Search and rescue teams continued combing the flood-ravaged Texas Hill Country on Sunday, desperately looking for 10 missing girls and a camp counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Kerr County that became the epicenter of one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent Texas history.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed 68 deaths within the county, including 28 children and 30 adults. Eleven more fatalities were reported across nearby counties, raising the storm’s death toll to at least 79 — a staggering figure that now exceeds the 68 lives lost to Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
“We are still hopeful,” Sheriff Leitha said at a press conference Sunday morning. “But we are preparing for the worst.”
More than 400 first responders from over 20 local, state, and federal agencies are scouring the Guadalupe River’s battered banks and floodplains, where floodwaters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes after nearly 10 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours. The National Weather Service issued new flash flood warnings Sunday afternoon for Kerr County, effective through 10 p.m., as emergency crews continued their work under precarious conditions.
City Manager Dalton Rice noted that terrain complications have slowed rescue operations. “We’ve increased the number of personnel navigating these incredibly dangerous shores,” he said. “But we are making progress.”
Governor Greg Abbott, speaking alongside state and federal officials Sunday afternoon, emphasized the scale of the tragedy after visiting Camp Mystic.
“What those young children went through is unimaginable,” Abbott said. “We want their families to know we are working tirelessly to bring answers, closure, and support.”
The missing girls and counselor were last seen Saturday morning. Frantic families have flooded social media with pleas for information and photos of their loved ones, as uncertainty looms over the fate of dozens more potentially unaccounted for. Officials said many tourists were visiting for the July 4th weekend, complicating efforts to assess who may be missing.
Colonel Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days.
Abbott expanded a state disaster declaration Friday night to include six additional counties and received federal approval for a major disaster declaration from President Donald Trump on Sunday, unlocking federal funds for recovery and aid. The move makes Kerr County eligible for grants, low-interest loans, and other support programs.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said rescue coordination is being bolstered by the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Border Patrol. Over 850 people have been rescued so far, some found clinging to tree branches as torrents of floodwater surged beneath them.
The unprecedented rainstorm has prompted scrutiny over the timeliness and reach of official warnings. Though both AccuWeather and the National Weather Service (NWS) issued alerts ahead of the floods, the ferocity of the downpour — and staffing issues within the NWS — raised concerns about whether more could have been done.
Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist at AccuWeather, stressed that the Texas Hill Country’s topography makes it one of the nation’s most flash-flood-prone regions. “Warnings were issued hours in advance. People, businesses, and governments should always take action when flash flood warnings are in place,” Porter said.
But local officials, including Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, defended their response, stating that while forecasts had called for up to six inches of rain, “no one predicted the level of rainfall that actually occurred.”
Pastor Justin Carpenter of Cross Kingdom Church has turned his facility into a distribution hub for clothing, food, and supplies — though cell service outages in hard-hit areas have limited outreach.
“We’re stocked and ready to help, but people just can’t get the word,” Carpenter said.
Veteran disaster responder Billy Lawrence, who searched for bodies after the 1987 floods, returned to the Guadalupe this weekend to assist once again. “This is worse — twice as bad,” the 73-year-old said grimly. “We found kids in trees before. We might again.”
He called for better weather training for camp staff. “I’m not blaming anyone,” he said. “But someone needs to be watching the sky.”
President Trump expressed condolences via his Truth Social platform, praising first responders and saying, “Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy.”
As cleanup begins and floodwaters slowly recede, signs of destruction are everywhere — snapped tree trunks, mangled power lines, and entire riverbanks scoured bare by rushing water. While federal aid will help with recovery, the community faces a long road ahead, one marked by grief, unanswered questions, and an unwavering determination to find those still missing.
