Kerr County officials to give press conference on Hill Country flooding recovery efforts

KERR COUNTY, Texas – Kerr County officials are expected to update their ongoing search and rescue efforts in connection with the Fourth of July flooding.

The news conference at 10 a.m. Tuesday will be livestreamed in this article and on TheTXLoop Plus. Delays are possible; if no livestream is available, check back at a later time.

Also on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. That press conference will also be livestreamed on TheTXLoop Plus.

TheTXLoop will livestream the press conference in this article. Delays are possible; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.

At least 84 people, including 28 children, were killed in Kerr County, and another six were found dead in Kendall County due to flooding, officials said on Monday.

As of 2:30 p.m. Monday:

• 84 dead in Kerr County, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office

• 7 dead in Travis County, according to KXAN

• 6 dead in Kendall County, according to the Kendall County Emergency Management

• 3 dead in Burnet County, according to KXAN

• 1 dead in Tom Green County, according to the Associated Press

On Monday, Kori Green, the wife of country singer Pat Green, said in an Instagram post that his brother, wife and two of their children were swept away by flooding in Kerrville.

“We are heartbroken and anxiously waiting for all of them to be found. Thank you for your prayers,” the post said.

>> Pat Green’s little brother, family members missing after Hill Country floods

This article will be updated throughout the day on Tuesday.

Here is what happened on Monday

On Monday morning, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and officials from Kerr County and Kerrville briefed the public on search and rescue efforts thus far.

Of the deceased in Kerr County, the identities of 22 adults and 10 children are still pending.

Also on Monday morning, Camp Mystic in Kerr County confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and counselors.

“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” the statement read, in part.

Kerr County officials reiterated on Monday afternoon that 10 campers and one counselor are still missing.

You can watch Monday morning’s press conference in the video player below.

In a Monday afternoon news conference, Kendall County Emergency Operations Coordinator Brady Constantine said the county’s emergency operations center was activated at 6:37 a.m. on July 4.

All six fatalities in Kendall County are pending identification, he said. As of Monday, there are no confirmed missing Kendall County residents.

Walter Ball with the Boerne Fire Department said the department conducted eight rescues and multiple evacuations in the Comfort area on the morning of July 4. Crews continue to assist with search and rescue efforts.

Watch the full Monday afternoon press conference in Kendall County in the video player below.

Video captured by TheTXLoop cameras, residents and campers showed a swollen Guadalupe River carrying debris, cars and even houses and cabins downstream, as the area received more than 10 inches of rain.

Radar estimates show that more rural places may have received up to 13 inches of rain, according to TheTXLoop meteorologists.

The flooding event has drawn comparisons to the July 1987 flood on the Guadalupe River in Comfort, which, to date, resulted in one of the Hill Country’s worst tragedies.

Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

The hills along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Fourth of July holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

As of Monday, here’s what we know.

Communications to the public, questions about total number of missing

Asked why evacuations were not put into place for campers along the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice called it “a delicate balance.”

“Because if you evacuate too late, you then risk putting buses or cars or vehicles or campers on roads (and) into low-water areas trying to get them out, which then could make it even more challenging,” Rice said. “These flash floods happen very quickly, as well.”

>> Timeline: When the warnings began for Kerr County before catastrophic flooding

Rice did not know if there was communication from law enforcement to any of the camps, such as Camp Mystic, along the river between 1 and 4 a.m. on Friday.

“Kerr County is a massive area; from here to those camps is 45 minutes on a good day,” Rice said. “A lot of those areas don’t even have cell service … there’s a lot of areas, especially when weather comes in, where cellular towers are down or you already have bad service.”

Rice said officials did not have a solid number of missing people ready to share, but did know “it is a lot.”

Search and rescue efforts continue

State Highway 39 and Old Ingram Loop remain closed aside from first responders and residents living in the area, Rice said.

Multiple local, state and national first responders are expected to resume search and rescue efforts this week.

Search and rescue efforts continued Monday from Kerr County to Comal County, though crews were having to work in difficult terrain, Rice said.

More than 19 local, state and national organizations were assisting in the rescue efforts. Rice said the search area between the counties is being separated into grids for first responders to work in.

The Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) was reporting continued power outages between Hunt and Ingram along the south fork of the Guadalupe River, according to Rice.

