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Officials reduced the number of unaccounted people from a massive July 4 flood in Kerr County, Texas, from 160 to three late Saturday, as most have been found "safe." The total death toll from the flood stands at 107 people within Kerr County. Including deaths in nearby counties, the statewide death toll from the July 4 flood is 133. “We are profoundly grateful to the more than 1,000 local, state, and federal authorities who have worked tirelessly in the wake of the devastating flood that struck our community,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said in a statement. “Thanks to their...

Even with the removal of dozens of buildings, at least 12 structures at Camp Mystic Guadalupe were fully within FEMA's 100-year flood plain ... Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review by The Associated Press found. The Federal Emergency Management Agency included the prestigious girls' summer camp in a “Special Flood Hazard Area” in its National Flood Insurance map for Kerr County in 2011, which means...

For decades, girls have flocked to Camp Mystic to spend their summer days canoeing and fishing the Guadalupe River before retreating to bunk beds in rustic cabins just steps from the glimmering water. Many of those cabins were built in designated flood zones, records show, and some were so close to the river’s edge that they were considered part of the river’s “floodway” — a corridor of such extreme hazard that many states and counties ban or severely restrict construction there. Texas’ Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located, adopted its own stringent floodway rules, which required that construction in...

A Texas summer camp had a state-mandated emergency plan in place before devastating flash floods took the lives of dozens of campers and staff, state records confirm. A state health report dated July 2 — two days before the flooding emergency began — showed Camp Mystic passed its annual inspection to maintain its state youth camp license. Inspectors in Texas visit licensed camps annually and check for a variety of health and safety measures, from first aid kits and flotation devices, to staff background checks and the sanitation of kitchens and bathrooms. On July 2, a state health inspector on...

A former member of Houston’s Food Insecurity Board, Sade Perkins, has been removed from her position after posting a highly controversial and racially charged video mocking the victims of the tragic July 4th weekend flash floods along the Guadalupe River. The floods killed at least 82 people, including over two dozen children attending Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp near Kerrville, Texas. Perkins, who was appointed to the board in 2023 by then-Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner, uploaded the video to her TikTok account, "sades_world8," before making it private. In the video, she made a series of inflammatory statements, drawing a...

It was U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan's first mission as a member of the Coast Guard, and he led triage coordination for most of the operation. A member of the U.S. Coast Guard is being hailed as a hero for rescuing over 160 people during the catastrophic flash floods in Central Texas on the Fourth of July. U.S. Coast Guard Heartland, which is headquartered in New Orleans and serves multiple states, said on Facebook that U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan assisted in the evacuation of 169 people. It was Ruskan's first mission as a member of...

‘I will rescue you,’ Lauren Daigle sang 1,400 miles away from Camp Mystic. ...Her name was Lauren Daigle. Her performance was scheduled months in advance; the timing, at this terrible moment, was unplanned. As all those children in Texas remained unaccounted for, she sang: “I hear you whisper underneath your breath / I hear your SOS, your SOS . . .” “I will never stop marching to reach you / In the middle of the hardest fight . . .”

Death count in Independence Day flooding in central Texas has now surpassed that of Hurricane Harvey.. As the death count in the Independence Day flooding in central Texas has now surpassed that of Hurricane Harvey, with dozens of children reported dead and missing who were camping at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texans are asking why a warning system wasn't in place and why the camp didn’t evacuate when others did. On Wednesday and Thursday, a series of emergency weather alerts were issued by the National Weather Service and Texas Division of Emergency Management. Despite a decades-long history of flash...

The forecast began to look ominous in Texas Hill County on Thursday afternoon. A flood watch was issued by the National Weather Service at 1:18 p.m. that predicted up to 7 inches of isolated rainfall early Friday morning in South Central Texas, including Kerr County. By the time the sun rose on the Fourth of July, less than 24 hours later, as much as 12 inches of rain had fallen in parts of the region while its residents were asleep, according to NWS radar estimates. The Guadalupe River gauge at the unincorporated community of Hunt, where the river forks, recorded...

