Texas Floods Leave Campers Missing, Families in Desperate Search
A devastating flash flood in Texas’s Hill Country has left at least 13 people dead, dozens missing, and more than 20 young girls unaccounted for after sweeping through Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River.
Kerrville, Texas – Frantic parents are sharing photos of their daughters on social media, pleading for information as search and rescue teams work against the clock following catastrophic flooding that tore through central Texas on Friday, July 4, 2025. The region, known for its picturesque landscape and historic summer camps, is particularly vulnerable to flash floods, a reality tragically underscored by the current crisis.
According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, months’ worth of rainfall descended in a matter of hours, triggering widespread devastation. The Guadalupe River, normally a tranquil waterway, rapidly transformed into a raging torrent, inundating campgrounds, mobile home parks, and, most critically, Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick revealed that approximately 23 girls attending the Christian camp were unaccounted for as of Friday afternoon. “I’m asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying this afternoon — on-your-knees kind of praying — that we find these young girls,” Patrick stated, reflecting the growing anxiety and desperation gripping the state.
Search teams are utilizing helicopters and boats to navigate the fast-moving floodwaters, attempting to reach those stranded and conduct evacuations. Texas Game Wardens arrived at Camp Mystic Friday evening in trucks and began evacuating campers, though an immediate update on the missing girls was not available.
The situation is particularly harrowing for families gathered at a reunification center set up at an elementary school in nearby Ingram. More than a hundred people are anxiously awaiting news, hoping to see loved ones emerge from buses carrying evacuees. A poignant scene unfolded as one young girl, wearing a Camp Mystic T-shirt, sobbed in her mother’s arms while watching the buses arrive.
Camp Mystic, established in 1926, sits in an area local experts have dubbed “flash flood alley.” Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, explained that the region’s soil composition contributes to the rapid runoff during heavy rainfall. “When it rains, water doesn’t soak into the soil,” Dickson said. “It rushes down the hill.”
This tragedy evokes painful memories of a similar disaster in 1987, when floodwaters engulfed a bus carrying teenage campers from Pot O’ Gold Christian camp along the same river, resulting in the deaths of 10 campers.
Leaders at Camp Mystic reported that the camp is currently without power, Wi-Fi, and running water, and the highway leading to the site has been washed away. Campers are sheltering in buildings on higher ground while awaiting evacuation. Fortunately, two other camps on the river, Camp Waldemar and Camp La Junta, have confirmed that all campers and staff are safe.
The emotional toll on those connected to Camp Mystic is immense. Chloe Crane, a teacher and former counselor at the camp, described her heartbreak upon learning of the missing girls. “To be quite honest, I cried because Mystic is such a special place, and I just couldn’t imagine the terror that I would feel as a counselor to experience that for myself and for 15 little girls that I’m taking care of,” she said. “And it’s also just sadness, like the camp has been there forever and cabins literally got washed away.” Crane noted that the cabins housing the youngest campers, situated closest to the riverbank, were likely the first to be flooded.
As of Friday evening, safety officials reported that roughly 750 campers were at Camp Mystic, and that any parents who have not been directly contacted by authorities can assume their child is accounted for. However, for dozens of families, the wait for confirmation continues, turning a cherished summer experience into a nightmare scenario.
