Texas floods sweep Kerrville summer camp cabin filled with people away as Guadalupe River floods kill many: Live

Three little girls vanished from their summer camp after it was inundated by historic floods in Texas.

Renee Smajstrla, Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner are all missing from Camp Mystic in Hunt following Friday’s floods.

That saw the local Guadalupe River surge by up to 30 feet after 10 inches of rain fell in an hour, with 13 so far confirmed dead.

The missing girls’ ones shared photos of the girls in the hopes of finding out information about their whereabouts.

A total of 20 are missing from Camp Mystic, although local officials say they hope they’ll be able to find many of those who vanished safe and sound.

Renee was said to have been staying at part of the camp called Camp Bubble.

Six people have so far been confirmed dead, but none of their identities have been shared.

Camp Mystic, a Christian camp, was photographed being evacuated as a year’s worth of rain fell in an hour.

But not everyone made it out in time.

Around twenty summer camps line the banks of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and it is feared other youngsters and counselors may have been swept away by the sudden surge of filthy brown water.

Hundreds of people are believed to be missing and it is feared the final death toll will soar far above the six victims so far known to have lost their lives.

Other heartbreaking human tragedies have begun to emerge as the floodwaters recede, with three young high school graduates and a friend also missing.

Ella Cahill, Aidan Heartfield and Joyce Badon are recent graduates of Kelly High School who were staying at a house along the river bank for the July 4 weekend.

Their friend Reese Manchaca who was with them is also missing.

Ella’s sister posted on Facebook: ‘PLEASE HELP. My little sister, her boyfriend, and their two friends are missing due to flood. Last we heard from them was at 4am. They were trying to escape home to get to higher ground.’

Three generations of the same Texas family are also missing in the floodwaters.

Deeann and Gary Knetch, their daughter Megan Moeller, her husband Jake Moeller and the couple’s young daughter Harley were all staying in an RV at HTR Tx Hill Country Campground in Kerville.

News of their disappearance comes after it was reported that an entire RV park whose vehicles were filled with young families was swept away.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has activated the state’s National Guard to help with recovery efforts.

Further updates on the disaster are expected imminently.

Texas Division of Emergency Management officials said warned against residents leaving home to help with disaster efforts as officials have a ‘very coordinated response’ in effect. ‘Stay away from the area…stay home.’

It was confirmed that at least 85 Texas locations have been impacted by high water, with 25 roads shut down. More rain and flash flooding are expected to happen overnight.

Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) has praised the first responders who rushed into action after catastrophic floods erupted in Texas overnight.

He said he was praying for all the volunteers in the region.

He also thanked Gov. Greg Abbott, President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for their efforts in aiding the situation.

A flash flood warning for much of Kerr County has been extended again after the region was hit with between six and 12 inches of rain.

Additional rainfall amounts up to one inch are possible, the weather service warned.

The flood emergency has been extended until at least 5pm today (6pm EST).

A warning for heavily affected towns of Kerrville, Ingram and Center Point has also been extended for at least two more hours.

Emergency resources are being deployed to areas impacted by the deadly Guadalupe River floods.

Blackhawk helicopters from the Texas National Guard and other high-profile vehicles are being sent to the area to help residents in need.

Swiftwater resuce boat squads, as well as teams from the Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Public Safety, have also been deployed to the area.

Texas Hill Country was beset by death and disaster Friday after multiple fatalities were reported from months worth of heavy rain that fell in a matter of hours.

As much as 10 inches of heavy rain poured down in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Among the most heavily impacted areas is the town of Kerrville, roughly 65 miles from San Antonio.

The City of Kerrville issued a disaster declaration amid the catastrophic flooding.

Teams conducted dozens of rescues, and the emergency response continued as an unknown number of people remained unaccounted for.

Communities along the Guadalupe River were forced to evacaute as people with children and relatives at area summer camps pleaded for information about their loved ones endangered by the flooding.

A flash flood emergency advisory has been issued for the Llano River in Mason County, about 120 miles north of San Antonio, Texas.

The Llano River had risen very rapidly and the weather service warned those living near the river of ‘a life threatening situation!’, the National Weather Service said.

The San Saba River crossing in Mason County was also on the rise today.

