Heavy rainfall early Friday caused widespread flash flooding across Kerr County and nearby areas in Central Texas. The Guadalupe River and surrounding waterways surged suddenly, flooding low-lying areas and forcing a large-scale rescue and evacuation effort. At least 27 people have died, and dozens remain missing, as more flooding on Saturday claims three lives.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice told USA TODAY he had been jogging along the Guadalupe River trail at 3:30 a.m. and saw only light rain with no signs of trouble. But by 5 a.m., emergency calls started coming in as the river began rising. Rice and the local fire chief rushed to a nearby park to survey the scene.
“Within an hour and a half, [the river] had already risen over 25 feet,” Rice said. “Within a matter of minutes, it was up to 29 feet.”
In a nearby area near Bergheim, Texas, the Guadalupe River climbed even more dramatically, rising 40 feet in just three hours.
27 girls still missing from Camp Mystic after floods
The floodwaters swept through Camp Mystic, a private Christian camp along the river where more than 750 girls were gathered. The camp’s dormitories were left covered in mud, debris and water damage, with bunk beds caked in dirt and blankets soaked and tossed about. The aftermath shows the sudden force of the flood, which swept through sleeping quarters and scattered belongings.
Twenty-seven campers remain missing on Saturday afternoon as rescue teams move through debris-filled floodwaters, searching the area.
Officials have evacuated more than 850 people from the Guadalupe River corridor and surrounding communities, according to USA TODAY.
Scenes of the devastation capture the swollen river overflowing its banks, with trees and infrastructure submerged beneath murky, rushing floodwaters.
Kerr County is one of 15 counties included in a disaster declaration issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as rescue response continues.
Gallery: ‘Catastrophic flooding’ kills at least 27 in Texas Hill Country
Watch: Video captures raging floodwaters on Guadalupe River
Watch: Search operations underway in Kerrville after Fourth of July flooding
Gallery: 3 dead in Travis county floods
Austin-Travis County EMS has responded to about two dozen water rescues as a flooding emergency is unfolding in western Travis County.
At least three deaths have been reported in Travis County after torrential downpours caused widespread flooding in Central Texas on Friday night into Saturday morning.
Travis County spokesman Hector Nieto confirmed three deaths in Travis County, with the discovery of a body in the Briarcliff area in western Travis County.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Photos, videos show devastation at Camp Mystic, Kerrville after floods