The devastating aftermath of the July 4th flooding in Kerr County continues to unfold. The KTSA reports that 43 individuals have lost their lives, and a further 27 girls from Camp Mystic are still missing; in response to this tragedy, over 850 people have been evacuated from areas near the Guadalupe River, as the waters began to rise shortly after midnight, following a prolonged bout of thunderstorms.
The situation at Camp Mystic remains grim and along with the revelation that at least 15 children have been confirmed dead in Kerr County, the News 4 San Antonio shares the identities of some of the victims, including an 8-year-old girl from Alabama, and the director of a neighboring camp, all while Governor Greg Abbott promises continued search efforts for the missing.
Previously serene scenes from Camp Mystic have now been replaced with devastation, with social media posts shifting focus from activities and dance routines to pleas for the whereabouts of the missing girls, rescue teams are working tirelessly in the wake of the flood, which turned idyllic campgrounds into perilous landscapes marked by mangled debris and shattered buildings.
Questions about the preparedness of Camp Mystic's emergency plans have risen given the county's lack of a warning system—a point emphasized by Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who maintained that the intensity of the flooding, which resulted in the Guadalupe River rising to 26 feet within about 45 minutes, surpassing its flood gauge, was unforeseen, one camper, Elinor Lester, 13, recalled being evacuated by helicopter after floodwaters surged, her mother Elizabeth Lester, telling News 4 San Antonio, "My kids are safe, but knowing others are still missing is just eating me alive."
The history of Camp Mystic and its surrounding areas, notoriously known as "flash flood alley," brings a haunting context to the present catastrophe, as this is not the first time the region's geography has contributed to a tragic flood, echoing a similar incident in 1987 when Pot O' Gold Christian camp lost 10 campers to torrential storms.
