At least 2 dead in Texas floods as hundreds rescued in same region as Camp Mystic disaster

Texas Faces Renewed Flooding Crisis as Death Toll Rises and Rescue Operations Continue

Widespread Emergency Response Underway Across South-Central Region

At least 2 dead in Texas – Severe flash flooding has descended upon southern Texas following an extended period of heavy precipitation, resulting in a minimum of two fatalities and the evacuation of hundreds of individuals throughout the same territory that experienced devastating floods last summer. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who provided an update on Thursday afternoon, emergency crews have completed over 230 separate rescue missions. The state has mobilized substantial resources to combat the crisis, including more than eighty-five boats, twenty aircraft, and two hundred high-clearance vehicles positioned to assist with ongoing operations.

“Human life remains the focus right now,” Abbott stated during his press briefing.

Residents in the affected region have already received approximately one year’s worth of rainfall, and while water levels have begun to drop in certain locations, officials continue to advise caution as additional heavy showers threaten areas already saturated by previous storms. A flood watch remains active for severely impacted portions of south-central Texas through noon on Friday. This advisory encompasses the United States Highway 90 corridor extending westward from San Antonio, the Hill Country region, the Rio Grande Valley, and the southern section of the Edwards Plateau.

Weather forecasters indicate that another wave of storms could deliver between two and four additional inches of precipitation, with some isolated locations potentially receiving up to eight inches. Current modeling suggests the most intense rainfall may occur northwest of the zones that have experienced the worst conditions to date. Governor Abbott identified Uvalde and Johnson City as the communities facing the greatest risk over the next twenty-four hours.

Victims Identified as Emergency Services Expand Operations

In a late Thursday update, the National Weather Service reported that storm activity was intensifying across various Texas regions, including areas that have already accumulated more than two feet of rain over recent days. The agency cautioned that even modest additional rainfall could significantly worsen existing flooding concerns.

Among those who perished was a man swept away while traveling in a recreational vehicle, according to Abbott’s Thursday announcement. John Mark Steward, aged sixty-five, was carried away in his mobile home in Kerrville, his wife informed The San Antonio Express-News. CNN has been unable to independently verify Steward’s death with local authorities. Separately, police reported that a seventy-four-year-old man, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, died while driving near Uvalde. A Department of Public Safety team observed his vehicle floating in floodwaters approximately four miles north of the city around ten-thirty in the morning and subsequently confirmed his passing, the Uvalde Police Department announced on Thursday.

“We grabbed just what we needed and what we could get right away,” Amy Thogmartin, who had traveled from Brooklyn, told KENS. “But the priority was to get out. And we’re glad we did, because the people that got back immediately after that, maybe 20 minutes later, the water had risen maybe another 10 feet.”

Warning Systems Prove Effective as River Levels Surge

Early Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency—their most severe alert—for Kerrville, Ingram, and Hunt, communities that suffered tremendously during last year’s catastrophic floods which claimed at least 130 lives, including twenty-five girls and two counselors. This particular alert has since been lifted.

Authorities cautioned that a substantial and dangerous flood wave was traveling down the Guadalupe River, reaching a peak of 37.94 feet in Center Point on Thursday morning, a level slightly lower than the height recorded during last year’s disaster. A monitoring station in Comfort documented water levels climbing twenty-five feet within a single hour, with readings remaining above flood stage throughout Thursday as officials monitored swollen creeks. The governor reported that more than eighty individuals were evacuated from riverside campgrounds before waters reached hazardous levels.

In Comfort, forty-two family members attending their annual reunion departed a riverside hotel on Thursday morning, CNN affiliate KENS reported. Amy Thogmartin, who had traveled from Brooklyn, explained their hasty departure. In the Hill Country, video footage captured water overwhelming streets and submerging bridges while first responders extracted stranded residents from strong currents and families assessed structural damage. One family told CNN they remained sheltered in their Kerrville home’s attic for several hours as rising water accumulated below, until a rescue vessel finally arrived.

Boerne residents witnessed unusual scenes as floodwaters carried away a group of deer. All children’s summer camps operating in Kerr County confirmed their campers were safe, according to the county sheriff’s office. Police Chief Jerel Haley of Kerrville stated that first responders had cleared approximately fifty homes located in flood-prone zones.

Officials emphasized that the warning infrastructure installed following last year’s tragedy was successfully activated in Kerr County during the early morning hours before water levels began climbing, enabling residents to respond swiftly to emerging threats.

“The same circumstances that occurred last year occurred again this morning but this time, our towers intervened and woke people and got them out,” officials noted regarding the improved emergency response capabilities.