“KPUB has brought in additional utility personnel to help with restoration, but it’s not possible at this time (to know) when the power is going to be restored,” he said.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said Monday that “this will be a rough week” for his community.

“Primary search continues, and we remain hopeful every foot, every mile (and) every bend of the river,” Herring said.

The mayor also asked prospective volunteers to contact the Salvation Army in Kerrville and register to avoid uncoordinated operations. He said continued updates would be posted to the city’s Facebook page.

Cruz, who said just last week he was picking up his daughter from a camp in Hunt, said the state is “grieving right now.”

“The children and little girls who were lost at Camp Mystic; that’s every parent’s worst nightmare,” Cruz said.

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones outlines city support

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joined TheTXLoop on Sunday to discuss how the city is supporting relief efforts in the Hill Country.

At the governor’s request, San Antonio has sent 17 firefighters specializing in technical rescue, along with medics, medical officers and necessary equipment, including a boat and ambulance bus. Jones praised the quick response from city staff and ongoing coordination with Kerrville officials.

“I myself have been in contact with the mayor,” Jones said. “We were actually just texting this morning about resources we can amplify to make sure people have the right partners if they want to help.”

Jones emphasized that while San Antonio is providing support, local officials and camp authorities are managing reunification efforts for those affected. She encouraged people wanting to help to contact trusted organizations.

Watch Jones’ full Sunday morning interview with TheTXLoop 12 News below.

Pope Leo XIV releases statement

On X, Pope Leo XIV released the following statement on Sunday:

“I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters, who were at the summer camp, in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them,” he said.

Bexar, Guadalupe counties included in expanded disaster declaration

On Saturday afternoon, Abbott expanded his disaster declaration to include the following counties:

• Bexar

• Burnet

• Caldwell

• Guadalupe

• Travis

• Williamson

Abbott had previously signed a disaster declaration for the following counties during Friday’s news conference: Bandera, Coke, Comal, Concho, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reeves, San Saba and Tom Green.

Remembering the victims of the flood

Officials have not released the names of people killed in the floods, but relatives and friends of victims have taken to social media to remember their loved ones.

Click here to read more about the victims.

County judge: Warning system not in place

In a news conference Friday, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Kerr County does not have a warning system on the river.

When pressed by a reporter on why evacuations didn’t take place Thursday evening, Kelly said, “We didn’t know this flood was coming.”

“Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming,” Kelly said. “We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here, none whatsoever.”

The flash flood watch was issued for Kerr County at 1:45 p.m. Thursday. The first flood warning was issued at 1 a.m. Friday.

In a Friday news conference, Patrick said Jay Hall, an assistant chief with the Texas Department of Emergency Management, “personally contacted the judges and the mayors in that area and notified them all of potential flooding.”

“It is up to the local counties and mayors under the law to evacuate if they feel a need, but that information was passed along,” he added.

WATCH: TheTXLoop 12’s Sarah Spivey explains the Guadalupe River’s crest over Friday and Saturday.

10+ inches of rain

Between 10 and 12 inches of rain fell in the Kerr County area overnight on Friday, resulting in major flooding along the Guadalupe River.

Rain gauges have recorded over 10 inches of rain in Ingram, but radar estimates suggest up to 13 inches in more rural areas.

Local authorities are working with other county and state agencies to respond to rescues.

“The entire county is an extremely active scene,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.

Residents in the area are urged to shelter in place and not travel. People living near creeks, streams and the Guadalupe River should move to higher ground.

Kerr County spokesperson Clint Morris told TheTXLoop it is “an extremely active scene, countywide.”

“This may be a once-in-a-lifetime flood” for the county, he said, adding that they’ve responded to multiple calls for high-water rescues. People should avoid traveling west of Ingram near the Guadalupe River.

Comparisons to the 1987 flood

On the night of July 16, 1987, just outside Comfort, the kids at Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp were settling in for their final night of the retreat, while 30 miles up the Guadalupe River, at the other end of Kerr County, heavy rainfall would turn what had been a sleepy river into a wall of water.

While trying to evacuate the camp, a bus carrying 43 campers never made it across. Sadly, 10 of those on the bus drowned.

In Friday’s news conference, Kelly said the Friday flood “far surpasses the ‘87 flood.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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