At least 89 dead, major disaster declared after catastrophic Texas flood

Camp Mystic was one of many areas in central Texas that were struck by catastrophic flooding, with search and rescue operations still underway. A Major Disaster Declaration has been issued.

Last week’s catastrophic flooding in Texas—the deadliest U.S. weather event of 2025—has claimed a growing number of lives, with search and rescue teams in a race against time before the next round of rain and thunderstorms.

At least 80 fatalities have been reported, with 41 people still missing, according to The Associated Press. These figures include the 27 campers and counselors of Camp Mystic who died and the 10 campers and one counselor who are still unaccounted for. The all-girls camp is located about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio and sits along the Guadalupe River.

"We continue to have hundreds of officers, deputies and support staff working every aspect of this emergency, along with air, water, K9 and other assets conducting search and rescue," Kerr Country Sheriff's Office said. The Texas National Guard and the Texas Military Department have also assisted in the rescue of over 500 individuals who needed to be evacuated from flooded areas.

A Major Disaster Declaration has been signed by President Trump for Kerr County, the area of Texas which was hit the hardest by the flooding. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders," he said in a post on social media.

“The horrific loss of life in this flash flooding disaster is heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to the survivors, first responders, officials and volunteers helping families who have lost loved ones in the flood waters,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

Timeline of the flooding

Flash flood warnings were issued in central Texas hours in advance of the deadly flooding early Friday morning, although the most urgent weather alerts were sent in the middle of the night when many people in the area were sleeping.

A flash flood watch was issued more than 12 hours in advance at 1:18 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 3. A flash flood warning was issued at 1:14 a.m. CDT on Friday morning, about three hours before the peak of the flooding occurred between 4 and 4:30 a.m. CDT, according to Porter.

Seven months' worth of rain fell in less than two hours, which caused the Guadalupe River to rise an astonishing 22 feet in just two hours at a gauge near Hunt, where the river forks. Water levels rose to 29.5 feet before the gauge stopped transmitting data, potentially from being washed downstream by the ferocity of the floodwaters.

The catastrophe unfolded in an area that Porter calls the Flash Flood Capital of the United States.

"You have a lot of hilly terrain, lots of hills and valleys, and that water pours off the hills and into the lower elevations where there are a lot of low water crossing streams and creeks [in] close proximity to moisture from the Gulf and also the eastern Pacific," Porter explained. "A lot of times the steering winds in the atmosphere are slow, so these thunderstorms dump persistent heavy rainfall, torrential rain over the same areas for hours on end."

Families returned to Camp Mystic on Sunday, stepping through debris strewn around empty cabins at the all-girls summer camp devastated by the flash floods that tore homes from their foundations.

"Today I visited Camp Mystic. It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster," Gov. Abbott posted on X on Saturday evening. "The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins."

More rain in the forecast

Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast across central Texas this week, but the upcoming rain is not expected to be nearly as significant or as widespread as those late last week and over the weekend.

"There is a concern we have that on Tuesday and Wednesday, with humidity levels remaining high, there is another flare-up or cluster of thunderstorms thereof somewhere over central and eastern Texas," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Any thunderstorm can hinder search and rescue efforts. Even if the rain does not trigger additional rounds of flooding, lightning can be dangerous and force officials to suspend operations until conditions improve.

The tradeoff for the drier conditions will be hot conditions, especially for those spending most of the day outside or without access to air conditioning, with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the afternoon between 100 and 110 F.

Damage and economic toll

"Rapidly moving water can result in tremendous destruction and risk to safety, as seen in this tragedy," Porter explained. "This is the latest disaster in an area with a long and tragic history of deadly and destructive flash floods."

AccuWeather estimates that the extreme flash flood disaster caused an estimated $18 billion to $22 billion in total damage and economic loss. This figure includes the cost of search and recovery efforts, the extensive cleanup ahead, insurance claims and impacts on future tourism in the region.

Water damage is particularly costly to repair and is often not covered by homeowner’s insurance policies. Many people are often underinsured for flood damage. An estimated 4 percent of homeowners in the U.S. have flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), although the uptake in the NFIP program tends to be higher in communities along waterways, such as rivers, where some of the flooding has occurred in this event. 

“This latest weather disaster in the United States could further complicate the insurance availability and affordability challenges that many Texas families and businesses are struggling with," Porter added.

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