Texas Floods Leave Dozens Dead, Children Missing

Rains Subside as Search Efforts Intensify in Wake of Catastrophic Flooding

Following torrential rains and devastating floods in Texas, search and rescue teams are working to locate 27 girls missing from a summer camp, as the death toll has risen to 27. Catastrophic flash flooding struck the region on Friday.

Search and Rescue Efforts

According to **Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha**, “So far, we’ve evacuated over 850 uninjured people, eight injured people and have recovered 27 deceased fatalities at this time.” He also noted nine children are among the dead.

Authorities are committed to finding everyone affected. **Dalton Rice**, a Kerrville city official, stated that hundreds are participating in the rescue, including many using helicopters. **Leitha** assured the public, “One thing I want to tell you and assure y’all is that we will not stop till every single person is found.”

Devastating Rainfall

The flooding was triggered after months’ worth of rain fell in mere hours, causing the Guadalupe River to surge by 26 feet in only 45 minutes. The National Weather Service has cautioned of additional heavy rainfall and potential “locally catastrophic” flash flooding in the area northwest of San Antonio.

One Kerrville resident, **Gerardo Martinez**, 61, described the extreme conditions: “It rained in a day what it usually rains in a year,” adding, “The water reached the top of the trees. About ten meters or so… Cars, whole houses were going down the river. That was pretty bad.”

According to NOAA, Texas leads the nation in flood-related deaths, averaging 13 fatalities per year due to flooding events (NOAA).

Camp Tragedy

Amid the chaos, 27 children from Camp Mystic Christian summer camp in Kerr County remain missing. US media outlets have reported that families of two of the missing girls have confirmed their deaths. Approximately 750 children were at Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp situated along the Guadalupe River banks.

Heart O’ The Hills summer camp confirmed that its director, **Jane Ragsdale**, was among those who died.

**Texas Governor Greg Abbott** has issued a disaster declaration to provide more resources to the affected counties, and **President Donald Trump** has pledged federal support. **Trump** announced that Homeland Security secretary **Kristi Noem** would be visiting the area.

Ongoing Challenges

**Rice** described the challenging conditions faced by rescuers: “We did start boots on the ground operations about 8am this morning,” He also cautioned residents against initiating their own searches due to the dangerous terrain along the river banks. The exact number of people who may have been visiting the camping area remains unknown, and an overall figure for missing individuals has not been provided.

State and local authorities have urged residents to avoid traveling to the area, as many roads are impassable. Social media videos displayed the extent of the damage, with houses and trees being swept away by the flash flood, resulting from up to 12 inches of overnight rain—equivalent to one-third of Kerr County’s average annual rainfall.

Texas is deploying all available resources to assist those affected by the severe weather in the Hill Country.

My office is in constant communication with local leaders to provide support.

Please heed warnings from local officials. pic.twitter.com/4Cdw9MGutw

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 23, 2023

**Soila Reyna**, 55, a Kerrville resident, described the scene: “It has been years since we had a flood, but nothing like this… Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people’s houses and you know, it’s just crazy,” **Martinez** added that the recent flooding was among the worst he has witnessed.