The death toll from Friday’s devastating flash floods in central Texas has risen to at least 96, with dozens still missing, as search-and-rescue teams continue to comb through debris and mud along the rain-swollen Guadalupe River.
Much of the tragedy is centered in Kerr County, particularly around the riverfront town of Kerrville and the grounds of Camp Mystic, a nearly 100-year-old Christian girls’ summer camp. Authorities confirmed that 27 of the deceased were campers and counselors from the camp, while 10 girls and one counselor remain unaccounted for.
“This will be a rough week,” Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said Monday, as more bodies were recovered from the flood-ravaged area.
By Monday afternoon, the local sheriff reported that 84 bodies, including 28 children, had been recovered in Kerr County alone. An additional 12 fatalities were confirmed across five neighboring counties, and 41 people remain missing outside Kerr County. Some outlets, including The New York Times, have reported the overall death toll may have already surpassed 100.
The flooding struck in the early hours of July 4 after an intense and unexpected deluge hit upstream tributaries of the Guadalupe River. Rainfall exceeded forecasts by nearly double, sending a deadly surge of water into Kerrville within hours. Officials, including City Manager Dalton Rice, defended the decision not to evacuate, citing the risks of moving people in the dark across flood-prone roads. “Evacuation is a delicate balance,” Rice said.
Among the victims was Camp Mystic co-owner and director Richard “Dick” Eastland, 70, who died while trying to rescue children from the rising water. “If he wasn’t going to die of natural causes, this was the only other way, saving the girls that he so loved and cared for,” his grandson wrote on Instagram.
A mishap during rescue operations on Monday forced a search helicopter to make an emergency landing after a collision with a privately operated drone in restricted airspace. No injuries were reported, but the aircraft was grounded.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasted up to 10 inches of additional rainfall in some areas of the already saturated Hill Country, prompting renewed flood watches. Meteorologist Allison Santorelli of the NWS warned that debris and soaked soil could worsen the risk of further flooding.
As the immediate crisis unfolds, questions are mounting about whether better forecasting and preparation could have saved lives. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has called for a federal investigation into whether budget cuts under President Donald Trump contributed to inadequate weather forecasting. Texas Senator Ted Cruz urged restraint, saying this was not the time for “partisan finger-pointing.”
With rescue operations still underway, the full scale of the disaster, and the potential for further tragedy, remains uncertain.
Written By Rodney Mbua
