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Posted on 07/05/2025 4:10:12 AM PDT by Libloather
The National Guard was deployed in Texas on Friday after a devastating river flood killed at least 25 people and swept away dozens of children at a local Christian camp.
Heavy rain on Friday morning caused the Guadalupe River to rise nearly 30 feet in 45 minutes.
State officials confirmed Friday night that at least 25 people are dead, including adults and children. Among the deaths, 24 were reported in Kerr County and one was in Kendall County.
Between 23 and 25 people remain missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls private Christian camp along the Guadalupe River, according to officials. The camp had more than 750 attendees.
Helicopters and military vehicles were used for evacuations. So far, 237 people have been evacuated, including 167 by helicopter, Major General Thomas Suelzer said when discussing Texas National Guard efforts.
"Day or night, whatever hour of the day, there will be local officials [and] state officials collaborating together," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Friday night.
**SNIP**
Ellen Toranzo told Fox News Digital that her daughter, Greta Toranzo, is one of the campers who went missing during the flood. Carrie Hanna also confirmed to Fox News Digital that her daughter, Hadley, is unaccounted for.
Other nearby camps reported all children were accounted for, according to Patrick.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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Heartbreaking
Terrible.
The manager of this campground told said 36 occupied RVs and 11 tiny homes were swept away in minutes
Video
Campground near Kerrville, TX completely washed away
https://rumble.com/v6vr4q5-campground-near-kerrville-tx-completely-washed-away.html
Of course liberals are blaming Trump for cuts in the weather departments. They are so nasty.
Just awful.
There’s a history of this happening in the Hill Country. ‘95 and’98 were particularly bad, IIRC.
Still raining this morning.
The area is known as “flash flood alley” for a reason.
https://water.noaa.gov/gauges/cuet2
It’s a pity people have such short memories.
This is what happens when you trust government, any government, to do your thinking for you.
I’m sure conservatives understand this. It’s the liberals who will exploit this tragedy.
The Texas Hill Country has huge, rocky bluffs that act as walls, holding the ‘wave of water’, like a chute....until the waters spread, somewhat, along the path.
These sudden and devastating floods have happened along Texas Hill country rivers, for hundreds of years.
This is what happens when you trust government, any government, to do your thinking for you.
Who, in this tragedy, was ‘trusting the gov’t to do their thinking for them’?
Not sure I follow what you’re saying.
Limestone hills. The creeks and rivers have towering cypress trees along their banks, and majestic pecan trees in the larger river bottoms. The thin soil on the limestone hillsides won't support much vegetation, except scrub live oak, and brushy cedar (juniper) so the contrast between the trees in creek/river bottoms, and everywhere else, is striking. Typically, in the summer, the creeks and rivers are low, and canoeing and paddle boating are common camp activities.
I had a great uncle who lived on the Sabinal River. He found a paddle boat from some upstream camp sunk in his fishing hole after a similar rain.
I am surprised that none of the camp counselors got weather alerts on their phones. The NWS had put out several warnings during the night. Maybe they are like me and have them turned off.
Internet is spotty, at best, in some of these camp locations.
From Grok ... taken w/a grain of salt ...
The recent flooding at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas, on July 4, 2025, was a catastrophic event, and there’s evidence suggesting that the weather warnings issued were insufficient or not adequately acted upon by camp officials. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood watch for Kerr County on Thursday afternoon, highlighting a high risk of flash flooding through the night. A flash flood warning followed around 1 a.m. CT on Friday, with a more urgent “particularly dangerous situation” warning issued at 4:03 a.m. for Kerr County and 5:34 a.m. for Kerrville, noting a “large and deadly flood wave” moving down the Guadalupe River.
However, multiple sources indicate that Camp Mystic counselors and staff may not have received or acted on these warnings effectively. Serena Aldrich, a parent of two rescued campers, stated that her daughters received no specific warning or alarm when the flooding began; her 12-year-old was woken by thunder and lightning, and her 9-year-old by a friend as water entered their cabin. Counselors reportedly took action to evacuate girls to higher ground, but this was reactive rather than based on prior alerts.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly admitted there was no county-wide warning system in place, stating, “We do not have a warning system,” and insisted that “no one knew this kind of flood was coming.” Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, noted that the NWS forecast “did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,” with rainfall far exceeding the expected 8 inches, reaching up to 10-15 inches in some areas.
Posts on X reflect conflicting sentiments. Some users claim the camp had “plenty of time” to evacuate based on heavy rain forecasts the night before, while others argue the flash flood’s speed—rising 26 feet in 45 minutes—left no time for adequate warnings or response. One post specifically alleges that Camp Mystic was aware of serious flooding risks but failed to take adequate precautions.Critically, the lack of a robust local warning system, combined with the NWS’s underestimation of rainfall, likely contributed to the camp’s unpreparedness. The absence of power, water, and Wi-Fi at the camp, along with washed-out roads, further hindered communication and response efforts. While counselors heroically saved many girls by breaking windows and moving them to higher ground, the evidence suggests they were not proactively informed of the impending flood risk, leaving them to respond in the midst of the crisis. The rapid onset of the flood and systemic failures in warning dissemination appear to have caught the camp off guard.
~~~~~~
Heartbreaking, nonetheless.
Every camp like this should have NOAA weather radios and someone to monitor them at night. Even if it is only for a couple of hours at a time. Ham Radio licensed individuals could also be of great assistance here.
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