Texas flooding: Searchers in helicopters and on horseback scour debris for the missing
Share this @internewscast.com

HUNT, Texas — Authorities in Texas continued their search on Wednesday for over 160 individuals presumed missing after a devastating surge of water tragically claimed the lives of over 100 people. The full impact of the disaster remained unclear as officials cautioned that more victims might still be uncovered within the extensive debris that stretches for miles.

“Understand this: We are committed to accounting for every missing person. Additionally, it’s quite possible more names could appear on that list,” stated Gov. Greg Abbott during a news briefing on Tuesday.

Abbott mentioned that officials are actively gathering information regarding those who were in the Hill Country over the Fourth of July weekend but might not have checked into any camp or hotel, possibly remaining unnoticed in the vicinity.

The lowlands of Kerr County along the Guadalupe River, where most of the victims of the flash flooding have been recovered so far, are filled with youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27 campers and counselors died. Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still not been found.

Crews in airboats, helicopters and on horseback along with hundreds of volunteers are part of one of the largest search operations in Texas history.

The flash flood is the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood on July 31, 1976, killed 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections. That flood surged through a narrow canyon packed with people on a holiday weekend, Colorado’s centennial celebration.

Public officials in charge of locating the victims are facing intensifying questions about who was in charge of monitoring the weather and warning that floodwaters were barreling toward camps and homes.

Abbott promised that the search for victims will not stop until everyone is found. He also said President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover. Trump plans to visit the state Friday.

Scenes of devastation at Camp Mystic

Outside the cabins at Camp Mystic where the girls had slept, mud-splattered blankets and pillows were scattered on a grassy hill that slopes toward the river. Also in the debris were pink, purple and blue luggage decorated with stickers.

Among those who died at the camp were a second grader who loved pink sparkles and bows, a 19-year-old counselor who enjoyed mentoring young girls and the camp’s 75-year-old director.

The flash floods erupted before daybreak Friday after massive rains sent water speeding down hills into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in less than an hour. Some campers had to swim out of cabin windows to safety while others held onto a rope as they made their way to higher ground.

Just two days before the flooding, Texas inspectors had signed off on the camp’s emergency planning. But five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press don’t provide any details about how the camp would instruct campers about evacuating and specific duties each staff member and counselor would be assigned.

Although it’s difficult to attribute a single weather event to climate change, experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans make catastrophic storms more likely.

Where were the warnings?

Questions mounted about what, if any, actions local officials took to warn campers and residents who were in the scenic area long known to locals as “flash flood alley.”

Leaders in Kerr county, where searchers have found about 90 bodies, said their first priority is recovering victims, not reviewing what happened in the moments before the flash floods.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s chief elected official, said the county does not have a warning system.

Generations of families in the Hill Country have known the dangers. A 1987 flood forced the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort and swamped buses and vans. Ten teenagers were killed.

Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a warning system. Kerr County sought a nearly $1 million grant eight years ago for such a system, but the request was turned down by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Local residents balked at footing the bill themselves, Kelly said.

Recovery and cleanup goes on

The bodies of 30 children were among those that have been recovered in the county, which is home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, the sheriff said.

The devastation spread across several hundred miles in central Texas all the way to just outside the capital of Austin.

Aidan Duncan escaped just in time after hearing the muffled blare of a megaphone urging residents to evacuate Riverside RV Park in the Hill Country town of Ingram.

All his belongings – a mattress, sports cards, his pet parakeet’s bird cage – now sit caked in mud in front of his home.

“What’s going on right now, it hurts,” the 17-year-old said. “I literally cried so hard.”

___

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Joshua A. Bickel in Kerrville, Texas, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Lion standing in tall grass at sunset.

Iconic Lion Blondie, Researched by Oxford Scientists, Tragically Killed by Trophy Hunter’s £35,000 Bounty

A LEGENDARY lion has been lured away from the sanctuary of his…
Jacksonville charter school employee arrested, accused of sexual battery

Jacksonville Charter School Staff Member Arrested on Charges of Sexual Battery

James Tellis, 27, was employed with IDEA Public Schools, which manages charter…
ATK Scotty's Jacksonville murder case rests, testimony for Ksoo will continue

ATK Scotty’s Murder Trial in Jacksonville Concludes, Testimony for Ksoo Set to Continue

Leroy Whitaker, also known as ATK Scotty, is being tried for the…
Emergency personnel at a kindergarten damaged by an earthquake.

‘Devastating’ tsunami alert for US: Evacuations in Hawaii & Japan following massive 8.8 earthquake in Pacific

A MONSTER earthquake has struck off the coast of Russia leading to…
Northwestern funding freeze: Northwestern University faculty members urge 'no deal' with Donald Trump administration

Northwestern University Faculty Advocate for No Financial Agreements with Trump Administration Amid Funding Freeze

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — One professor, part of a larger group of…
ICE in Houston releases new details about arrested illegal child sex offenders

Houston ICE Releases Update on Arrests of Child Sex Offenders in the Country Illegally

Details have emerged about the apprehension of illegal immigrant child sex offenders…
Army ROTC cadet, Rutgers student from Ridgewood, NJ dies during training at Fort Knox in Kentucky

Rutgers Student and Army ROTC Cadet from Ridgewood, NJ Passes Away During Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky

RIDGEWOOD, New Jersey — Investigators from the Army are currently examining the…
TEASER: '9-1-1: Nashville' joins 'DWTS,' 'High Potential,' 'Abbott Elementary' and more in ABC's primetime fall lineup

ABC Network Reveals Fall 2025 Premiere Dates for ‘9-1-1: Nashville,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and ‘High Potential’

LOS ANGELES — It’s heating up on ABC! The broadcast network announced…
Composite sketch of a man in a baseball cap, person of interest in a double homicide investigation.

Chilling Sketch Released of Suspect in Parents’ Murder: Daughters’ Courageous Actions Uncovered

COPS desperately hunting for the monster who slaughtered a mom and dad…
Police officers blocking a road.

Security Alert at Donald Trump’s Scottish Golf Resort: Bomb Squad Responds to ‘Suspicious Vehicle’

A SUSPICIOUS vehicle sparked a security scare at Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf…
'Walk-on' baseball coach and substitute groundskeeper at California high school charged with sex crimes

California High School Baseball Coach and Stand-In Groundskeeper Accused of Sexual Offenses

A part-time baseball coach and temporary groundskeeper at a California high school…
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' could spell trouble for gamblers: What to know

Trump’s Promised Legislation May Pose Risks for Gamblers: Key Points Explained

A gambling tax provision in President Trump’s megabill that passed Congress earlier…