Five months following the catastrophic flooding in Texas Hill Country, newly unveiled 911 recordings paint a vivid picture of the panic, desperation, and heartrending pleas for help during the crisis.
The two emergency dispatchers on duty were inundated with over 400 calls as people confronted increasingly dire circumstances. Among the callers were individuals trapped in their homes, summer camp cabins, and even stranded in trees. Many called repeatedly, updating rescuers on their worsening situations and pleading for immediate help.
One caller shared their predicament: “We’re okay, but we live about a mile down the road from Camp Mystic. We’ve already rescued two little girls who came down the river, but I’m not sure how many more are out there.”
As rain falls, Irene Valdez visits a makeshift memorial for the flood victims along the Guadalupe River on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (Eric Gay, File/AP Photo)
Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls situated along the Guadalupe River, suffered a devastating loss of 25 campers and two teenage counselors due to the floods. In a tragic turn of events, the camp’s longtime director and co-owner, Dick Eastland, lost his life while attempting to save the campers.
Britt Eastland, who co-directs Camp Mystic and is the son of Dick Eastland, also reached out to 911, pleading for the National Guard’s assistance, as reports indicated that up to 40 individuals were missing, according to The Associated Press.
A counselor at Camp La Junta called as water filled a cabin “super fast,” as screams of campers could be heard in the background. Everyone in the cabin and the rest of the campers at Camp La Junta were rescued, according to the AP.
In another call, a woman frantically says that she and two elderly people were trapped in a house and could not get out. She begged for help and told the dispatcher that she was scared.
A search and rescue volunteer holds a T-shirt and backpack with the words Camp Mystic on them in Comfort, Texas on July 6, 2025. (Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Yet another caller said that there were people floating by screaming for help as others went into their attics and onto their roofs in an attempt to escape the rapidly rising waters.
“We have people in water, I guess, floating that are screaming for help and we, we can’t get to them,” the caller said. “People are in their attics and on their routes if there’s anybody that can get to us with a helicopter or something?”
The dispatcher informed her that help was on the way but that the water was “slowing us down a little bit.”
Campers belongings sit outside one of Camp Mystic’s cabins near the Guadalupe River, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Hunt, Texas, after a flash flood swept through the area. (Eli Hartman/AP Photo)
“The tree I’m in is starting to lean, and it’s going to fall. Is there a helicopter close?” Bradley Perry, a firefighter, calmly told a dispatcher, adding that he saw his wife, Tina, and their RV wash away, according to the AP.
Perry did not survive, making him one of the more than 130 people killed in the deadly July 4 floods. The AP reported that his wife was later found alive, clinging to a tree.
