Death toll reaches 95 in Texas floods, including 27 at a girls’ camp

The flooded Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, near the site of Camp Mystic, July 5, 2025. Ten girls and a counselor were still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, which said at least 27 of its young campers and staff members did not survive the surging waters from the nearby Guadalupe River. (Carter Johnston/The New York Times)

By Jesús Jiménez, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Rick Rojas and David Goodman

The weary mayor of Kerrville, Texas, warned residents to expect a “rough week” as chances faded Monday of finding anyone still alive from catastrophic flooding that killed at least 95 people across central Texas.

Ten girls and a counselor were still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, which said at least 27 of its young campers and staff members did not survive the surging waters from the nearby Guadalupe River.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said rescue crews would push forward with their searches, slashing through debris and downed trees even as they braced for the possibility of more downpours and flash flooding.

Search efforts continued as local and state officials faced new rounds of questions over the adequacy of weather forecasts and warning systems in the flood-prone area, sometimes known as Flash Flood Alley. The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, requested an inquiry into whether cuts at the National Weather Service contributed to the death toll.

The deluge in central Texas, which began Friday, has become one of the deadliest floods in the United States in the past 100 years. Here’s what else to know:

— Rescue efforts: Hundreds of people have been searching for survivors, some of whom have been found clinging to trees and floating on furniture. As time goes on, the chance of finding any still alive dwindles, and rescues become recovery missions.

— Forecast: Forecasters expected more rain in Kerr County throughout Monday afternoon, and much of central Texas, including the Hill Country, was under a flood watch Monday. The Weather Prediction Center cautioned that “any storms that move across this extremely vulnerable region will rapidly cause flash flooding.”

— The victims: At least 75 of those killed in the floods, including 27 children, were in Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio. Seven people were killed in Travis County, six in Kendall County, four in Burnet County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County, authorities said.

— One family’s toll: Five members of a Texas family who were camping along the Guadalupe River are among the missing. A sixth survived after being dragged downriver for more than 15 miles.

— Warning systems: Officials in Kerr County rejected the idea of building a flood warning system along the banks of the Guadalupe River. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said there would be a “careful examination of what happened” to prevent the same loss of life in the future.