Many dead or missing in the Central Texas Floods

At least 81 people are dead, and many are still missing from floods that hit Central Texas over the 2025 July 4th weekend. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbot has said that rescue efforts would not stop until every missing person is found, even as hope fades.

Most of the deaths occurred in Kerr County, where flood waters from the Guadalupe River rose 20 feet in just two hours. This caused the evacuation of a few summer camps. More than 24 of those dead are children, some of whom were attending Camp Mystic, a summer camp that sits along the banks of the Guadalupe River.

850+ people have been rescued using helicopters, horses, boats, and trucks by emergency responders. According to a New York Times article by Yan Zhuang and Pooja Salhotra, “One Coast Guard rescue swimmer has been credited with saving 165 people at Camp Mystic.” President Donald Trump has signed a disaster declaration that will send federal assistance to the affected area.

On July 3rd of 2025, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for south-central Texas. By July 4th, 2025, the warning was upgraded and one of those warned of a “particularly dangerous situation,” urging residents and campers to get to higher ground. The Guadalupe River swelled from three feet to 34 feet in about 90 minutes.

Even though Central Texas has been known for flash flooding in the past, Kerr County officials rejected the idea of installing a flood warning system along the Guadalupe River because it was too expensive. Along with that, some experts say that staffing shortages in the National Weather Service may have affected forecasters’ ability to work on a response with local emergency management offices.

While authorities have not released a full list of victims, some of the victims were identified by family members.

Good work 🙂