At least 82 people are dead and dozens more remain missing after devastating flash floods ripped through central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. Among the victims are 28 children.
The flooding hit Kerr County and surrounding areas in the Texas Hill Country with terrifying speed. A powerful overnight storm dropped more than 12 inches of rain in the early hours of Friday, triggering a violent surge along the Guadalupe River that rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes. The torrent struck while many families and campers were asleep, leaving little time to react.
Sheriff Larry Leitha said Sunday that 68 bodies had been recovered in Kerr County alone, with many of the dead found near destroyed campgrounds. Ten girls and a camp counselor remain unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.
Officials say the overall death toll may continue to rise as search teams comb through debris fields and flooded lowlands.
Survivors have described the floodwaters as a “pitch black wall of death.” Many reported receiving no emergency alerts before the deluge. Officials are now facing sharp questions over why the warning system failed so many.
Although a flood watch was issued Thursday, a more urgent alert didn’t go out until 4 a.m. Friday, by which time water levels were already dangerously high. At a tense Sunday press conference, county officials walked out after reporters pressed them about the delay.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly called it a “100-year flood” and acknowledged that proposals for a better flood warning system had previously been shelved over cost concerns. “Nobody saw this coming,” he said, adding that the scale of destruction will require a long and painful recovery. “It’s going to be a long time before we’re ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it.”
In response to the mounting tragedy, President Donald Trump signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Texas on Sunday morning. “I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing.”
The president praised the efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and state first responders, who have reportedly saved more than 850 people from floodwaters. He confirmed that he plans to visit the flood zone on Friday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who toured the area with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, thanked Trump for the swift federal response. “Collaboration between our state, local, and federal partners is critical to our state’s recovery,” Abbott said.
With thousands displaced and critical infrastructure washed out, local officials are bracing for a long recovery. The flood has already drawn comparisons to past regional disasters that left some communities abandoned entirely. For now, the search for the missing continues—and so does the grief.