Gavin Walston watched from the Center Point Bridge as the river rose 20 feet on the morning of Friday, July 4.
CENTER POINT, Texas — A Texas Hill Country resident witnessed the Guadalupe River rise in real-time on the morning of July 4, 2025.
By the time a wall of water came rushing through Center Point, the river had already flooded nearby Hunt, Ingram and Kerrville, killing dozens of people and causing extensive damage.
“We had warnings for heavy rain and flash floods,” Gavin Walston told KHOU 11. “But they didn’t anticipate it being as strong as it was.”
Nobody did. The river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes in the early-morning hours, while most people were still sleeping. Hundreds of people in summer camps, RV parks and homes were caught off guard and didn’t have time to evacuate.
Walston drove from his home to the Center Point Bridge on FM 480 near Highway 27, where he shot video of the river below. He recorded nearly 38 minutes of surging water as it rose over 20 feet, carrying massive cypress trees, debris and even a house.
“I wanted to capture everything as it was,” Walston said. “And not distract from it.”
His video is both mesmerizing and terrifying.
Walston stopped filming only when conditions became too dangerous.
At that time, he didn’t realize that more than 100 people, including several children, had already perished in the floodwaters. Hundreds of others were eventually rescued from the tops of trees and poles.
By Thursday, July 10, 170 people were still unaccounted for despite a round-the-clock search by dozens of first responders and volunteers.