Over 160 people still missing after Texas floods kill more than 100
Over 160 people remain missing in Texas days after catastrophic flash floods over the July Fourth holiday claimed more than 100 lives, the state’s governor says.
The search for scores of people still missing after flash floods devastated Central Texas stretched into a fifth day on Tuesday as the death toll continued to rise.
Most of those unaccounted for are in Kerr County, where the majority of flood victims have been found so far. Many were likely visiting or staying in the state’s Hill Country during the holiday but did not register at a camp or hotel, Governor Greg Abbott said during a news conference.
Rescue operations were underway to find anyone lost in the debris after the catastrophic weekend storm, which caused the sprawling Guadalupe River to swell rapidly to near-unprecedented levels.
The flood-prone lowlands near the Guadalupe River in Kerr County are home to numerous youth camps and recreational sites. Among them is Camp Mystic, a historic all-girls Christian summer camp that has operated for over 100 years—where at least 27 campers and staff died in the disaster.
Officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have not been found yet. One child not associated with the camp is also missing, Abbott said.
The flash flood is the deadliest from inland flooding in the US since Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood on July 31, 1976, which killed 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.
Officials leading the victim recovery efforts are under growing scrutiny over which authorities were responsible for tracking the weather and alerting residents as floodwaters rushed toward camps and neighborhoods.
During a helicopter survey of the devastated area, Abbott brushed off questions about accountability for the fatalities. When pressed on who bore responsibility for the deaths, he responded sharply, “That’s the word choice of losers.”
Abbott promised that the search for victims will not stop until everyone is found.
The devastating flash floods struck before dawn on Friday when torrential rains funneled water down hillsides into the Guadalupe River, causing it to surge an astonishing 26 feet (8 meters) in under an hour.
The sudden deluge engulfed riverside cabins, tents, and trailers, trapping occupants—some of whom were later rescued while desperately clinging to trees.
While scientists caution against linking individual weather events directly to climate change, they note that rising global temperatures and ocean warming are increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme storms.
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