Death toll rises to 24 as Texas declares disaster for historic Hill Country flood

The death toll from catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country rose to 24 Friday night, including two children from Camp Mystic, whose bodies were recovered as Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration covering nine counties devastated by the unprecedented deluge.

Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County confirmed 24 fatalities in his county alone, with one additional death reported in neighboring Kendall County. The disaster has become one of the deadliest flash floods in Texas history.

Abbott signed the disaster declaration during a 9 p.m. press conference at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, providing “limitless” state resources to Kerr, Gillespie, Kendall, Bandera, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Real and Tom Green counties.

“We will not stop until we find everybody,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said as rescue operations continued under floodlights into the night.

Unprecedented Water Power

The flood shattered all previous records with water volumes that stunned even veteran hydrologists. Upper Guadalupe River Authority General Manager Tara Bushnoe said the Guadalupe River at Kerrville peaked at approximately 147,000 cubic feet per second.

USGS data shows the river rose 22 feet in just 45 minutes at Kerrville, from 14.4 feet at 6 a.m. to 36.6 feet at 6:45 a.m. The water rose so fast that pressure sensors in monitoring equipment could not keep up with the surge.

At Hunt, the river gauge recorded a rise from 9 feet to 21 feet in less than two hours before the floodwaters destroyed the equipment.

Unpredictable Weather Event

Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the rainfall that triggered the disaster was never forecasted. Original National Weather Service predictions called for 3-6 inches in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country.

“The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts,” Kidd said.

City Manager Dalton Rice described the sudden onset: at 3 a.m., the river had no water, but within hours it had risen about 26 feet. Rice said he was out at 3:30 a.m. with light rain and no signs of the river rising, but by 5 a.m., emergency calls began flooding in.

Abbott said such extreme weather events have been “completely unpredictable” during his tenure as governor.

Massive Rescue Operation

The state deployed unprecedented resources to the disaster zone, with officials describing the response as one of the largest rescue operations in Texas history.

Texas National Guard Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer reported that helicopters had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter. Five helicopters with rescue swimmers from Texas Task Force One conducted operations throughout the day.

Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety brought more than 100 troopers to the area, with DPS deploying 170 personnel, 167 four-wheel drive vehicles and 53 boats.

Texas A&M Task Force One deployed 150 search and rescue experts with 30 boats. In total, more than 1,000 state officials and partners responded with 804 assets including vehicles, boats and helicopters.

Camp Mystic Rescue

Rescue teams arrived at Camp Mystic shortly after midday to begin evacuating the children. The camp was the only facility among 18 contacted that officials were actively working to clear, as the other 17 camps had accounted for their campers.

The confirmed deaths of Camp Mystic campers add to the tragedy that has left families across Texas searching for missing loved ones. At least 20 campers from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for, and Sheriff Leitha said it remains unknown how many people are missing countywide.

The scope of the disaster became clear through rescue accounts across the region. Earlier Friday, Center Point residents helped rescue a woman who was stuck in a tree after being swept away from Hunt, miles upriver from where she was found. Officials have not specified whether the Camp Mystic death is included in the 24 confirmed fatalities.

Historic Damage

The hardest-hit areas were properties near rivers, where camping areas, cabins and RV parks suffered catastrophic damage. Some facilities on higher ground were still impacted by the “massive amount of water,” officials said.

The flood extent approached levels shown on 100-year flood maps, representing a disaster that statisticians expect to occur only once per century.

Abbott’s disaster declaration ensures affected counties have access to “every tool, strategy, personnel that the state of Texas can provide.” The designation provides state funding for debris removal, emergency protective measures and other disaster relief efforts.

Ongoing Concerns

Officials warned that additional weather could trigger more flash flooding in the already saturated region. Authorities urged the public to stay away from affected areas unless they live there or are involved in emergency response.

The search area extends approximately 30 miles west of Kerrville along the Guadalupe River. Officials plan to use the Texas Emergency Tracking Network on Saturday to help account for evacuees in shelters.

“We are working around the clock 24/7 until every person is found,” Sheriff Leitha said.

The disaster website disaster.texas.gov is available for residents to report damage, though life safety and search operations remain the immediate priority.

Kerr County, located 65 miles northwest of San Antonio in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, has a population of about 52,600. The region’s steep terrain and narrow valleys make it particularly susceptible to flash flooding during heavy rainfall events.