In Kerr County alone, 43 lives were lost. Many were campers at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer retreat that had stood along the river for nearly a century. It’s here that 27 girls are still unaccounted for.
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches (380mm) of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 85 miles (140 km) northwest of San Antonio.
The National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency has largely ended for Kerr County, following thunderstorms that dumped more than a foot of rain. That is half of the total the region sees in a typical year. A flood watch was in effect until 7 p.m. for the broader region.
Kerr County sits in the Texas Hill Country, a rural area known for rugged terrain, historic towns and tourist attractions.
The National Weather Service issued a further warning in the early hours on Sunday about the continued risk of flash flooding across central Texas, as rain continued to fall on saturated grounds. Weak winds meant developing thunderstorms with heavy downpours would move very slowly, it said.
Videos posted online showed bare concrete platforms where homes used to stand and piles of rubble along the banks of the river. Rescuers plucked residents from rooftops and trees, sometimes forming human chains to fetch people from the floodwater, local media reported.
