More than 2,000 first responders and countless more volunteers continue to search for the missing in Kerr County nearly two weeks after the Guadalupe River rose.
Nearly two weeks after heavy rains pummeled the Texas Hill Country and the flooded Guadalupe River swept hundreds of people overnight, Texans continue coming together to mourn, search for the many people missing and begin to rebuild.
Many questions remain about how storms caught off guard an area prone to flooding and led to the second deadliest flood in Texas history.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news conference Thursday that the death toll from the Kerr County-area floods rose to 116 people. It’s unknown how many of them are children, but officials previously cited at least 37 bodies of children have been found.
Across Central Texas, the death toll from the July Fourth flooding disaster now stands at 135.
Abbott previously said more than 100 people were still missing, but did not give an update on that number Thursday.
The floods swept away local residents, summer campers along the river and many visitors who were in the scenic area for the Fourth of July weekend.
On July 7, the nearly century-old girls’ Camp Mystic confirmed that 27 campers and counselors were among the dead.
Roughly 2,100 emergency responders from 10 states have descended on Kerr County to assist with the recovery and cleanup efforts, according to officials. But the Hill Country’s rough terrain and the flood’s devastation — huge debris piles of trees snapped like toothpicks, pieces of broken buildings and mangled cars — have slowed search efforts.
State leaders are set to return to the Texas Capitol on July 21 for a special legislative session, elected officials are promising to address gaps in the state’s flood warning and mitigation systems.
Gov. Greg Abbott, who called the special session after vetoing a THC ban and sets the agenda for these 30-day, overtime lawmaking periods, ordered lawmakers to pass legislation on the following measures this week:
- flood warning systems
- flood emergency communications
- natural disaster preparation and recovery
- relief funding for the impacted areas
Read more about what lawmakers could do in response to the flooding.