“A Grieving Community, But Not a Broken One”

In the days following the disaster, the town of Kerrville has united in grief. On Wednesday evening, hundreds gathered in the gymnasium of a local high school for a vigil — not only to mourn the lost but to cling to each other in shared sorrow.

“The kingdom of God looks like thousands of volunteers walking along the riverbanks clearing a path,” said Josh Smithson, local resident and director of the youth outreach group Young Life.

“The kingdom of God looks like Kerr County rising together in a time of need.”

That sense of unity, however, is shadowed by the enormous human toll. Local officials confirmed Thursday that 96 deaths occurred in Kerr County alone. While the search for survivors has largely shifted to recovery, more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, including five young campers and a counselor from Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp near the river.

“We’ll Keep Searching Until Everyone is Found”

As the community grapples with its losses, state and federal responders have launched one of the largest recovery missions in recent Texas history. More than 2,100 emergency personnel from over ten different states are currently deployed in the region, equipped with swift-water rescue gear, drones, K-9 teams, and FEMA-trained crews.

“This is not over,” said Jonathan Lamb, community services officer with Kerrville Police.
“We are committed to finding every single missing person and bringing closure to their families — no matter how long it takes.”

States as far away as Massachusetts and California have contributed specialized teams under a longstanding emergency aid compact that allows states to mobilize across borders during natural disasters.

Governor Abbott Promises Legislative Action — But Rejects Blame

With the disaster’s scale becoming clearer each day, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been under increasing pressure to explain how so many lives were lost with so little warning. The region is well known for its flash flood risk, yet survivors reported receiving alerts too late — or not at all.

Still, Abbott took a defensive stance when asked who should be held responsible for the staggering death toll.

“That’s the word choice of losers,” the governor said when questioned earlier in the week.

“The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who’s to blame. The championship teams are the ones that say, ‘Don’t worry about it, man, we’ve got this.’”

Despite this rhetoric, Abbott announced a special legislative session beginning July 21, where flood preparedness will take top billing. His agenda includes four proposals:

• Improving early flood warning systems in vulnerable areas

• Strengthening emergency communication infrastructure

• Providing relief funding for localities affected by the flooding

• Streamlining rules for disaster recovery and preparation

Other agenda items include THC regulation, redistricting, and abortion, but the flood response is expected to dominate early discussion.

“They Wrote Names on Their Bodies”: Heroism at Camp Mystic

Amid the horror, stories of resilience and bravery have emerged — none more compelling than that of two 19-year-old camp counselors from Mexico. Silvana Garza and María Paula Zárate, working at Camp Mystic, are being hailed as heroes for leading a group of young girls to safety when the river began to rise.

With the main camp near the Guadalupe River already destroyed and power cut off, the counselors had little more than instinct and courage to guide them. They entertained the girls through the storm, unaware of the full scale of the devastation below.

“The storm sounded like a scary movie,” Garza later told Univision.

“We played games. We sang songs. We had no idea what was happening down at the river.”

Eventually, when they learned another wave of flooding was on its way, they made the chilling decision to write each girl’s name on her body — an identification measure in case disaster struck again.

“That way, their families would know who they were,” Zárate said.

“Dead or alive, they’d be found.”

Their group made it to safety, and the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, publicly praised the young women for their bravery. “They make us proud,” she said.

A Small City Shouldering a Heavy Loss

Kerrville, with just over 25,000 residents, is not unfamiliar with the risks of living in flood-prone Texas Hill Country. But few could have anticipated a disaster of this scale. According to official reports, flood-related deaths were confirmed not only in Kerr County (96), but also in Travis (7), Kendall (8), Burnet (5), Williamson (3), and Tom Green (1).

For those still searching for loved ones, the uncertainty is agonizing. While drier weather is finally forecast through the end of the week, meteorologists warn that heat and pop-up storms could complicate rescue efforts even further. “Feels-like” temperatures are expected to exceed 100°F, raising new health concerns for responders on the ground.

A Test for Leadership — And For Resilience

As Texas faces a long road to recovery, the July 4 flood will likely become a defining moment for how the state approaches climate resilience and emergency management. The questions now being asked — about preparedness, response time, infrastructure, and accountability — are not just technical or political. For many, they are deeply personal.

Whether in the halls of the Capitol in Austin or along the riverbanks of Kerrville, one thing is clear: Texans are demanding answers, and they are demanding action.