July 6, 2025 - News on deadly Texas floods

Our live coverage on the catastrophic flooding in Texas has moved here.

A helicopter flies overhead as volunteers search for flood victims after deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas on Sunday.

Airborne rescue crews in Texas working to save the lives of flood victims have been working around the clock since the deadly floods on July 4 to scour the Hill Country area for survivors, said one person involved in the effort who spoke with CNN.

“It’s been nonstop turning and burning,” said the first responder, a reference to helicopters quickly off-loading those rescued and then quickly launching back into the skies to search for more survivors. “We train nonstop, but this is the most important mission of my life,” the person said, adding, “This is home.”

As CNN has reported, air assets from multiple local, state and federal agencies have descended upon the Texas Hill Country area to search for survivors.

“The helicopters are loud and get lots of attention,” the person said, “but don’t overlook the bravery of our ground teams rescuing people by good old-fashioned trucks.”

Officials are committed to a “full review of the events and systems in place” following questions about emergency notifications with evacuation guidance, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said at a Sunday news conference.

The local and regional partners will take “clear steps to strengthen our future preparedness,” Rice said. “We owe that commitment to the families who are suffering and to every member of our community.”

Some context: The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening flooding” along the river in a series of early morning alerts. However, questions remain about how many people received those warnings, whether critical vacancies at forecast offices affected the dissemination of alerts, and whether warning fatigue had been growing among residents in a region described as one of the most dangerous in the country for flash flooding.

Camp Mystic owner and executive director Richard Eastland

Camp Mystic owner Dick Eastland died while trying to rescue campers during the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, as shared by his grandson in an Instagram tribute on Saturday.

“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,” George Eastland wrote. “That’s the kind of man my grandfather was. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and a mentor to thousands of young women. Although he no longer walks this earth, his impact will never fade in the lives he touched.”

A Camp Mystic employee, Glenn Juenke, told CNN Eastland died “remaining a true hero until the very end.”

“Eastland tragically lost his life while courageously attempting to save several young children,” Juenke said.

A timelapse, captured on Friday, shows how quickly floodwaters rose along the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas.

The video, which was sped up, shows the water rush in and rise along the river in the span of 30 minutes.

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Timelapse video shows speed of floodwater rising in Texas

00:31 • Source: CNN

Timelapse video shows speed of floodwater rising in Texas

00:31

Rescuers paddle an inflatable boat as they search along a waterway following flash flooding, in Kerrville, Texas on Sunday.

Waterways in some of the most devastated parts of central Texas are beginning to swell once again as more rain falls in the area.

The rain, impacting the upper Guadalupe basin this afternoon, has led to a rise in Johnson Creek in Kerr County, where 68 people have died due to flash flooding as of Sunday evening.

“This water may lead to a rise of [one to two feet] downstream when it enters the Guadalupe river in Ingram,” the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post this evening.

“Please be aware if you are near the Guadalupe River or Johnson Creek,” the post said.

The City of Ingram sits along the river, about 6 miles west of the City of Kerrville.

At least 82 people, including 28 children, have died as floods rushed through central Texas through the July 4 weekend. The total continues to rise as local emergency officials across the state carry out search, rescue and recovery efforts.

Here’s a breakdown by county as of Sunday night:

Two people in Williamson County have died as a result of Saturday’s flooding in the area, according to a statement from the county. At least 81 people across central Texas are now dead after floods devastated the state over the weekend.

“We have a long way to go in this recovery phase, but I know Williamson County is a caring and resilient community,” said County Judge Steven Snell.

CNN’s Mia Blackman contributed to this report.

A baseball cap is seen on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas on Sunday.

Devastating flash floods in Central Texas have killed at least 82 people, including 28 children in one county, according to state and local officials.

With dozens still missing across the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warns that flash flooding could still pose a danger for some regions over the next few days as “more heavy rainfall” is expected.

Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding in the Big Country, Concho Valley, Central Texas and again in the City of Kerrville, where a majority of the destruction has been reported, Abbott said during a news conference today.

