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Torrential rain returned to Texas on Sunday, briefly suspending the search for victims of the deadly floods that hit the Guadalupe River region at the beginning of this month. Operations were suspended in Kerr County, where more than 160 are still missing after the 4 July deluge, which has already left at least 129 dead.
In Kerrville, a fresh flood risk led emergency officials to issue late-night warnings and make door-to-door warnings, advising residents to stay off roads unless under evacuation order. City officials emphasized the risks of swollen roadways, cautioning: “Turn around, don’t drown.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that flash flood threats continue, particularly in the Texas Hill Country. Despite the weakening of the storm somewhat by Sunday morning, the NWS continued to say that heavy localized flooding remains possible. Flash flood warnings continued in Llano, Gillespie, and other areas, including Buchanan Dam and Lake, Valley Spring, Watson, and Briggs.
The Ingram Fire Department instructed search-and-rescue crews to leave the Guadalupe River corridor because of extreme flash flood potential, with operations likely to resume Monday based on river conditions. The river was expected to rise to almost 15 feet 5 feet above flood stage by Sunday afternoon, endangering structures like the Highway 39 bridge in Hunt, which houses Camp Mystic, the girls’ Christian camp where 27 people died.
Elsewhere in the state, floodwaters continued to generate emergencies. At McGregor, rescue teams rescued a man stuck in waist-deep rapids after his car was trapped on an underwater bridge over the Bosque River.
Kerrville residents, still reeling from the July 4 catastrophe, took precautionary measures as rain flooded streets once more. Matthew Stone, who had previously rescued neighbors during the initial flood, worked to clear storm drains. “The cops have been coming back and forth, we’re getting lots of alerts, we’re getting a lot of support,” he said.
The 4 July flood inundated the area, dumping 120 billion gallons of water on Kerr County an amount well beyond FEMA’s 100-year flood estimates. Critics later called out the absence of an adequate warning system and FEMA’s reaction.
In response to the criticism, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemcame to the defense of the Trump administration’s management of the disaster, asserting that FEMA requires restructuring, not dissolution, after reports surfaced of unreturned survivor calls due to expired federal contracts.
