Rising Waters in Central Texas Continue to Devastate Communities

On Friday, July 4, a heavy downpour led to a severe flash flood that swept across Central Texas, killing at least 104 and leaving dozens missing, with many of the victims being children. With floodwater submerging roads and destroying homes, residents are sent into disarray. specifically along the Guadalupe River and in Kerr County

Days of relentless rainfall have washed away hundreds of homes and swallowed roads, as terrified communities face this disaster. Yet, according to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms are predicted to shower over Central Texas, further exacerbating the flooding. As the disaster continues, a flood watch remains in effect over San Antonio, Austin, and Kerr County.

Victims

The flooding has killed at least 104 victims. The majority of deaths (84) were in Kerr County, with 56 adults and 28 children. Additionally, Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls summer camp, had experienced the loss of 27 campers as well as a counselor. Officials at Kerr County had stated that there were 22 adults and 10 unidentified children.

Call to Action

Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster in counties across the region, followed by Donald J. Trump declaring a major disaster for the state.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argues that federal weather services sufficiently warned the local community, as they were given consecutive warnings. She further outlined that offices were fully staffed and issued a flood watch in the early afternoon of July 3.

Texan officials criticized the National Weather Service, blaming forecasts for underestimating the dangers of the rain. However, a former NWS official expressed that the warnings sent out were as accurate as possible, and predicting catastrophes is beyond challenging.

Rescue

On Monday Morning, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that rescue teams had recovered a total of 75 deceased bodies– 48 adults and 27 children. Including 3 of 10 missing girls who were reported missing at Camp Mystic.

A rescue team was sent to Camp Mystic to rescue around 200 campers. While the Air National Guard had helped airlift the campers, US Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan, was the only rescuer at Camp Mystic on the ground. After the crew had left him to tend to a more dangerous location, he was assigned the role of triage coordinator. He comforted distressed children, with many frightened and injured. He continued to protect them from the raging dangers of the flood. Ruskan slowly helped carry out the children to their safety, ultimately saving 165 campers.

Great work

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/floods/texas-floods-flash-where-storms-national-weather-service-what-know-rcna217214

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/us/texas-floods-kerr-county.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-blasts-idea-that-trumps-cuts-contributed-to-texas-flooding-death-toll

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-search-rescue-flood/3879504/