“There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. “There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.” “We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official. “But nobody saw this coming.” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said he was jogging along the river early in the morning and didn't notice any problems at 4 a.m. A little over an hour later, at 5:20 a.m., the...

Meteorologists had cautioned there was potential for flooding across Central Texas in the overnight hours late Thursday and early Friday morning. But there was little indication of just how torrential and unrelenting the downpours would become in the predawn hours, killing at least 27 people, many of them children at camp.

Twenty-seven girls attending Camp Mystic in Kerr County are missing following intense flooding in Central Texas, officials said on Saturday. The camp for girls has two sites less than a quarter mile apart near Hunt, Texas. The missing girls are believed to have been staying at the Guadalupe River site. Several girls who are reported missing were in the low-lying cabins on the “Flats,”

Meteorologists knew there was some risk of overnight flooding. Then four months of rainfall came down in only four hours.Meteorologists had cautioned there was potential for flooding across Central Texas in the overnight hours late Thursday and early Friday morning. But there was little indication of just how torrential and unrelenting the downpours would become in the predawn hours, killing at least 27 people, many of them children at camp. Radar and precipitation data and National Weather Service warnings show the floods were the result of extraordinary atmospheric conditions that sent intense plumes of Gulf of Mexico moisture into parts...

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....

Months worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours on Texas Hill Country, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. The region is dotted with century-old summer camps that draw thousands of kids annually. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about 23 girls attending Camp Mystic, a Christian camp along the Guadalupe River, were unaccounted for Friday afternoon. ... This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

At least 13 people have been killed and hundreds more are feared missing after historic floods inundated a Texas county. Twenty three people are missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water leve Friday. The names of those killed have not been shared, but the final death toll is expected to rise substantially as floodwaters recede. And the identities of the missing have begun to emerge as stricken families share photos of their loved ones in the hopes of learning information about their whereabouts. Officials...

The authorities confirmed that 20 girls were still missing as a result of the flooding along the Guadalupe River, but the full scope of the disaster was not clear.Frantic searches were underway for people who were missing in Central Texas after heavy rain set off deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River on Friday, authorities said. A summer camp for girls along the river in Hunt, Texas, told parents on Friday morning that not all of its campers were accounted for after “catastrophic” flooding overnight. In nearby Kerrville, some people huddled inside a church’s activity center, and others looked distraught, shivering...

A 'devastating and deadly' flood in central Texas swept a suspected summer camp cabin down the Guadalupe River while people were still inside.Terrified occupants yelled out 'oh my god' and screamed in horror as the property was floating down the rushing river somewhere between the towns of Kerrville and Comfort.The Guadalupe River rapidly rose by more than 22 feet overnight, broke its banks and overtook several small, rural towns across Kerr County.At least six people are dead and there's a frenzied search for those missing as torrential rains bombard the region. The raging floods have swept away homes, entire RV...

A deadly flash flood has left at least six people dead and thousands fleeing for their lives after the Guadalupe River burst, engulfing several Texas cities. The Guadalupe River rapidly rose overnight, breaking its banks and overtaking the small, rural towns of Kerrville and Hunt. At least one family is missing after their entire Kerrville home was swept away by the raging storm. Video shared by KPRC reporter Gage Goulding shows the rushing waves are carrying debris down the river as heavy rains continued to pound the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) declared a flash flood emergency for all...

July 5 (Reuters) - Founded by a University of Texas football coach, Camp Mystic where raging floodwaters swept away dozens of girls - killing several and leaving many others missing - was established along the banks of the Guadalupe River in central Texas hill country nearly a century ago "to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere. Here are some facts and background about the camp: The camp, located about 85 miles northwest of San Antonio, has operated nearly continuously since its founding in 1926 by E.J. "Doc" Stewart, who coached the Texas Longhorns football squad from 1923-1926 and,...