Catastrophic flooding has hit the Texas state again, killing at least one person

Rescuers in boats and helicopters saved dozens of stranded motorists and people trapped in homes by dangerous floods in Texas that were still hit by last year’s floods.

At least one person died, said Gov. Greg Abbott, added that it appears that many of the summer camps that were hit hard last year were not in danger. “Our main focus is saving people’s lives,” he said.

After days of heavy rain, the National Weather Service said a “large and dangerous high tide” had engulfed the same river that flooded last summer when two children and a counselor at Camp Mystic were killed.

Like last year, the flood came at midnight. But this time some residents of the Texas Hill Country said they received more warnings.

Forecasters urgently warned “Move to higher ground now!” as the rivers rise hour by hour, they turn into a sea of ​​white raging water. Some areas of the Guadalupe River rose more than nine feet.

The governor said more than 1,300 70 first responders, rescued more than 70 people.

About 74 centimeters of rain fell in the last three days in Uvalde County, which was spared from the worst floods last year, the weather service said Thursday. Some areas saw almost as much rain as is expected on Friday.

“Hopefully this is the last batch of rain,” said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist with the weather service.

The victim was swept away

Although authorities have not released the name of the deceased, Jennie Steward said the body of her husband, John Mark Steward, 65, of Kerrville, was found Thursday.

She was visiting her parents when a neighbor came at night, saying that her husband was missing after the water rose up to the door of their mobile home, which is 2.4 meters from the ground.

The entire house was swept off the platform and floated down Goat Creek in the Guadalupe River, he said.

“It’s really hard that I wasn’t with him,” he said. The couple got married three years ago and last spoke on the phone on Wednesday to celebrate their anniversary.

Residents say they are better prepared

The ongoing crisis has brought back painful memories of last summer’s Hill Country floods that killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday.

“It’s crazy two times in one year,” said Josiah Rodriguez, who woke up to the sound of heavy rain around 2 a.m. Thursday in Kerrville. He walked through flooded streets to help evacuate relatives.

“Last year there was no warning about it,” he said. “It just happened overnight and it took everyone by surprise. This year, there are a lot of warnings, a lot of precautions.”

Residents say they were caught off guard last year and had no warning when floods hit Guadalupe. Some local leaders have been criticized for not doing so quickly.

Storms and flooding this season threaten many counties near the Mexican border and in the Hill Country near San Antonio. An estimated six million residents across Texas were under a flood watch this week, with some expected to remain in effect until Friday evening.

Several agencies sent helicopters to the flood zone, including Travis County in the state capital of Austin.

“My understanding is that people were trapped in trees and on roofs,” said Travis County Judge Andy Brown, who said a caller warned 10 people were trapped on the roof of a barn.

Rush to a higher place

During the wildlife rescue, Katie Buck took dozens of animals to higher ground on a dark Thursday as the normally dry Lazy Creek overflowed. He had to quickly catch the porcupine even though he had no gloves.

He got all the animals to safety, but flooding destroyed several pens at Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab near Ingram in Kerr County.

“We were just beginning to face the law again,” said Buck. “Going through this again is just painful.”

Residents of the Comfort RV park moved their trailers as the sirens sounded, manager Duke Earwood said.

Water rose over the hoods of cars parked near the river at the Comfort RV Resort. Markers showed the flooding was already similar to last July’s big flood.

“I’m very familiar, and not long ago,” Earwood said.

The residents of Uvalde are alone

Floodwaters flooded the town of Uvalde again overnight, cutting off many exterior roads. The Leona River, which is usually dry for most of the year, filled the roads with water.

“People aren’t really going anywhere,” said Carmen Rodriguez, who watched the raging water cover her neighborhood as a helicopter flew overhead. “We have a place to go, but all the roads are closed.”

Rodriguez said the authorities seem to be well prepared, they ordered a mandatory evacuation and notified people directly.

Texas Game Wardens have rescued more than 40 people, mostly in the Uvalde County area, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

2025 was a record year

So far, the most swollen Guadalupe remains below the record levels reached in 2025. Gauges showed it rose more than nine feet in some places in just a few hours.

Near Camp Mystic, which has not reopened since last year’s disaster, the Guadalupe near Hunt reached about 6.3 feet, enough to cause flooding, according to data from the US Geological Survey and the National Water Prediction Service.

In Kerr County, where summer camps lined the river’s banks, the sheriff’s office said all campers were safe. Many camps said children were staying inside, one camp reported normal flooding.

The affected cities were still rebuilding

Although the water did not rise as much as last year in Ingram, Mayor Claude Jordan believes that the flood was more widespread in his city. “The rural part of Ingram, all the streets are full of trash,” he said.

“There are a lot of businesses that haven’t opened since last year,” said Jordan. “This is useless.”

The Hill Country is prone to flooding because the area’s signature limestone is covered by a thin layer of soil. During heavy rains, water can quickly shoot downhill before filling small rivers.