{"id":155855,"date":"2025-07-05T10:21:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T10:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/texas-flooding-latest-desperate-search-for-survivors-after-dozens-killed-and-girls-at-summer-camp-missing-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T10:21:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T10:21:07","slug":"texas-flooding-latest-desperate-search-for-survivors-after-dozens-killed-and-girls-at-summer-camp-missing-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/texas-flooding-latest-desperate-search-for-survivors-after-dozens-killed-and-girls-at-summer-camp-missing-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas flooding latest: desperate search for survivors after dozens killed and girls at summer camp missing – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

At least 24 people have died amid torrential rains and dozens of people at an all-girls summer camp are among those still missing
It\u2019s 5am in Texas<\/a> and the search for survivors is ongoing. Here is what we know so far:
At least 24 people have died<\/strong> and up to 25 girls<\/strong> are missing after torrential rain caused flash floods along the Guadalupe River<\/strong> in Texas<\/a> on Friday.
Rescue teams<\/strong> are searching for the girls who were attending the Christian all-girls Camp Mystic<\/strong> summer camp just outside the town of Kerrville 104km (64 miles) north-west of San Antonio<\/strong>.
As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167<\/strong> by helicopter, Reuters reports.
The Texas<\/strong> Division of Emergency Management had 14 helicopters<\/strong> and\u00a0hundreds of emergency workers<\/strong>, as well as drones<\/strong>, involved in search-and-rescue operations.
A month\u2019s worth of heavy rain<\/strong> fell in a matter of hours. In less than an hour the river rose 26 feet (7.9m) in what Kerr county sheriff\u2019s office called \u201ccatastrophic flooding\u201d.
The flooding swept away mobile homes<\/strong>, vehicles<\/strong> and holiday cabins<\/strong> where people were spending the 4 July weekend, the BBC said.
A state of emergency<\/strong> has been declared in several counties.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, US President Donald Trump<\/strong> said, \u201cWe\u2019ll take care of them,\u201d when asked about federal aid<\/strong> for the disaster.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly<\/strong>, the top local elected official, said a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen. \u201cWe had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what\u2019s happened here,\u201d he said. \u201cNone whatsoever.\u201d
More rain<\/strong> is expected in the state, including around Waco<\/strong>, and flooding is anticipated downriver from Kerr county<\/strong>.
The Associated Press reports on the rescue operation by Texas Game Wardens<\/strong> at Camp Mystic<\/strong> on Friday afternoon and evacuated campers who had sheltered on higher ground.<\/p>\n

Elinor Lester, 13, said she was evacuated with her cabinmates by helicopter after wading through floodwaters. She recalled startling awake around 1.30 am as thunder crackled and water pelted the cabin windows.<\/p>\n

Lester was among the older girls housed on elevated ground known as Senior Hill. Cabins housing the younger campers, who can start attending at age eight, are situated along the riverbanks and were the first to flood, she said.<\/p>\n

Campers in lower cabins sought shelter up the hill. By morning, they had no food, power or running water, she said. When rescuers arrived, Lester said they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping up around their calves and knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe camp was completely destroyed,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was really scary. Everyone I know personally is accounted for, but there are people missing that I know of and we don\u2019t know where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother, Elizabeth Lester, said her son was nearby at Camp La Junta<\/strong> and also escaped. A counsellor there woke up to find water rising in the cabin, opened a window and helped the boys swim out. Camp La Junta<\/strong> and another camp on the river, Camp Waldemar<\/strong>, said in Instagram posts that all campers and staff there were safe.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Lester sobbed when she finally saw her daughter, who was clutching a small teddy bear and a book. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy kids are safe, but knowing others are still missing is just eating me alive,\u201d she said.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly<\/strong>, the top local elected official, said at a news briefing on the disaster hours earlier:
<\/path><\/svg>Everybody is doing everything in their power to get these kids out.
Kelly said a number of scattered residential subdivisions, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds were hit hard, Reuters reports.
Pressed by reporters why more precautions were not taken with stormy weather in the forecast, Kelly insisted a disaster of such magnitude was unforeseen.
\u201cWe have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,\u201d Kelly said.
\u201cWe had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what\u2019s happened here. None whatsoever.\u201d
Teams have conducted dozens of rescues as the emergency response continued.
The state senator Pete Flores said: \u201cWe are in search-and-rescue mode, and we know that these first 24 hours are very important.\u201d
As of Friday night, emergency personnel had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter, Reuters reports.
More rain is expected in the state, including around Waco<\/strong>, and flooding is anticipated downriver from Kerr county<\/strong>.
People have posted on Facebook asking for any information about their children, nieces and nephews attending one of the many camps in the area, or family members who had gone camping during the holiday weekend.
The Ingram fire department<\/strong> posted a photo of a statement from Camp Mystic<\/strong>, saying the camp experienced \u201ccatastrophic level floods\u201d.
\u201cWe are working with search and rescue currently,\u201d the camp said in its communication. \u201cThe highway has washed away so we are struggling to get more help. Please continue to pray and send any help if you have contacts to do so.\u201d
Here are some images coming to us over the wires:
Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville<\/strong>, the county seat, told reporters the extreme flooding struck with little to no advance warning, precluding authorities from issuing any evacuation orders.
\u201cThis happened very quickly, over a very short period of time, that could not be predicted, even with the radar,\u201d Rice said. \u201cThis happened within less than a two-hour span.\u201d
At a news conference on Friday afternoon, Texas<\/a> lieutenant governor Dan Patrick said 23 children from Camp Mystic, a private Christian summer camp for girls, were unaccounted for of 750 who were staying there at the time.
He asked people to stay away from the area, saying the Texas division of emergency management had 14 helicopters and hundreds of emergency workers involved in search-and-rescue operations.\u201d
Patrick said Donald Trump had been informed of the situation and responded: \u201cWhatever we need, we can have.\u201d
A hundred troopers would also take part in the search and rescue, a Texas official said.<\/p>\n

At least 24 people have died after torrential rains unleashed flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Texas<\/a> on Friday<\/strong> as rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster, local officials said.<\/strong>
Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls Christian summer camp located on the banks of the rain-engorged Guadalupe, 65 miles (105 km) north-west of San Antonio<\/strong>, authorities said.
The region was beset by death and disaster on Friday after months\u2019 worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours. In less than an hour, the river rose 26 feet (7.9m).
The flooding swept away mobile homes, vehicles and holiday cabins where people were spending the 4 July weekend, the BBC said.
Search teams are conducting boat and helicopter rescues in the fast-moving water that overtook riverfront communities and children\u2019s summer camps. But the search has been hampered by limited access to the area. Phones are down, which has also made communication with people difficult.
The US National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for parts of Kerr county, located in south-central Texas Hill Country, following the heavy downpours.
Kerr county sheriff Larry Leitha said at least 24 fatalities have been confirmed from what his office called the \u201ccatastrophic flooding\u201d.
A state of emergency has been declared in several counties and the White House has offered additional help.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One at the end of a day of public events on Friday, Trump said \u201cwe\u2019ll take care of them,\u201d when asked about federal aid for the disaster.
We\u2019ll bring you the latest updates on this developing story.<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 24 people have died amid torrential rains and dozens of people at an all-girls summer camp are among those still missingIt\u2019s 5am in Texas and the search for survivors is ongoing. Here is what we know so far:At least 24 people have died and up to 25 girls are missing after torrential rain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}