According to the reports on Wednesday (9 July), a catastrophic flash flood struck central Texas Hill Country, claiming at least 109 lives, many of them children. Torrential rains before dawn sent a wall of water surging through the Guadalupe River basin, devastating towns like Kerrville and Hunt. Kerr County was the hardest hit, with 94 confirmed deaths, including 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a historic all-girls Christian summer retreat. Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that more than 180 people were still unaccounted for as of Tuesday (8 July).
The flood, described as one of the deadliest in U.S. history in decades, has left a trail of destruction and heartbreak. Rescue crews are working through treacherous conditions, mud, and debris to locate the missing, with efforts aided by federal agencies, neighboring states, and even Mexico. However, hopes of finding more survivors are fading, as the last known person to be found alive was rescued on the day of the disaster. Volunteers have discovered personal items like waterlogged family photo albums, adding emotional weight to the recovery effort.
The scale of the flooding was intensified by over a foot of rain falling in less than an hour—double what was forecast—causing two branches of the Guadalupe River to converge and swell uncontrollably. Emergency officials have faced tough questions over whether earlier evacuation alerts could have saved lives. Kerrville’s city manager said the situation developed so quickly that there was no time for a mass evacuation. Meanwhile, Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that emergency calls began arriving just hours after the National Weather Service issued a warning.
Governor Abbott announced a special legislative session later this month to investigate the state’s emergency response and allocate disaster relief funding. Scientists have linked such extreme flood events to climate change, warning that warmer, wetter weather patterns are making disasters like this more frequent in Texas. The tragic loss of life, including the family of country singer Pat Green, has sparked national attention and mourning. The recovery and accountability efforts are expected to continue for weeks as Texas reels from this sudden, deadly deluge.
References
Texas Flash Flood Claims 109 Lives as Search for Missing People Continues Relentlessly
