,, they had no idea—
Dear God,
Please Bless Texas.
Amen.
Life in Texas: long droughts broken by floods.
We are 45 min from this area. Rain has just slowed down/stopped. Many girls/counselors from a girls camp are missing. Facebook feed keeps showing posts from people looking for family members . Praying those downstream evacuate now. Spring Branch to hit crest about 3-4 a.m. Seguin, already flooding, to get hit a bit after this-same with Lake McQueeny. This is absolutely devastating. Please pray.
Same. San Antonio near Boerne. My niece has friends who were in an RV camp next to the river. They are missing. 🙏
That park is gone. They are in our prayers.
Lord hear our prayer 🙏
Look at what is happening in China with flooding:
video Youtube
Apocalyptic Floods Ravage China – Whole Cities are Underwater!
I doubt any of this will be reported by the mainstream media.
Just now watching the most recent news. As Sundance said, Camp Mystic , a Christian camp was in harms way. The Guadalupe rose to 26 ft in a matter of hours, and there was not much warning prior to this happening. Many heartbreaking stories just now staring to come out. Please pray for all these souls.
Prayers for Texas,,,,,
Oh my goodness. In looking at precip totals from Weatherunderground, it looks like between 4 and 7 inches of rain fell.
“Don’t laugh.” In the desert, this can be catastrophic.
When I lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, “summer monsoons” – much(!) smaller – could within an hour produce floods which would(!!) sweep your car away. The police frankly told them: “We will try our best to rescue you, but not your car.”
My friends in Kerrville had 7 1/2 inches at their house. They have never seen anything like it.
🙏🏻
Heartbreaking. Dear God please hold these children in the palm of your hands.
🙏🏻
Very sad. Praying God’s mercy and guidance to those stranded. /strength to those who have loses.
Cajun Navy is en route to assist with the flood response. God – hear our prayers…
https://dailytimes.com/news/united-cajun-navy-is-en-route-to-assist-with-flood-response/article_95b111c3-7a65-458b-b01d-33ff07fbd7ad.html
Thank you Admin.
Pray unceasingly 🙏🏼
They stand permanently ready. God bless them all…
Cajun Navy are angels.
God Bless the Cajun Navy. Godspeed.
Praying for these girls and their families and all the devastation this is causing.
HEROS rescuing children in the #GuadalupeRiver floods…
Praying HARD they find and rescue all the missing children, as many camp cabins were washed away. 😢🙏
#CampMystic #KerrCounty #Floods
There is tragedy in all disasters but how often does a town go under water? and all the Camps Kids and RVs. The numbers will be large i think, its just Heartbreaking. The Asheville NC Hurricane damage when the water came down the Mtn comes to mind.
Spent much of my younger years in Kerrville.
One of my cousin’s husband and two of his hunting buddies were swept away by a flash flood while crossing a bridge back in the late 60’s.
Yes, grew up in the area, flash floods are frequent during the rainy season… The rivers have limestone bottoms, don’t absorb the rain… We knew to avoid the river bottoms during rainy season.
Tragedy like this is heartbreaking, but doubly so when children are involved. May God bring comfort to the parents.
Hill Country, not High Country
We live in the hill country, under flood warning. We are on a very high part so do not expect flooding here but we will probably not be able to get out. A Texas drought is usually ended with flood. 1998, 2010 and now 2025
Right, when we lived in San Antonio in the late 90s we would go from drought conditions to flash flood in an extremely short period of time. One had to be cautious during those summer months when the rain would start, the floods would come.
This is so true. But we weren’t expecting this. The weather reports over the last couple of days were 40% chance
of rain, yesterday a bit more. This was unexpected and ultimately, tragic.
If you looked at the national weather service, you were not expecting this! However, on July 2, the State of Texas activated 14 emergency resource departments to handle potential flooding! They also advised anyone in flood-prone areas to be aware and prepared! They specifically mentioned Central Texas!
Local news just had a live video of a helicopter dropping off some of the girls. They implied they were from this camp Mystic
I was visiting my son in Texas in April and hiked around in Guadalupe State Park. Talked to people fishing. You couldn’t really call it a river, more like a stream that you could wade around in and with most of it, not get wet above your knees. 70,000 cubic feet per second is unimaginable to me.
