TEXAS: At least 43 people, including 15 children, have died following devastating flash floods in central Texas. The storm, which dumped up to 15 inches of rain around the Guadalupe River, struck without warning before dawn on Friday, overwhelming towns, camps, and rural areas. Authorities fear the death toll will rise as dozens remain missing and search efforts continue.
Officials say more than 850 people have been rescued, many of them pulled from rooftops and trees. Kerrville, a city about 85 miles northwest of San Antonio, was among the hardest hit.
“We know rivers rise, but nobody saw this coming,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, expressing the region’s shock.
The flooding caught officials off guard. Within just two hours, river levels surged to 29 feet. City manager Dalton Rice confirmed that 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, remain unaccounted for, with others possibly still missing.
“We’re looking at this in two ways — the known missing, which is the 27, and those we still cannot account for. We just don’t know,” Rice said in a press conference.
Search and Rescue Continue as Shock Sets In
Emergency services, including helicopters and boats, are scouring flood-hit areas for survivors. Camp Mystic, home to 700 girls, was severely impacted. Another nearby girls’ camp, Heart O’ the Hills, reported the death of co-owner Jane Ragsdale, though no campers were present at the time.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 17 victims, including five children, have yet to be identified. Rescuers have described harrowing scenes, with cars swept away, trees toppled, and homes completely destroyed. A Reuters photographer saw about ten cars abandoned and smashed along riverbanks in Comfort, a town further downstream.
“I’m still in shock,” said Tonia Fucci, a visitor from Pennsylvania. “You just want them to be found for the sake of the families. But you know, it’s not going to be a good ending.”
The US National Weather Service (NWS) said the flash flood emergency in Kerr County has ended, but a flood watch remains in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday from San Antonio to Austin, with more rain expected.
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Trump, Shehbaz Sharif, and Abbott Respond
US President Donald Trump addressed the tragedy on social media, saying, “Melania and I are praying for all the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best.” He confirmed that the federal government is coordinating with Texas state officials to support relief and recovery efforts.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has requested a federal disaster declaration, which would unlock emergency aid. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Trump would honour the request. However, she also admitted that the moderate flood watch issued prior to the storm did not match the scale of the disaster.
Former NOAA director Rick Spinrad blamed staffing cuts at the National Weather Service for possibly weakening the response. “It undoubtedly means that additional lives will be lost and more property damaged,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences, saying, “Having suffered a similar incident in northwest Pakistan just a few days ago, we can fully understand the pain and suffering of the bereaved families.”
This disaster echoes a similar tragedy in 1987, where 10 teenagers drowned after a church camp van was caught in flooding along the same river. The latest floods now join the list of Texas’s deadliest natural disasters, raising serious questions about preparedness and the future of weather warning systems in a time of increasing climate extremes.
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