Current Events > flash flooding hit Texas - at least 13 people have died; 20+ missing

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Severe flooding in central Texas has left at least 13 people dead and more than 20 children unaccounted for, and the death toll is expected to rise as more rain flows though the hard-hit region Friday night.

Searches were underway and officials scrambled to rescue people from floodwaters on the Fourth of July after heavy rain deluged central Texas, overwhelming the Guadalupe River and prompting multiple flash flood warnings and emergencies.

We could not anticipate this, despite flood warnings, despite everything going on, there were some things that happened very fast, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said Friday.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch early Thursday afternoon that highlighted Kerr County as a place at high risk of flash flooding through the overnight. A flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County as early as around 1 a.m. CT on Friday. A more dire flash flood emergency warning was then issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. CT, followed by another one for Kerrville at 5:34 a.m. CT.

As others across the country attended parades, enjoyed fireworks and had barbecues, some Texas families mourned the loved ones they lost or waited for those missing to finally be found safe.

Theres still several people unaccounted for right now, at this point, but were working really hard, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Friday.

Heres what you should know about the impacts of severe weather in Texas:

*More than 20 campers unaccounted for: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about 23 girls are unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp in Kerr County. He cautioned it does not mean they are lost. The mothers of campers Janie Hunt and Lainey Landry told CNN they have not yet heard anything about their daughters whereabouts. At least 14 helicopters, 12 drones and over 500 people from various units are rescuing adults and children out of trees near Camp Mystic.
Rescues underway in Kerr County: First responders are focusing on finding and rescuing residents Friday afternoon before launching recovery efforts, Rice said. The Houston Fire Department said it is assisting first responders with rescues in Kerr County.
Residents told to shelter in place: Residents of Kerr County should shelter in place as several agencies rush to perform search and rescue amid dangerous flooding in the area, Sheriff Leitha said. Many people have been forced to evacuate their homes, however, and may seek assistance at several shelters and reunification centers set up across the community.
Multiple agencies activated to assist: The Texas National Guard, US Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency responded to severe weather affecting the Hill Country. The states primary search and rescue team has also been deployed to Hunt and Kerrville, the state military department said on X.
President Donald Trump in contact with Texas officials: President Trump has made sure the message was sent that whatever we need, we will have, Patrick said. Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz also said they are in contact with state and local officials to ensure they have access to rescue and recovery resources.
Rain continues in hard-hit areas: While the heaviest rain is starting to ease in the region, light to moderate rainfall will continue into the evening in some places, especially north and east of Kerrville.

Sounds like a job for FEMA.

Oh wait

A flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County as early as around 1 a.m. CT on Friday. A more dire flash flood emergency warning was then issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. CT, followed by another one for Kerrville at 5:34 a.m. CT.

FEMA to the rescu- oh.

Welp. Guess they got what they voted for. Oh well.

FEMA wouldn't have done shit about this anyway, yall just being bloodthirsty weirdos.

Sounds like a job for FEMA.

Oh wait

Sounds like a job for National Weather Service.

Oh wait.

i dont think these children voted for anything actually.

I checked the 2024 results. Kerr County is pretty red. Would it be out of line to say they voted for this?

The National Weather Service had placed Kerr County and other counties in the region under a flood watch ahead of the flooding on July 3, but Kelly said the extent of the flooding was a surprise.

"No one knew this kind of flood was coming," he said, adding that Kerr County doesn't have a warning system that could have alerted residents the night of July 3.

The National Weather Service had placed Kerr County and other counties in the region under a flood watch ahead of the flooding on July 3, but Kelly said the extent of the flooding was a surprise.

"No one knew this kind of flood was coming," he said, adding that Kerr County doesn't have a warning system that could have alerted residents the night of July 3.

They voted for rainfall that caused a river to rise over 20 feet in 45 minutes at 4 am? This was a freak weather event. I think it's in poor taste to blame voters. This would have still happened regardless of election results.

Reminder that 4.8 MILLION Texans voted for Harris last November, more than the total population of half of all states.

Oh, wait, it appears it you were trying to garner sympathy and tell people to stop being mean to those in Kerr County that overwhelmingly voted trump.

Some really disgusting fucking posts ITT.

River rising more than 20 feet in less than two hours is nuts, I can't even imagine that.

so yes, I will take fucking glee for any trump/3rd party/eligible non-voter who dies in this flood

My empathy is already used up by the tens of millions that are likely to die around the world due to the gutting of critical agencies. I have a sliver left for the kids and their families that are impacted by this.

Like a castle built upon a foundation of sand, or a house made of glass, the inevitable disasters are blunted by the obvious danger of prior decisions. Instead of feeling sad and lambasting others for the schadenfreude, we need to be aggressively pursuing actions to diminish future disasters like these from happening again.

Some really disgusting fucking posts ITT.

River rising more than 20 feet in less than two hours is nuts, I can't even imagine that.

These disasters were causes by policies Republican and Democratic alike. So nah I feel bad for kids who died in this and the families who are suffering.