How a small East Texas town turned a devastating tornado into funding for sirens
As the public scrutinizes parts of the Hill Country for a lack of sirens during the July 4 floods, Crockett turned its own tragedy into preparedness. Full Story
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![A siren alert system in Comfort on Thursday July 10, 2025. Across the state in East Texas, the city of Crockett has secured the funding and has embarked on installing its own auditory alarm system.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Officials say at least 100 people still missing after July Fourth floods; recovery efforts could take months
At least 132 people have died. State and local leaders say getting an exact figure of the missing is difficult because so many people were visiting the Guadalupe River on the holiday weekend. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officials and volunteers clear up mountains of debris deposited by the flood in Center Point on Tuesday July 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Newly formed Texas disaster preparedness and flooding committee will visit Kerr County
The joint House and Senate committee will first meet in Austin next week, then in Kerrville on July 31 to hear from Hill Country residents about their concerns. Full Story
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![An excavator picks up items damaged in the flood to be discarded in Hunt on Friday July 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Recovering from the floods will be a massive task. One Hill Country restaurant is focusing on the smaller picture.
As residents recover and rebuild, Grape Juice in downtown Kerrville is serving as a hub for people needing meals, supplies and other necessities. Full Story
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![People look towards the Guadalupe River at the Dallas Daughtry Memorial Pavilion in Kerrville on Friday, July 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Kerr County search and rescue operations paused again on Monday due to rain
Although a new round of floods elsewhere prompted emergency rescues Sunday, no injuries or deaths were reported. Full Story
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![Crosses honoring the victims of the flood were erected by artist Roberto Marquez next to the Guadalupe River in Guadalupe Park, seen on Friday July 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show
The July Fourth flood moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system. Full Story
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![Campers’ belongings are seen at the Camp Mystic camp grounds on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 in Hunt, Texas.]()
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In flood-ravaged Hill Country towns, friends, families and strangers rush in to help with cleanup
For the past week, Clemente Sánchez and his tree-trimming crew have volunteered to help people remove trees and flood debris. It’s a scene being repeated all over the flood zone. Full Story
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![Clemente Sánchez rakes leaves and other debris in a property that was affected by the flood in Hunt on Friday July 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Can sirens help save lives in the next flood? Yes, but there’s more to it.
While sirens can help in areas with shaky cell service, experts say officials also need to consider alert fatigue and provide education on what to do in an emergency. Full Story
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![Water from the flood stained the walls in a residential apartment in Ingram on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Hill Country floods: What we know so far
With hundreds confirmed dead or still missing, questions remain about the local response to flood warnings. Meanwhile, lawmakers will weigh measures to mitigate future disasters. Full Story
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![Two men from an excavation company aiding in search and recovery look on to the debris left from the flood in Center Point on Tuesday July 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
God and the Guadalupe long reigned over Texas Hill Country. Now grief permeates.
Religion and the river are constant Kerr County touchstones. As residents lean on their faith, they grapple with their relationship to the water. Full Story
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![A family photo of James Wright and his grandchildren sits outside of his home Wednesday, July 9, 2025 in Hunt, Texas.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Did fiscal conservatism block plans for a new flood warning system in Kerr County?
In the last nine years, federal funding for a system has been denied to the county as it contends with a tax base hostile to government overspending. Full Story
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![Trees are bent around the pier of a bridge on Louise Hays Park in Kerrville on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
The floods swept away a young couple and their friends. Searching for them brought their families together.
The four friends are among the hundreds of victims. The bodies of three of them have been found. Their families have searched for their loved ones since Friday. Full Story
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![Thursday July 10, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Search for flood victims slowed by mountains of debris as thousands descend on Kerr County to assist
Crews are using construction equipment to clear vehicles, trees and homes in a race to locate more than 170 people still missing since Friday’s devastating flood. Full Story
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![Search and recovery teams in Kerrville, Texas on Monday, July 7, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Kerrville community unites in mourning and prayer for those lost and missing in Texas floods
Amid staggering loss, hundreds gathered in mourning and prayer at a Wednesday night vigil for the victims of the July Fourth floods. Full Story
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![A cross is seen at a Kerr County Blessing at Antler Stadium on Wendsday July 9, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. The cross was brought by North Phil, Michigan resident Dan Beazley.]()
Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune -
Climate change helped fuel heavy rains that caused Hill Country floods, experts say
Warming ocean temperatures and warmer air mean there’s more water vapor in the atmosphere to fuel extreme downpours like those that struck Texas during the July 4 weekend. Full Story
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![Search teams continue searching for flood victims near Camp Mystic on July 7, 2025.]()
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Kerrville mayor says he wasn’t aware of state resources that Gov. Abbott said were in place ahead of flooding
The governor said Tuesday that the state had “assets, resources and personnel” in place before the July 4 floods. On Wednesday evening, the death toll rose to 120. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officials and volunteers clear up mountains of debris deposited by the flood in Center Point on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
“Disasters are a human choice”: Texas counties have little power to stop building in flood-prone areas
Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains. Full Story
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![Damage from the flood around a bridge on Highway 39 in Hunt on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
These graphics show the scope of Texas’ Hill Country floods
These maps and charts show the scale and intensity of the Hill Country floods and highlight Camp Mystic’s proximity to high-risk flood zones. Full Story
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![A blue line chart superimposed with a background image of the aerial view of damage along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville on July 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Illustration by Carla Astudillo / Photo by Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
As Guadalupe River flows calm, evidence of its destructive force remains
Hill Country residents and volunteers on Tuesday continued picking up the pieces that the deadly waterway left behind days earlier. Full Story
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![Volunteers clear debris from the flood as search and recovery efforts continue in Center Point on July 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune -
Weather warnings gave officials a 3 hour, 21 minute window to save lives in Kerr County. What happened then remains unclear.
Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action. Full Story
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![Weather monitors at the National Weather Service West Gulf River Forecast Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune