Texas Flooding: Updates on Deadly Guadalupe River Flood, Missing Persons, and Rescue Efforts

Devastating Flood Impact

• 💔 119 lives have been lost across the region due to the devastating Fourth of July flooding on the Guadalupe River.
• ⚠️ In Kerr County alone, 161 people are reported missing, including five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic.
• 🎗️ Texas flags across the state have been ordered to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims.

Search and Rescue Operations

• 🔍 Search teams are actively scouring bottleneck debris piles along the river, using heavy gear to clear layer by layer in search of victims.
• 🚨 Officials are urging the public to report any debris piles and allow search teams to inspect them before attempting their own cleanup.
• 🚒 Multiple officers demonstrated bravery, wading through rising waters to rescue residents from RVs and trailers in a flooded trailer park.

Official Response and Accountability

• ❓ Questions regarding warnings and evacuation orders during the critical overnight hours before the floodwaters moved in remain unanswered.
• 📝 The sheriff has vowed that answers will be provided in an after-action report once all missing persons are accounted for.

Stories of Survival and Loss

• 🌊 One survivor, Aaron Burgess, described being caught in waist-deep water with no official warning, eventually getting stuck on a tree with her son.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families are experiencing unbelievable relief as loved ones are reunited, while others face the tragic loss of partners and family members.
• 🐶 The nonprofit Austin Pets Alive has rescued over 150 animals, including a dog named Superman found on debris, whose human did not survive.

Community Remembrance

• 🕊️ Co-workers and residents in Humble held a prayer service and balloon release to honor Melissa Cayman and her husband, who were killed while camping.
• 🙏 Friends and colleagues remember Melissa for her kindness, laugh, and faith, noting she and her husband had recently welcomed their first grandchild.