Texas Flash Floods Claim 51 Lives, 27 Girls Missing

The search for 27 missing girls continued into its third day on Sunday, following a devastating flash flood that claimed at least 51 lives in Texas. The floodwaters surged into a summer camp, forcing rescuers to navigate through challenging terrain as they desperately sought survivors. The majority of the fatalities occurred in Kerr County, with additional deaths reported in Travis, Burnet, and Kendall counties.

Rescuers faced an arduous task, dealing with broken trees, overturned cars, and debris-filled muck as they searched for survivors. The destructive waters rose rapidly, reaching 26 feet in just 45 minutes, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger persisted as at least one flash flood warning remained in effect in central Texas on Sunday.

Search efforts involved the use of helicopters, boats, and drones to locate victims and rescue those stranded in trees or isolated by washed-out roads. Governor Greg Abbott pledged that authorities would work around the clock, vowing to search new areas as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state, urging all Texans to join in prayer for the lives lost, those still missing, and the recovery of affected communities.

Pope Leo XIV also offered special prayers for those affected by the disaster, expressing sincere condolences to the families who had lost loved ones, particularly their daughters who were at summer camp during the flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Questions arose regarding whether the camps and residents in flood-prone areas received adequate warnings and if sufficient preparations were made. The hills along the Guadalupe River are known for their century-old youth camps and campgrounds, popular destinations for families, especially around the Independence Day holiday. This popularity made it challenging to determine the exact number of missing individuals.

The raging storm hit the camp in the middle of the night, catching many residents, campers, and officials by surprise. Elinor Lester, a 13-year-old camper, described the camp as completely destroyed, with a helicopter landing to evacuate people. The storm, fueled by massive amounts of moisture, woke up her cabin just after midnight. Rescuers arrived and tied a rope for the girls to hold as they crossed a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. Among the confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road. The flooding in the middle of the night caught many by surprise, despite warnings from private forecasting companies and the National Weather Service about potential flash flooding hours beforehand.

AccuWeather stated that these warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and ensure the safety of people in the area. The Hill Country is known as one of the most flash-flood-prone areas in the U.S. due to its terrain and numerous water crossings. At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and moved several hundred campers and attendees to higher ground. Nearby camps also mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session.

Authorities and elected officials acknowledged that they did not expect such an intense downpour, equivalent to months’ worth of rain for the area. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, described it as a once-in-a-century flood and acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people looked for someone to blame.

Search crews faced harsh conditions while looking in every possible location. Officials reported that more than 850 people were rescued in the last 36 hours, with heroic efforts at the camps to save children. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived and pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources. Coast Guard helicopters and planes assisted to ensure operations continued even in darkness.

One reunification center at an elementary school was mostly quiet after taking in hundreds of evacuees the day before. Bobby Templeton, superintendent of Ingram Independent School District, stated that people were still coming to the center looking for their loved ones, with some success but not much.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess awoke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night. Only 20 minutes later, water poured into her home, and she described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teen son. Barry Adelman recounted how water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. He had to reassure his grandson that everything would be okay, despite his own fear.

Locals refer to the area as “flash flood alley,” where water rushes down the hill instead of soaking into the soil. Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations, explained the terrain's vulnerability to flash flooding.

The weekend forecast had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, expressed that while they knew the area was prone to rains and rising rivers, nobody anticipated the severity of this event. The county had considered a flood warning system similar to a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, but the idea never materialized due to cost issues.

Kelly described the devastation as heartbreaking, with body bags at the funeral home and widespread destruction on the ground during a helicopter tour. He acknowledged that the rescue efforts had gone as well as could be expected but emphasized that the recovery process would be long and arduous.