Texas Hill Country Floods Kill 24; New Flash-Flood Emergencies Strike Austin Area

A surge of torrential rain over the July 4 holiday has triggered deadly flash flooding in Texas’ Hill Country. Officials in Kerr County said at least 24 people were killed after up to a foot of rain overnight sent the Guadalupe River rising 26 feet in 45 minutes, sweeping away homes and vehicles. About 23 girls attending Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for, and the sheriff warned the toll could climb as search-and-rescue crews scour debris-choked waterways.

Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster across several central-Texas counties, mobilising National Guard helicopters, high-water vehicles and more than 500 responders. State authorities said 237 people had been rescued or evacuated by Friday night, two-thirds of them airlifted. The governor called the event an “extraordinary catastrophe” and ordered operations to continue around the clock.

Even as crews worked in Kerr County, a separate, slow-moving storm complex stalled northwest of Austin early Saturday. Radar estimates showed 10 to 20 inches of rain across parts of Travis, Burnet and Williamson counties, prompting the National Weather Service to issue rare flash-flood emergencies for communities around Lake Travis, Marble Falls and Round Rock until at least 10 a.m. CDT. Austin-Travis County EMS reported multiple overnight water rescues as creeks such as Cow Creek and Big Sandy Creek jumped more than 10 feet.

Forecasters warned that saturated ground and additional downpours of up to five inches could prolong life-threatening flooding through the weekend. Residents in low-lying areas were urged to stay off roads and move to higher ground as emergency teams brace for further rescue calls.