How about those “Slot Canyons” in Arizona and other places, which you see in all those gorgeous magazines? There are disastrous stories – both from “desperate survivors,” and from those who didn’t make it.
I have never had the pleasure of hiking in Arizona, but I have known for decades that nothing would induce me to hike into a slot canyon. Ever.
This area in Texas is what we call Hill Country. A beautiful, picturesque area where several rivers branch off from eachother, very scenic but flash floods are notorious in this area. Not very populated except for camping, campers and day playing as people tube the many rivers surrounding this unique area.
Prayers for strength and healing in such a tragedy. May God comfort them as only HE can.
Nancy, it wasn’t very populated 30 years ago.
Prayers going up.
Pray for a miricle.
🙏
How agonizing; you send your child to a Christian Summer Camp and a horrific flash flood hits. God help us all.
Unfortunately, we don’t call it flash flood alley for nothing.
This part of the Hill Country is known for massive per hour rainfall and very quick flooding.
Kerr and Mason counties are most at risk, but counties in and around Austin are also prone to these kind of events.
Any flood is bad but holiday floods are worse because people are out and about. Communications failures prevent them from connecting with family members. Turn Around, Don’t Drown is not just a slogan in these parts. People drive into low water crossings and are easily swept away by floodwaters.
Praying! 🙏💕
Heart breaking.
Thank you for all of your prayers. We live about a mile from the river, but the rise in elevation through our neighborhood to our house is at least 150 ft. Maybe 200. The river id supposed to crest at 37 ft. It’s at 1 inch right this minute—-can you say major drought?!
The rain is a fantastic blessing, but the devastating floods, destruction, and loss of life are so so tragic.😔🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
From 7 ft to 29 ft in the middle of the night. Must have been devastating to experience.
Praying for everyone affected by this flood, and hoping all people will heal fully.
Prayers going up from Houston area 🙏🙏
There was a movie made about a similar situation in the same area. The flood occurred there in July, 1987, if I recall correctly. “Who Will Save Our Children”.
May God be with them …
This appears to be the movie….
This country is hilly and the hills are hard rock. The water runs off fast. A dry creek bed can have a huge wall of water go down it with no rain if it has rained up above.
I believe that may have been the Comfort, Texas flood. If so, A bus was washed away.
https://x.com/ksatnews/status/1941258325741474108
Sundance, thank you for covering this!
Prayers and condolences for everyone affected by the horrible flooding in Texas.
As you read about the flooding, please understand that the elevation of the Kerrville area, that is in the news, is NOT THE HIGHEST in Texas. It is actually LOWER than a large area of Texas!
When some people think of Texas, they envision the grassy plains or dry gulches shown in cowboy movies and may not understand how severe flooding can occur.
You probably are familiar with the fact that Texas is the 2nd largest state in the U.S., but many of you may not be aware that TEXAS HAS 10 ECOSYSTEMS – including a national forest, desert terrain, hills, many rivers, and an area along the Gulf.
To help you understand a little bit more about the topography in Texas:
The town of Kerrville (which is flooding) has an elevation of 1,645 ft. The highest peak in Kerr County is 2,423 ft., and it is part of the TEXAS HILL COUNTRY.
To the northwest of the Hill Country, there is a steep escarpment (think of the Tarzan movies) leading up to what is known as the LLANO ESTACADO (often referred to as “the table top” or “staked plains.”) The area is widely known as THE SOUTH PLAINS – PANHANDLE, and a good part of it IS flat as a table! Some of the richest farmland and cotton producing counties (as well as award-winning vineyards) are located in this area. It has elevations from 3,000 ft. to over 5,000 ft.!
To the Southwest, there are the Guadalupe Mountains with Guadalupe Peak at 8,751 ft. tall.
I am not including East, Northeast, Southeast or South Texas here.
However, the Kerrville area, being in the HILL COUNTRY OF CENTRAL TEXAS, has hills, valleys, and RIVERS!!! Central Texas is no stranger to serious flooding!
On Wednesday, July 2, the State of Texas proactively activated 14 different Emergency Resource Departments, based on forecasted weather conditions. There were even people to handle livestock and other animal rescues.