Meanwhile, as the state broadens its emergency response efforts ahead of possible storms, Kerrville will remain a priority, according to Abbott.

Here’s the latest:

Workers operate heavy machinery to clear debris on Sunday in Hunt, Texas.

The NFL Foundation, along with the league’s two teams in Texas, the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans, are donating a combined $1.5 million in relief for victims of the floods that have overwhelmed central Texas since July 4.

The funds are to “provide both immediate assistance and long-term resources to those most impacted by the catastrophic flooding,” the NFL said in a Sunday post on X.

The Cowboys and the Texans are both committing $500,000.

“We will continue to support the search, rescue and recovery efforts in the coming weeks,” the Texans said in a post on X.

The Cowboys said they are “standing side by side with The Salvation Army’s critical response.”

Robert Brake called his father at 4:44 a.m., urging him and his mother to evacuate from the Kerr County home where his parents had been staying.

“Dad, you got to get out of there,” Brake told him on the phone.

Less than 10 minutes later, Brake’s brother went to check on the home, located in an RV park, only to find that all the homes in the area had vanished in the flooding.

“We haven’t heard or seen of them since then,” Brake told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Sunday.

Brake and his brother Lucas are now in Kerrville, Texas, as they continue in their search, where Brake says they regularly check in at the local funeral home that stages bodies of those recovered from search operations for word of their mom and dad’s whereabouts.

“It’s an emotional rollercoaster. You go, and you don’t want to hear they’re here, but when they say they’re not there, it’s just one more ounce of hope – and that’s all we can ask for,” Brake said tearfully.

Brake asked for prayers for his brother and family, and for everyone in Texas grieving over loved ones lost in the weekend’s tragic flooding.

“Every hint of kindness, every shared post, every prayer, every offer to help – it means something to everybody here, including the Brake family,” he said.

A man who worked as a night security guard at Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers after devastating floods struck the Kerr County, Texas, area on Friday.

In a statement to CNN, Glenn Juenke says he has served as the night watchman at the camp for the past four summers.

He was on duty when the floodwaters began to rush in.

Juenke explained the campers were inside a building called the Wiggle Inn, and when the water started to rise, he placed the girls on mattresses to help them ride it out safely.

“I witnessed firsthand the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives,” Juenke said. “Each of those sweet girls (were) cold, wet, and frightened — but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their cabin.”

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Texas woman describes harrowing escape from flooding

04:20 • Source: CNN

Texas woman describes harrowing escape from flooding

04:20

Amanda Sue Jones joined CNN’s Erica Hill and shared details about how she and her family survived the HTR Campground flooding in Texas.

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Pamela Brown reports from Camp Mystic, where she was a camper 30 years ago

01:23 • Source: CNN

Pamela Brown reports from Camp Mystic, where she was a camper 30 years ago

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CNN anchor Pamela Brown was a camper at Camp Mystic 30 years ago, so she knows firsthand that it has been “a magical place” for generations of girls. Today she is back there, covering the aftermath of the flood tragedy, and how “so much innocence has now been lost.”

“That river was the source of so much joy and fun for us,” Brown said while anchoring from Hunt, Texas, on Sunday evening.

Campers would spend “hours and hours” in the Guadalupe River, “The Situation Room” anchor said, jumping on an inflatable trampoline and looking for dinosaur fossils.

Brown pointed out that “so much of the camp experience here is being in nature” while learning “good sportsmanship and a sense of belonging” at a young age.

On Instagram, Brown posted a video of her old bracelet from camp, with a charm that “I LOVE CAMP MYSTIC.” “My heart is breaking,” she wrote.

Camp Mystic is seen in Hunt, Texas, on July 5.

As swift floodwaters surrounded Camp Mystic early Friday morning, counselors at the all-girls camp were forced to guide campers to safety in the middle of the night.

The mother of three of those campers says the counselors saved the lives of her children.

“The counselors were heroes,” the woman, who did not want to be named, told CNN’s Pamela Brown, who attended Camp Mystic as a young girl.

