Texas, USA – July 8, 2025 – The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas has surpassed 100 as of Monday, with rescuers continuing their grim search for individuals swept away by torrents of water. Among the confirmed fatalities are at least 27 girls and counselors from a youth summer camp located on a river, where disaster struck over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Forecasters have warned of more rain falling on already saturated ground, which is complicating ongoing recovery efforts involving helicopters, boats, and search dogs. The number of victims is still expected to rise.
Presidential Visit and Defense of Warnings
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Friday, the White House announced, while also rebuffing critics who claim his administration’s cuts to weather agencies had weakened warning systems. “Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
Leavitt asserted that the National Weather Service (NWS), despite reports by The New York Times of several key unfilled positions in Texas before the floods, issued “timely and precise forecasts and warnings.” Trump has characterized the floods, which began in the early hours of Friday, as a “100-year catastrophe” that “nobody expected.” The President, who previously advocated for disaster relief to be handled at the state level, has now signed a major disaster declaration, activating federal funds and freeing up resources for the affected region.
Devastation in Kerr County and Camp Mystic Tragedy
Kerr County in central Texas has been the hardest hit, with 56 adults and 28 children confirmed dead, according to the local sheriff’s office. This includes the 27 individuals from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp that was hosting approximately 750 people when the floodwaters surged. Camps are a cherished tradition during the long US summer holidays, often situated in rural areas. Texas Senator Ted Cruz remarked on the tragedy, noting that what was a chance to make “lifetime friends — and then suddenly it turns to tragedy.”
In a terrifying display of nature’s power, the Guadalupe River, swollen by unprecedented rainfall, reached treetops and the roofs of cabins where the girls at the camp were sleeping. Blankets, teddy bears, and other belongings were caked in mud, and cabin windows were shattered by the force of the water.
Volunteers are actively assisting in the search through river debris, with some driven by personal connections to the victims. Louis Deppe, 62, told AFP that he was “helping the parents of two of the missing children,” who received a final message: “‘We’re being washed away,’ and the phone went dead.”
Unprecedented Rainfall and Climate Change Concerns
Months’ worth of rain fell in a matter of hours on Thursday night into Friday, and intermittent rainfall has continued since then. The Guadalupe River surged approximately 26 feet (eight meters)—more than a two-story building—in just 45 minutes in some areas, reaching record levels in places like Hunt. Flash floods, which occur when the ground cannot absorb torrential rainfall, are not uncommon in this region of south and central Texas, colloquially known as “Flash Flood Alley.”
Human-driven climate change has been linked to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heat waves in recent years.