Thank you, Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick for thinking ahead and making these resources readily available, as well as all the others who gave up their holiday!
I’ve called this beautiful area of Texas home for last 12 years after retiring. We live in Kerr County. Born and raised in San Antonio. We need prayers. Possibility of more rain tonight and tomorrow. Others missing besides campers.
We need prayers. Only Jesus and His Mother Mary can bring this to a happy ending.
Our church in Dallas has at least 8 3rd graders missing from Camp Mystic. Unaccounted for at 5pm today…prayers for these girls and their parents & brothers & sisters and school & camp friends…
I am so very, very sorry. Words fail me. I don’t know what words to text. Absolutely tragic. May God hold these children in His loving arms.
Added to our prayers tonight. You have our hope, prayers, and sympathy.
non stop rain here for 2 days. My local fireworks show cancelled and our annual block party rained! 🙁
This is par for central texas though, drought and then we get crazy rain which the ground can’t soak up fast enough. My backyard is flooded! This is unusual for July, this happens normally in the Spring or around Memorial Day.
Another miracle!
Praise God. Oh my goodness I hope the rest of this young lady’s family is found.
I’m a hydrologic and hydraulic engineer. I have worked on many dams in this area and performed many 100-year flood studies on the Guadalupe River for about 40 years.
Large floods are infrequent but they do occur.
Many large flood events are a result of a hurricane making landfall and developing into tropical storms. You have warning when they approach.
This storm popped up suddenly and was intense with a relatively short duration of peak
rainfall. That, combined with the topography of the area contributed to very high peak runoff.
The river rose very quickly at a time when everyone was sleeping. No warning.
Camp Mystic had 700 girls at the camp. That was a huge number of kids to wrangle and get them to safety. Under the circumstances, I think the camp did a remarkable job of making sure so many kids were safe.
The helicopter and boat crews were absolute heros.
Kerr County and surroundi counties and the State of Tecas mobilized every emergency responder in record time. Those men and women deserve some great thanks.
May the Lord guide them to rescue the missing.
The heart breaking part is that there were lives lost.
May our Heavenly Father comfort those families.
You probably worked after the TWO 100-year floods in New Braunfels, Tx. in 1998 and 2002!
Very familiar with both of those floods.
Worked with the City if New Braunfels after the 1998 flood.
Many homes were swept completely off their foundations along the river in 1998.
I remember one owner rebuilding by elevating on heavy steel piers. The 2002 flood swept if away.
Water flow causes scouring and erosion of foundations. The lateral forces applied by high velocity water collapse stick frame buildings in minutes. Debris impact is enormous. Uprooted live oak trees act like battering rams.
2002 flood scoured out a huge canyon in the emergency spillway discharge channel at Canyon Lake Dam.
This 2025 flood will also be historic. Sadly, due to loss of life.
Today will tell the true tale.
May God comfort those who have lost loved ones. May God also guide the rescue personnel to find any of the missing.
Just a respectful note. It is called the Texas hill country, not high country.
Breitbart has videos of choppers arriving, 50 children were in a safe place and are being rescued.
Our prayers are working.
🙏🏻
Thank you, SD, for reporting this story.
Texas DPS has reported 25 deaths, and won’t speculate on the number of missing persons because so many people were in the area for the holiday.
Unfortunately, the Camp Mystic cabin most seriously affected housed very young girls.
This is becoming a more dreadful tragedy by the hour.
Our community here at TCTH is a deeply faith based group. Let us pray together for the rescue of the survivors and the salvation of the deceased; “Jesus, I trust in you.”
Texans, Check your weather updates! Quite a few towns and counties in Central Texas, East of Kerrville now have overnight thru Saturday night flood warnings for 2-4 inches of rain and the possibility of up to 10 inches!
This is a BIG change from their earlier forecasts. Don’t know if the’re trying to cover their bases a little better, or Texas is really in for another hammering…
This weather pattern seems to be stalled over the Central Texas area. Rotating similar to a cyclonic tropical storm.
All Texans should keep a weather eye out. Low water crossings should be avoided. Never drive through a flooded crossing. You can never know the condition of the road and culverts under the crossing.