At least 80 people have died in connection with the flooding, according to Texas officials. The death toll includes at least 28 children in Kerr County, where 11 girls and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, authorities said.

Camp counselors, many of them teenagers, helped the children escape their cabins through the windows and move to dry land in the middle of the night, the woman told CNN Sunday.

“Two counselors were in the rapids and one on the dry hill moving the kids from hand to hand,” she added. “A lot of them lost their shoes and then climbed up the rocky hill to safety.”

Once safe, the children cuddled because they were cold and wet as they sang songs and prayed, she said.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday, unlocking key federal resources as search and rescue efforts continue for a third day after flash floods in central Texas. The scale of the devastation has underscored how important a coordinated local, state and federal response will be in the days and months ahead.

The US Coast Guard has been assisting with search and rescue efforts and has so far assisted with more than 230 rescues, according to a Department of Homeland Security official. There are three fixed-wing aircraft with thermal cameras, which can critically help identify movement from the air. The Coast Guard has also deployed two MH-65 dolphin helicopters to help with evacuations.

Scott Ruskan, a member of the Coast Guard, has been a swimmer assisting with search and rescue efforts, and has assisted more than 165 people so far, the DHS official said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened seven shelters, which are also providing food and water for central Texas communities. The agency is deploying additional assets to the area, the official said.

Trump previously said he would phase out FEMA at the conclusion of this year’s hurricane season. Asked Sunday whether he still planned to do so, Trump told reporters it was “something we can talk about later.”

“Right now, they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” the president said.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Scott Ruskan’s last name.

A Texas community is searching for a local fire chief who went missing after being taken by severe flooding while responding to a water rescue call.

“The search continues” for Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Phillips, Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio told CNN on Sunday.

Phillips went missing while responding to a 4:30 a.m. water rescue call on Saturday on the 1174 Texas roadway and Cow Creek Road, Marchio said.

CNN has reached out to the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department for comment.

CNN’s Danya Gainor contributed to this report

Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Michael Phillips is seen in a photo from his Facebook page.

President Donald Trump suggested cuts at the National Weather Service did not play a role in the tragedy surrounding the flash flooding in Texas.

“If you look at that, what a situation that all is, and that was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup, but I wouldn’t blame Biden for it either,” Trump said today as he departed New Jersey after a weekend at his golf club there.

“I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe and it’s just so horrible to watch,” Trump went on.

Asked later whether he believed the federal government needed to hire back meteorologists who had recently departed amid personnel cuts under his administration, he suggested it was not necessary.

He said there was a lot of blame circulating but the flood’s scale made it unlikely anything could have made a difference.

Some context: Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service employees’ union, told CNN while he believes the Austin-San Antonio and San Angelo offices had “adequate staffing and resources,” the Austin-San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist, a role serving as a crucial link between forecasters and emergency managers.

The vacancy in the Austin-San Antonio office, along with other key roles, were the result of early retirement incentives offered by the Trump administration to shrink the size of the federal government, a NOAA official told CNN.

Texas National Guardsmen evacuate a group of campers near Kerrv

00:10 • Source: CNN

Texas National Guardsmen evacuate a group of campers near Kerrv

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Texas National Guardsmen helped evacuate a group of summer camp attendees near Kerrville following the devastating floods in the area, a video shared by the Texas Military Department shows.

It is unclear when the video was taken and if the campers belong to Camp Mystic, which is nestled in Hunt, an unincorporated community in western Kerr County. There are additional summer camps in the area.

Hunt is located about 13 miles west of Kerrville.

CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday.

President Donald Trump vowed continued federal support for Texas after devastating floods left scores dead and said he will “probably” visit the state on Friday.

Trump said his administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was working closely with state and local officials.

“So we say, God bless all of the people that have gone through so much, and God bless, God bless the state of Texas,” Trump said.

On FEMA: Asked about his plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Trump said it was a matter for another time.

“FEMA is something we can talk about later, but right now, they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Trump said he expected to visit Texas on Friday.