Residents Pull Together in Flood-Ravaged Central Texas

Officials said on July 8 that in Kerr County alone, the deadly flood has claimed 87 lives, including 56 adults and 30 children.

Guadalupe Keys RV Resort in Center Point, Texas, was hard-hit by historic flooding in central Texas. Volunteers removed brush and debris on July 7, 2025. Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times

KERRVILLE, Texas—Residents and volunteers are persisting in search-and-recovery efforts along the rain-swollen Guadalupe River that ravaged the Texas Hill Country over the July 4 weekend, leaving more than 100 people dead.

On July 7, local volunteer Alli Robertson was walking with a group on the banks of the river in Comfort, Texas, looking for the deceased.

“They found two bodies right down here yesterday,” Robertson told The Epoch Times, pointing to an area near the Interstate 10 bridge.

In the search area, the powerful floodwaters had tossed a white pickup truck like a toy into a nest of debris piled up against trees, some a century old, that had withstood the deluge.

Other trees were uprooted and swept toward the bridge just downstream of where Cypress Creek feeds into the Guadalupe River.

Zachary Clark’s recreational vehicle (RV), parked on his 48-acre property along the Guadalupe near Comfort, was washed clean away.

The power of the water, which he estimated was about 28 feet high at the bridge, was unimaginable, he told The Epoch Times.

“Some of these bodies floated 15 miles before the sun came up [early on July 4],” he said.

Holding his 5-year-old son in his arms, Clark said he could only imagine what the parents of the dead children were going through.

“You couldn’t put a word to it,” he said. “There’s not one that exists.”

Zachary Clark holds his 5-year-old son while describing the catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River near Comfort, Texas, on July 7, 2025. Neil Hernandez for The Epoch Times

Brothers Sam and Zach Cummings, who grew up in the Kerrville area where their parents still live, traveled from Corpus Christi, Texas, to assist in recovery efforts near the Heart O’ the Hills camp for girls in the hard-hit town of Hunt, Texas.

“We felt almost obligated to come up and help,” Sam Cummings told The Epoch Times.

Working with a volunteer recovery team led by resident David Carpenter, the Cummings brothers began chainsaw work at about 7:30 a.m. on July 7, clearing debris in a field across from the camp.

“We were trying to dig through and see as much as we could,” Sam Cummings said, noting that law enforcement with search dogs put out an alert in the area.

“A dog started sniffing, and that’s how they found the first body.”

Ultimately, they said, they believe that two bodies were discovered approximately a mile apart.

“State troopers told us they have records of missing people, but there are hundreds of Fourth of July campers with no documentation,” Sam Cummings said, highlighting the potential scale of the tragedy.

Heartbreak in Kerrville

The sun beat down on Kerrville resident Lillian Sanchez as she knelt in the dirt using a handsaw to remove a tangle of tree roots at the Guadalupe Keys RV Resort.

A wasteland of destruction surrounded her and some 50 volunteers on July 7. Using chainsaws and heavy equipment, they were trying to restore some semblance of order to the chaos left by floodwaters.

Sanchez told The Epoch Times that the recent flood has revealed the true spirit of her hometown, which has resisted the temptation to turn the tragedy political.

She said the community has rallied around the power of prayer to help get people through the heartbreak.

In small towns such as Kerrville, everyone knows someone who was killed or is still missing.

Lillian Sanchez, a Kerrville resident, has a phone app that tracks water flow in case of flooding. She volunteered to clean up debris at an RV resort in Center Point, Texas, on July 7, 2025. Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times

“I mean, it’s a tragic thing to happen, but everybody wants to help,” she said. ”It’s really cool to see the community band together.”

Sanchez said she was not worried about additional flooding as rain continued to fall across parts of central Texas, potentially thwarting recovery efforts.

That is because she has an app that keeps track of the water flow of the Guadalupe and other nearby rivers.

Others, who were covered with sweat and mud, said helping in the cleanup was the least they could do.

Brody Durand, a young landscaper with ranch work experience, made the trip from San Antonio in response to a Facebook post asking for volunteers with chainsaws.

“I’ve got family friends out here,” he said, noting that he was grateful that everyone he knew was safe.

Mounting Casualties

At least 161 people remain missing in Kerr County, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a July 8 press conference.

Many visitors had also flocked to the river in the Texas Hill Country over the holiday weekend, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told The Epoch Times, making it difficult to pinpoint the number who could be missing.

“We need some prayers right now,” the sheriff said. “This whole community needs closure, and we’re working on that, but it’s going to take a while.”

Officials at a July 8 press conference said the number of victims in the county stood at 87, including 56 adults and 30 children.

Of those at Camp Mystic, five campers and one counselor remain unaccounted for, Leitha said.

Any hope of finding additional survivors continues to dwindle.

Sheriff of Kerr County Larry Leitha speaks to reporters in Kerrville, Texas, on July 8, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Residents have also been asked to curtail traveling in the area to allow emergency personnel easy access to necessary areas.

The Kerrville Police Department’s Jonathan Lamb said he understands that people are curious and want to see the flood damage but asked that onlookers and freelance volunteers stay home.

“Now is not the time for sightseeing,“ he said. ”Our first responders have had a very difficult time getting to where they need to go because of the amount of people who are flooding our roadways.”

People who want to give funds or sign up to volunteer can do so at TCR.communityos.org, Lamb told The Epoch Times.

The Texas Military Department announced on July 6 that its operations have saved more than 500 individuals, the majority of whom were rescued via air evacuations conducted with Black Hawk helicopters.

Abbott warned that more heavy rain lasting into July 8 could cause more dangerous flooding, especially in already saturated areas.

President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County on July 6 and said he would likely visit on July 11.

“I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way,” he told reporters. “It’s a horrible thing that took place, absolutely horrible.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on July 7, “Everyone here at the White House, including the president of the United States, is praying for the victims’ families and friends during this unimaginable time.”

Debris left from flooding on the Guadalupe River can be seen outside of Kerrville, Texas, on July 8, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Businesses and Nonprofits

Several nonprofit emergency relief groups have arrived to support local officials and residents. They include four groups from Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that helps communities affected by disasters.

Art delaCruz, CEO of Team Rubicon, told The Epoch Times on July 7 that the team, which was requested by the Salvation Army of Kerrville, is triaging needs for the community.

According to delaCruz, it is important to remember that even though it seems like the worst has passed, “the storm isn’t over yet.”

Also important to remember is that the rush to help can complicate the situation.

“We oftentimes see in disasters like this what we call the second disaster, which is donation of a lot of goods and materials that might not be needed,” delaCruz said.

“We'd encourage people to be really, really diligent about what they donate.”

Texas grocery giant H-E-B quickly offered its support for Kerrville, the birthplace of the statewide chain.

“Our H-E-B Family is heartbroken by the enormous devastation and loss caused by the flooding in and around the Kerrville area,” H-E-B said in a statement on its website.

“We are grateful to local authorities, first responders, and volunteers for their tireless efforts.”