There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48 hours, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick revealed in a post on X.

This is in addition to the ‘continued risks in west and central Texas’.

Patrick said he was coordinating with the state’s emergency response team on the flooding.

Pictured: The San Saba River crossing in Mason County today

This is the moment a vehicle was swept away by flash flooding in Kerville, Texas this morning.

The vehicle, which appeared to either a van or a cross-over SUV, had multiple people inside, according to bystanders who captured video of the terrifying scene.

‘There’s so many people in it,’ one witness is heard saying, while another yells at the passengers: ‘Get out of your car!’

The Guadalupe River rapidly rose by more than 22-feet overnight, broke its banks and overtook several small, rural towns across Kerr County – including Kerrville.

A disaster declaration remains in effect in the city.

A property was carried down the Guadalupe River with terrified people inside as flash floods rushed through Kerr County overnight.

Occupants inside the home, which some suspect was a summer camp cabin, were heard screaming out in peril as the property was swept away by rushing water.

‘Oh my god!’ the frightened occupants yelled as several shone their flashlights into the moving water somewhere between the towns of Kerrville and Comfort.

Some locals believe the property was a cabin from Camp La Junta, though Daily Mail has not yet independently confirmed those reports.

Camp La Junta, in a Facebook post Friday afternoon, confirmed that all campers and staff are ‘safe and accounted for’.

Other summer camps have not been so fortunate. The nearby Camp Mystic for girls confirmed that at least some of its campers were unaccounted for on Friday afternoon.

As much as 10 inches of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Runyan says the flooding came after the heavy rainfall drained into the Guadalupe River Basin.

The chaos began by the head waters near Hunt, a town in western Kerr County, and then travelled downstream towards Kerrville,

The river crested in Kerrville, a town home to less than 25,000 people, and then continued downstream towards Comfort, Texas.

The region was hit with nearly one-third of the amount of rain it typically receives in a year in just one night, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network reports.

The river continued to rapidly rise early Friday morning, with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealing the water level skyrocketed 26 feet in just one hour.

The Guadalupe River’s height – recorded near Comfort, Texas – was around 3 feet at 8am Friday morning, but rapidly rose to a height of 29.86 feet by 9am, an average increase of 12 inches every one to two minutes.

The Guadalupe’s river gauge at the unincorporated community of Hunt, where the river forks, recorded a 22 foot rise in just about two hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office.

Fogarty said the gauge failed after recording a level of 29.5 feet.

The Texas Hill Country, a scenic and rocky gateway to booming vineyards and vacation rentals, begins west of the state capital and is a popular outdoor summer getaway.

Parts of the region are prone to flash flooding.

The National Weather Service has extended the flash flood emergency for the region along the Guadalupe River until at least 3pm (4pm EST) today.

The NWS first declared a flash flood emergency for all of Kerr County, roughly 90 miles outside of San Antonio, early this morning after nearly 10 inches of rain fell overnight.

The warning has been extended repeatedly thoughout the day with authorities warnign of ‘dangerous’ and potentially ‘life-threatening’ floods. 

Residents are urged to ‘seek higher ground immediately’.

An entire RV park in Ingram, Texas was swept downstream by the floods overnight while families were still inside their homes.

The riverfront communities include several camps, wildlife habitats and campgrounds.

Texas Game Wardens, part of the state parks and wildlife agency, said on Facebook that search and rescue teams are conducting rescues throughout the region and sending more boats to help.

Footage captured by KEYE-TV Meteorologist Avery Tomasco shows how the area where the ‘large RV park’ once stood has become completely engulfed by water.

It is unclear any of the residents were injured or killed in the incident.

An all-girls summer camp situated along the Guadalupe River was evacuated overnight after heavy rainfall caused flash floods.

Summer campers were seen wading through high waters at Camp Mystic, located west of Kerrville, in the middle of the night.

Some campers appear to be missing, with KSAT reporting that an email was sent to ‘parents of campers who have not been accounted for’.

The memo further noted that all campers at Cypress Lake and Senior Hill were accounted for.

It is currently unclear if any rescue missions for campers or staff are underway at Camp Mystic. Dozens of water rescues are taking place across Kerr County today.

