Kerrville’s HTR RV Park is where the most missing are from, at least 26

A recreational vehicle camp in Kerrville has emerged as the location with the highest number of missing persons from Friday’s catastrophic flooding, with at least two entire families among those unaccounted for as search operations continue along the Guadalupe River.

HTR camp in Kerrville has the most missing people of any single location impacted by the disaster, according to tracking information obtained by officials. The facility was overwhelmed when floodwaters surged more than 20 feet in less than two hours Friday morning, catching visitors by surprise during the early hours of the July 4 holiday.

The missing include visitors from across Texas who had traveled to the Hill Country for the holiday weekend, including families from San Angelo, League City and Dallas. Multiple family units remain unaccounted for, illustrating how the sudden flood separated loved ones and trapped groups of people together.

Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed Sunday that 59 people have died in Kerr County, with 38 adults and 21 children among the confirmed fatalities. An additional 18 adults and four children remain pending identification as the death toll continues to climb.

While Camp Mystic has received significant attention with 11 campers and one counselor still missing, the recreational facility in Kerrville represents the largest concentration of missing persons from any single location affected by the historic flood.

Widespread Impact

The disaster struck multiple recreational facilities, RV parks and camping areas along the Guadalupe River corridor. Many visitors had arrived for July 4 celebrations and were sleeping when the unprecedented rainfall began overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

More than 400 first responders from over 20 agencies are searching the disaster zone, which extends along a 30-mile stretch of the river. Bodies are being recovered “all over up and down” the operational area, which has been divided into grids for systematic searching, City Manager Dalton Rice said.

The flood reached levels not seen since record-keeping began, with the Guadalupe River peaking at approximately 147,000 cubic feet per second — nearly 60 times the previous record. The water rose so rapidly that monitoring equipment was overwhelmed and some gauges were destroyed.

Search Operations

Search teams are working around the clock with more than a dozen K-9 units and over 100 air, water and ground vehicles deployed across the disaster zone. Operations that began at 6 a.m. Sunday are progressing systematically from west to east along challenging riverbanks.

A massive operation is also underway in Center Point, where additional bodies have been recovered. Volunteer-led search teams are working along the south bank of the Guadalupe River below Flat Rock Lake Dam as the community mobilizes to assist professional rescue crews.

Families with missing loved ones can call the missing person call center at 830-258-1111. Officials advised the public to follow the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office and City of Kerrville Facebook pages for updates.

State Response

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration Friday covering nine counties and providing unlimited state resources for the response. The disaster has become one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history.

“We will not stop until we find everybody,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during the initial response Friday.

Daily press conferences are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to provide updates on the ongoing search and recovery operation.

The Hill Country’s steep terrain and narrow valleys make the region particularly vulnerable to flash flooding during heavy rainfall events. Friday’s disaster was caused by unprecedented rainfall that dumped nearly double the forecasted amounts in both forks of the Guadalupe River, which then converged on Kerrville and downstream communities.