Texas Hill Country Floods Kill 24, 240 Rescued, 24 Girls Missing

Crews in Texas Hill Country were engaged in a desperate search for two dozen missing girls from a summer camp and many others who were still unaccounted for after a powerful storm caused a wall of water to rush down the Guadalupe River. The storm, which struck during the early hours of Friday, resulted in at least 24 fatalities, with the death toll expected to rise. The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before dawn, sweeping away homes and vehicles. The danger persisted as more heavy rains were anticipated for Saturday, with flash flood warnings and watches remaining in effect for parts of central Texas.

Authorities faced increasing scrutiny over whether the camp and other facilities in the area received adequate warnings and whether sufficient preparations were made. Searchers utilized helicopters, boats, and drones to locate victims and rescue stranded individuals. The total number of missing was unknown, but one sheriff reported that about 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information on social media.

Elinor Lester, a 13-year-old camper at Camp Mystic, described the terrifying experience. "The camp was completely destroyed," she said. "A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary." A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs. At a news conference late Friday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that 24 people were dead, including some children. Authorities reported that about 240 people had been rescued.

The flooding, which occurred in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday, caught many residents, campers, and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday. Officials defended their actions, stating that they had not expected such an intense downpour, which was equivalent to months’ worth of rain for the area. One forecast earlier in the week had called for up to six inches of rain, but the actual amount far exceeded this prediction.

Helicopters, drones, and rescue teams were deployed in the frantic search for missing individuals. A river gauge near Camp Mystic recorded a 22-foot rise in about two hours, with the gauge failing after recording a level of 29 and a half feet. The water's rapid movement made it difficult for people to recognize the danger until it was too late. More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground, with some people being plucked from trees. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were also involved in the rescue efforts.

In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home from the river. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son and waiting for the water to recede enough to walk up the hill to safety. "Thankfully he’s over 6 feet tall. That’s the only thing that saved me, was hanging on to him," she said. Matthew Stone, 44, of Kerrville, reported that he had received no warning on his phone. "We got no emergency alert. There was nothing," Stone said. Then “a pitch black wall of death.”

At a reunification center in Ingram, families cried and cheered as loved ones got off rescue vehicles. Two soldiers carried an older woman who could not get down a ladder. Behind her, a woman clutched a small white dog. Later, a girl in a white “Camp Mystic” T-shirt and white socks stood in a puddle, sobbing in her mother’s arms. Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. Water started coming through the attic floor before receding. “I was horrified,” he said. “I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death.”

The forecast for the weekend had called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area. “Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we’re not exactly sure where it’s going to land,” Patrick said. “Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that’s when the storm started to zero in.” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, said: “We do not have a warning system.” When pushed on why more precautions weren’t taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.

The slow-moving storm stuck over central Texas is expected to bring more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding. The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning. The area is known as “flash flood alley” because of the hills’ thin layer of soil. “When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster. “It rushes down the hill.” River tourism industry is a key part of the Hill Country economy. Well-known, century-old summer camps bring in kids from all over the country. “It’s generally a very tranquil river with really beautiful clear blue water that people have been attracted to for generations,” Dickson said.