Texas Flood Leaves Huge Damage and Death Toll
On Friday, July 4th, 2025, the waters of the Guadalupe River near Kerr County, Texas, rose 20 feet above its normal depth in two hours. The resulting floods killed at least 81 people, over two dozen of whom were children, and has left many more missing. This flood highlights not only the susceptibility of the area to flash-flooding but also the need for a better warning system and better communication with weather services.
On July 6, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that rescuers would keep trying to find all missing persons, even though the possibility of uncovering new survivors was shrinking. On the same day, President Trump issued a disaster declaration that allowed federal programs to help the Texans through making available federal funding. Those affected will also receive grants for temporary housing and home repairs, loans for uninsured property losses, and more.
In particular, the flood severely damaged Camp Mystic, a summer camp near the South Fork Guadalupe River with over 750 participants. According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, dozens of people were missing, including ten young girls about eight years old and one counselor at the camp, as of July 7. Camp Mystic confirmed the same dy that 27 campers and counselors had passed away. Dick Eastland, the longtime director of Camp Mystic, died trying to rescue children from the Guadalupe’s crashing currents.
The scale of the tragedy has left many asking: where was the Weather Service during all of this? On July 3, the National Weather Service issued a broad flood watch for Kerr County and nearby areas. The organization upgraded the alert when the Guadalupe’s water level rose the next morning. Early in the morning on Independence Day, the Guadalupe River climbed from three to 34 feet in only one hour and 30 minutes. As a result, at 4 a.m., the Weather Service warned nearby residents to retreat to higher ground and called the rising a “particularly dangerous situation.”
The main reason why the National Weather Service was not able to send earlier warnings was because shortages in staff made it difficult for forecasters to respond to local emergency management offices. If the Weather Service staff had been there the residents would have been able to make an earlier evacuation; therefore, the number of casualties would likely have been much less. Kerr County officials had originally considered placing a flood warning system along the Guadalupe River, but eventually dismissed the plan because it was too expensive. Although the government cannot control natural disasters, like this flood, it can bring safety crews to the site of potential destruction and help citizens escape incoming catastrophe.
Many of the dead have since been identified by family members. Jeff Wilson, a beloved, kind-hearted high school teacher in Houston who was camping near Guadalupe River with his wife, was lost in the flood. Tanya Burwick, 62, was driving to work in San Angelo early Friday morning and died in the flood, which her son Zac confirmed. According to her husband Mr. Burwick, she had “a heart of gold.” Apparently, these kind, loving people would not have died if the National Weather Service had been properly funded and staffed.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/us/texas-floods-kerr-county.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/texas-flood-victims.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/07/07/texas-flooding-camp-mystic-kerrville-kerr/
https://demographics.texas.gov/Visualizations/2024/PovertyInTx/
https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20250706/president-donald-j-trump-approves-major-disaster-declaration-texas
