The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic<\/strong>, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe<\/strong> in Kerr County<\/strong>, the area worst affected by the flood.<\/p>\n The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.<\/p>\n The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County<\/strong> and Tom Green County<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.<\/p>\n Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.<\/p>\n Texas Governor Greg Abbott<\/strong> vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.<\/p>\n In a post on X<\/a>, he wrote that Camp Mystic was <\/strong>\u201chorrendously ravaged in ways unlike I\u2019ve seen in any natural disaster\u201d and vowed that rescuers would find \u201cevery girl who was in those cabins\u201d.<\/p>\n Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates on the floods throughout the day.<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n What has the federal response to the Texas floods been?<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump<\/strong> addressed the deadly floods on Saturday. On his Truth Social platform, he said his administration was working with state and local officials on the ground in Texas to respond \u201cto the tragic flooding\u201d that occurred a day before.<\/p>\n \u201cOur Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem,<\/strong> will be there shortly,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n Speaking at a press conference alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday, Noem pledged that the Trump administration would use all available resources to help the state in its rescue efforts, including by bringing in more fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to aid with operations.<\/p>\n She said the government would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings.<\/p>\n Noem said:<\/p>\n We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re working to upgrade the technology that\u2019s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Kristi Noem speaks with Texas Gov Greg Abbott about ongoing search and rescue efforts at a press conference in Kerrville, Texas. Photograph: Rodolfo Gonzalez\/AP<\/p>\n For context: Some state and local officials have said the NWS failed to provide accurate forecasts ahead of Friday\u2019s destructive flooding.<\/p>\n \u201cThe original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,\u201d Texas emergency management chief W. Nim Kidd told journalists on Friday. \u201cThe amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The father of Blair<\/strong>, 13, and Brooke<\/strong> Harber<\/strong>, 11, confirmed to CNN<\/a> yesterday that his daughters had died in the Texas flooding after having gone missing in Kerr County.<\/p>\n RJ Harber told CNN that Blair \u201cwas a gifted student and had a generous kind heart\u201d and that Brooke \u201cwas like a light in any room, people gravitated to her and she made them laugh and enjoy the moment\u201d.<\/p>\n Neither Blair or Brooke were at Camp Mystic when they went missing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.39 EDT<\/p>\n Questions have arose as to why the severity of the flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many officials by surprise.<\/p>\n Here is an extract from a story by my colleagues Oliver Milman<\/a>, Jos\u00e9 Olivares<\/a> <\/strong>and Robert Mackey<\/a> who have looked into the preparations for the flood and examined how federal policy may have impacted local projection capabilities:<\/p>\n Officials defended their preparations for severe weather and their response but said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was, in effect, the equivalent of months\u2019 worth of rain for the area.<\/p>\n One National Weather Service (NWS) forecast this week had called for only 3-6in (76-152mm) of rain, said Kidd, of the Texas division of emergency management.<\/p>\n \u201cIt did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s deaths renewed questions about whether it was wise for the Trump administration to implement deep budget and job cuts<\/a> at the NWS \u2013 among other federal government agencies \u2013 since his second presidency began in January.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.06 EDT<\/p>\n Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian girls camp, had 700 girls in residence at the time of the flood, according to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.<\/p>\n Early Friday morning, shortly after the deluge hit, over 100 game wardens and an aviation group tried to access the camp, but they weren\u2019t able to enter to start rescuing children until after midday, CNN reports.<\/p>\n One of the girls attending the camp, Renee Smajstrla, who was nine years old, was confirmed to be among the dead by her uncle.<\/p>\n \u201cRenee has been found and while not the outcome we prayed for, the social media outreach likely assisted the first responders in helping to identify her so quickly,\u201d Shawn Salta wrote<\/a> on Facebook. \u201cWe are thankful she was with her friends and having the time of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n A Sheriff\u2019s deputy pauses while combing through the banks of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic. Photograph: Julio Cortez\/AP<\/p>\n Camp Mystic said in an email to parents of the campers that if they had not been contacted directly, their child had been accounted for.<\/p>\n Another girls\u2019 camp in the area, Heart O\u2019 the Hills<\/strong>, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.06 EDT<\/p>\n Search for missing continues with at least 51 people killed, including 15 children<\/p>\n We are restarting our live coverage of the devastating Texas floods.<\/p>\n Hundreds of rescuers are desperately searching for people missing in central Texas, after torrential rains caused devastating flooding<\/a> that killed at least 51 people, including 15 children.<\/p>\n The total number of missing people is not yet clear, but officials say that 27 of them are girls who had been attending Camp Mystic<\/strong>, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe<\/strong> in Kerr County<\/strong>, the area worst affected by the flood.<\/p>\n The river rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.<\/p>\n The flooding in Kerr County killed at least 43 people, including 15 children, and at least eight people died in nearby counties, including Travis County<\/strong> and Tom Green County<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads.<\/p>\n Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 1,700 people involved in the search-and-rescue operation.<\/p>\n Texas Governor Greg Abbott<\/strong> vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.<\/p>\n![\"Drone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1751796316_453_3445.jpg\")
Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding \u2013 video <\/p>\n![\"Furniture](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5750.jpg\")
Furniture lie scattered inside a cabin at Camp Mystic after deadly flooding in Kerr County. Photograph: Sergio Flores\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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Drone footage shows extent of deadly Texas flooding \u2013 video <\/p>\n