Kerr County’s top lawmaker Judge Rob Kelly revealed one of the six people so-far confirmed dead in the Guadalupe River floods was totally naked.

He said officials were having to fingerprint bodies to try and confirm identities.

Kelly added: ‘One of them was completely naked. They didn’t have any ID on them.’

The Guadalupe River rose to its second-highest height on record today at a height of 34 feet, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed early Friday morning.

The river’s highest height was 36 feet, recorded during a major flood in 1987 when nearly 12 inches of rain fell in the town of Hunt.

The historic flood triggered a ‘wave’ downstream and killed 10 teenagers. The wave – which moved through nearby Ingram, Kerrville and Comfort – left 33 others injured.

Meteorologists with KEYE believe the record has already been surpassed today, but note the river’s flood gauge is no longer reporting.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr has issued a disaster declaration after severe flooding overnight resulted in widespread damage, injury and loss of life.

‘Damages will be monumental to both public infrastructure and private properties, with estimates impossible to determine until floodwaters recede,’ the declaration warns.

‘Emergency crews are very active across the county responding to calls and rescues.’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the state is ‘surging all available resources’ to help with the emergency flash flooding in Kerr County.

The state is sending water rescue teams, Department of Public Safety officials and members of the National Guard to the area.

‘The immediate priority is saving lives,’ he added.

A Kerrville man, his wife and their two children are missing after floods rushed through their neighborhood overnight, WOAI-TV reports.

The area where the family’s home once stood is now a vacant lot, with officials suspecting the property was swept away by the storm.

The missing father’s brother visited the vacant lot where the family’s home once stood early Friday morning.

Pictured: A concerned man stands at the vacant lot where his brother’s Kerrville home once stood

Kerr County’s top lawmaker raged at reporters during a Friday afternoon press conference when probed about the safety of the community’s children.

A journalist asked Judge Rob Kelly why the local summer camps were not evacuated after the Texas Department of Emergency Management warned of a ‘problem’ yesterday.

‘I can’t answer that. I don’t know,’ Kelly replied.

But the reporter pushed back: ‘Well, you’re the judge, you’re the top official here in this county, why can’t you answer that? There are kids missing. We knew these camps were in harms way. We knew this flood was coming.’

Kelly, apparently outraged by the line of questioning, dismissed the reporter, saying: ‘We didn’t know this flood was coming.

‘We didn’t know this kind of flood was coming. We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.

‘We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like whats happened here, none whatsoever.’

Friday’s floods in Kerrsville, Texas, likely washed away dozens of scouts and summer camps along the banks of the Guadalupe River.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly – the area’s top public official – conceded there were ‘alot of camps’ along the flood plain, which saw the river surge by 22 feet.

Frantic parents are now trying to find out what happened to their children. At least six are confirmed dead but it’s feared that death toll will rocket – and that many of the victims will be youngsters enjoying a summer adventure with their friends.

During a tense press conference Friday, Kelly was asked by a reporter what advice he’d give to any parent desperate to find out of a child who was at camp was okay.

‘Call the camps,’ Kelly snapped.

There are currently widespread power outages across the region, making calls on land lines or mobile phones difficult.

‘We have a lot of camps. I don’t know any specifics about any of the individual camps, but what I do know is everyone is doing their very best trying to identify as much as they can,’ Kelly said during a press conference today.

There are dozens of summer camps in Kerr County. It is unclear which ones are directly impacted by the flooding.

Pictured: The flooded Guadalupe River in central Texas this morning

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly confirmed there have been multiple fatalities in the deadly Texas floods.

The judge, during a press conference around 12pm (1pm EST), shared how some the victims were having to be fingerprinted at a local funeral home so they can be identified.

He noted that one of the victims was completely naked when their body was discovered.

The judge did not identify any of the deceased and declined to confirm the specific number of deaths.

Authorities are expected to provide an updated death toll around 3pm today local time (4pm EST).

Earlier today, Kelly told KVUE and Austin Statesman reporter Tony Plohetski that at least six deaths had been recorded across Kerr County.

Pictured: A home in Hunt that was completely destroyed by flash flooding overnight

Pictured: Road closures have been reported across Kerrville, where the local streets are flooded and low water crossings now completely impassable