KERRVILLE, Texas — Scores of rescuers searched Saturday for children from a girls' camp and many others who were still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 27 people, officials said. Among the dead were nine children.
The destructive fast-moving waters along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas.
At least 27 people were missing from Camp Mystic, city manager Dalton Rice said at a news conference Saturday. An unknown number of people at other locations were still unaccounted for.
"People need to know today will be a hard day," said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr.
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Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people. The total number of missing was not known but one sheriff said about 24 of them were girls who were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.
People are reunited after flash flooding hit the area Friday in Ingram, Texas.Â
Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information.
"The camp was completely destroyed," said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. "A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary."
A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs, she said.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 27 were confirmed dead, including nine children. Authorities said about 850 people were rescued.
The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday.
A wall is missing on a building Saturday at Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.Â
AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation.
"These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety," AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Texas Hill County one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the U.S. because of its terrain and many water crossings.
Officials defended their actions Friday while saying they didn't expect such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area.
One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week called for up to six inches of rain, said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
"It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw," he said.
People look at debris on the banks of the Guadalupe River on Saturday after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.Â
Search by air
A river gauge near Camp Mystic recorded a 22 foot rise in about two hours, said Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet.
"The water's moving so fast, you're not going to recognize how bad it is until it's on top of you," Fogarty said.
More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue teams, helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.
'Pitch black wall of death'
In Ingram, Erin Burgess woke to thunder and rain in the middle of the night Friday. Just 20 minutes later, water was pouring into her home from the river, she said. She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree with her teenage son and waiting for the water to recede enough to walk up the hill to safety.
"Thankfully he's over 6 feet tall. That's the only thing that saved me, was hanging on to him," she said.
Matthew Stone, 44, of Kerrville, said police came knocking on doors but that he received no warning on his phone.
"We got no emergency alert. There was nothing," Stone said. Then "a pitch black wall of death."
Officials comb the banks of the Guadalupe River on Saturday after a flash flood swept through the area in Hunt, Texas.Â
'I was scared to death'
At a reunification center in Ingram, families cried and cheered as loved ones got off rescue vehicles. Two soldiers carried an older woman who could not get down a ladder. Behind her, a woman clutched a small white dog.
Later, a girl in a white "Camp Mystic" T-shirt and white socks stood in a puddle, sobbing in her mother's arms.
Barry Adelman said water pushed everyone in his three-story house into the attic, including his 94-year-old grandmother and 9-year-old grandson. Water started coming through the attic floor before receding.
"I was horrified," he said. "I was having to look at my grandson in the face and tell him everything was going to be OK, but inside I was scared to death."
'No one knew'
The forecast for the weekend called for rain, with a flood watch upgraded to a warning overnight Friday for at least 30,000 people.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the potential for heavy rain and flooding covered a large area.
"Everything was done to give them a heads up that you could have heavy rain, and we're not exactly sure where it's going to land," Patrick said. "Obviously as it got dark last night, we got into the wee morning of the hours, that's when the storm started to zero in."
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's chief elected official, said: "We do not have a warning system."
When pushed on why more precautions weren't taken, Kelly said no one knew this kind of flood was coming.
The slow-moving storm stuck over central Texas was expected to bring more rain Saturday, with the potential for pockets of heavy downpours and more flooding, said Jason Runyen, of the National Weather Service.
The threat could linger overnight and into Sunday morning, he said.
Prone to flooding
The area is known as "flash flood alley" because of the hills' thin layer of soil, said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which was collecting donations to help nonprofits responding to the disaster.
"When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil," Dickson said. "It rushes down the hill."
River tourism industry is a key part of the Hill Country economy. Well-known, century-old summer camps bring in kids from all over the country, Dickson said.
"It's generally a very tranquil river with really beautiful clear blue water that people have been attracted to for generations," Dickson said.
Is the US becoming uninsurable? How climate change affects insurance costs
Is the US becoming uninsurable? How climate change affects insurance costs
As Southern California still reels from January's catastrophic wildfires, the economic damage has surged to $250 billion, far exceeding initial estimates. But that figure doesn't account for damage incurred by residents whose homes and businesses were reduced to rubble and ash.
The Palisades and Eaton fires alone will result in up to to homeowners and businesses, according to data analytics firm CoreLogic. Of course, that only applies to residents who had insurance in the first place.
In the wake of an extreme weather event, residents typically can rely on insurance claims to repair damaged property —but the increasing frequency and severity of fires, storms, floods, and other occurrences complicate coverage.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2023 documented across the U.S., a number that outpaced any prior year on record. Climate change is the main culprit fueling these disasters' increasing frequency and intensity. By September 2023, NOAA reported that the U.S. had already racked up a staggering for that year.
Insurance companies have responded with higher rates to cover costs, culminating in overall higher insurance fees for customers. In June, the Bipartisan Policy Center reported that every quarter since the end of 2017. And car insurance isn't faring any better, either: According to the Washington Post, blizzards, tornadoes, and hailstorms led to a from 2013 to 2023, and hurricanes are responsible for an 88% jump in Florida over the same period.
 used data from to analyze the rising number of billion-dollar disasters and their implications for the insurance marketplace in the U.S.
Some insurers have begun leaving states altogether to ensure profit margins, particularly in coastal areas. Notably, Allstate and State Farm halted new policy sales in 2023 for property and casualty coverage in California due to wildfire costs. Many insurers have abandoned Louisiana and Florida residents as hurricane risk intensifies.
Annual home insurance rates average $2,258 as of February 2025—a slight dip from last year. Costs vary widely based on a home's size, age, and location. Nebraska, Florida, and Oklahoma have the highest rates in the nation.
Severe storms cause the most damage nationally each year
Droughts, storms, and floods were nearly unrelenting throughout 2023. In August, Hurricane Idalia brought storm surge, heavy rains, and flooding to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, causing $3.5 billion in damages. 2024 didn't offer much of a break, either. The year began with tornadoes and high winds across the entire East Coast, racking up $1.8 billion in damages, and ended with back-to-back catastrophic hurricanes, Helene and Milton. Together, they caused an estimated $300 billion in damages and killed 250 people in Florida and other southeastern states.
With severe weather disasters becoming more common, the market for insurance has become more limited—especially in disaster-prone states. In Florida and California, for instance, some big-name insurers have stopped providing services altogether. To counter this, Florida implemented the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, both of which subsidize home insurance.
California, on the other hand, regulates insurer rates by only allowing them to evaluate based on the past 20 years, not just the current conditions. Both methods are imperfect: Florida's subsidy funds are draining quickly, and many insurers refuse to operate in California.
It's important to note that insurance alone is just treating the symptom of a larger issue: In addition to reevaluating home and auto insurance policies, states need to examine how they brace for—and recover from—natural disasters overall. As storms grow and insurance vanishes, they can't afford not to.
A mutually beneficial option might be for insurers and clients to engage in more transparent negotiations. In wildfire-riddled Oregon, for example, new legislation is attempting to encourage insurers to work with citizens to identify and increase coverage for mitigation measures.
Story editing by Nicole Caldwell and Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass and Elisa Huang. Copy editing by Tim Bruns and Kristen Wegrzyn.
originally appeared on and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
