Texas floods: Dozens dead, girls swept away from summer camp still missing
Search-and-rescue teams are scouring Central Texas for survivors after flash floods left dozens dead and homes underwater. Back home, flooding in the Western Cape has displaced thousands.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared today a day of prayer for those impacted by the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas in the United States over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
At the time of publishing, at least 51 people had been declared dead, including 15 children.
Watch: Man describes search for daughter. Video: CNN
@cnn Searching for his 21-year-old daughter and her friends, who have been missing since flash floods swelled through parts of Texas on Friday, Ty Badon tells CNN’s Ed Lavandera that he’s praying for their survival as he continues to scour the area they were last believed to be near. #CNN #News #Texas #TexasFlood
While the number of people missing is not yet known, officials have said that 27 of them are girls who were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian youth camp located along the River Guadalupe in Kerr County, the area worst affected by the flood.
Today I visited Camp Mystic.
It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster.
The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking.
We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 6, 2025
According to The Guardian, the river rose more than 20 feet (about 6m) in less than two hours overnight into the July 4 holiday.
“Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued,” The Guardian said earlier today.
Yesterday, during a press conference, Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 15 counties affected by the severe weather event, including Bandera, Coke, Comal, Concho, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reeves, San Saba and Tom Green. Additional counties may be added.
He said Texas remains in search-and-rescue mode and assured local officials that the State of Texas will provide all necessary resources to help locate and account for every missing person.
Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock.
We will not stop until everyone is accounted for. pic.twitter.com/tqwTr1RkEi
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 4, 2025
Watch: A father of three who sacrificed himself to save his family from the Texas flash floods told them: “I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all.” Video: MetroUK
@metrouk A father of three who sacrificed himself to save his family from the Texas flash floods told them, “I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all.’ Julian Ryan, 27, died after the Guadalupe River in central Texas rose 30 feet and flooded into his family’s home. Ryan’s fiancée, Christina Wilson, said she and her family had been sleeping when the water in their home rose to knee-level in ’20 minutes’. ‘We ran back into the room and we started calling 911, but the water just kept coming. We had no choice but to get out,’ she said. In a bid to save his family, Ryan punched a window to help his partner, three children, and his mum reach the roof – but sliced open his arm in the process. Ryan severed an artery and nearly cut his arm off. Emergency responders weren’t able to reach the family in time, and he died of his injuries hours later. #texas #texasfloods #flashflood #worldnews
On Friday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management increased the readiness level of the Texas State Emergency Operations Centre to Level II (escalated response) and activated additional state emergency response resources as portions of West and Central Texas prepared for continued heavy rainfall and flash flooding threats.
BBC reported today that ‘the first hint of the devastation to come appeared on Thursday morning as rain and thunderstorms soaked several central Texas counties’.
Watch: Man rescues dog during deadly floods. Video: Fox News
@foxnews Man rescues dog during deadly flooding in Texas.
So sad! Pray for the families who lost their little ones! Texas floods leave at least 51 dead, 27 girls missing as rescuers search devastated landscape – Orange County Register https://t.co/eGbqbDNtXw
— Steven The MangoMan (@coconutman51) July 6, 2025
There are no words for how terrible this is: Texas floods latest: Search for missing continues after children among dozens killed https://t.co/4Yd3ZpxP9Y
— Marion Fairweather (@Mapwgf) July 6, 2025
Texas flash floods leave at least 51 dead, 27 girls missing as rescuers search devastated landscape ..
Rescuers scoured a devastated central Texas landscape of mangled trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris Saturday in an increasingly bleak mission to locate survivors,… pic.twitter.com/WBacrDDJHy
— Papa Hemingway (@PopHemingway) July 6, 2025
Floods hit Western and Eastern Cape too
South Africa has also suffered devastating floods. In Cape Town, almost 4 000 people, mostly from informal areas, have been displaced as floodwaters damaged homes.
This morning, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said that the Provincial Disaster Management Centre remains on high alert. He said residents of informal settlements in Langa, Masicendani and Strandfontein had been affected – more than 137 dwellings and around 470 people were impacted, and humanitarian aid and assessments are ongoing.
Yesterday, he reported that flooding was reported in Burundi (Mfuleni), with 112 structures and 119 people affected; Zola, Oliver Tambo, Khayelitsha, Sweethome, The Ark, Island in Makhaza, with 200 homes affected in each area and Rockfall.
@GiftoftheGivers Responds as Floods Devastate Cape Town Communities.
Heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding have severely affected parts of the Western Cape, with Cape Town among the worst hit. Hundreds of homes in low-lying areas like Mfuleni, Khayelitsha, and Langa have been… pic.twitter.com/fNBgRdKKtt
— BackaBuddy NPC (@backabuddy) July 6, 2025
Severe winter weather continues to batter the Western Cape, prompting the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) to remain on high alert as heavy rain:https://t.co/YGMUqsocIL
— Cape {town} Etc (@CapeTownEtc) July 5, 2025
Today, Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill said the Overstrand Joint Operational Centre remains operational, and no major incidents were reported overnight from towns within the Overstrand area.
Early morning rain and hail caused flooding in low-lying areas.
“There are ongoing calls for assistance from residents in Zwelihle, where teams are currently on the ground,” he said.
All major roads remain open, but there are rocks and mud on the road surface. Motorists are advised to avoid driving through moving or deep water.
In the Eastern Cape, the provincial government has intensified efforts to co-ordinate disaster relief and recovery measures following devastating floods that have impacted the province, particularly in the OR Tambo and Amathole districts.
In a statement on Friday, the provincial government said a multidisciplinary team led by the Office of the Premier, supported by the departments of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements, Health, Home Affairs, the South African Social Security Agency and affected local municipalities, has been deployed since the disaster began.
A provincial joint operations centre has been activated to streamline disaster response.
On Friday, the official death toll stood at 103, including 32 children.
Eastern Cape Declared National Disaster Zone After Devastating Floods and Severe Weather https://t.co/aPeDXpHLLR#Construction #CIDB #Tenders #RFQ #Infrastructure #Procurement
— TenderPoint (@TenderPoint) June 28, 2025
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