KERR COUNTY, Texas – President Donald Trump said he has “never seen anything like” the devastation of the floods that ripped through the Hill Country, killing at least 128 people across Central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend.
As of Friday evening, 103 people have been confirmed dead (67 adults and 36 children) in Kerr County alone, county officials said.
It is unclear how many people remain unaccounted for countywide.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled to Kerr County on Friday to survey damage and meet with survivors, victims’ families and first responders.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Nim Kidd, the chief of the state’s emergency management division, joined the president in a roundtable after touring the Kerrville area.
Watch the roundtable discussion below:
Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and other senators joined the president on Air Force One to Texas.
“It’s hard to believe the devastation,” the president said, saying he visited with search and rescue crews who’ve “done an unbelievable job” combing through debris, toppled trees and overturned vehicles for a week.
“They’ll find everybody, but it’s not an easy thing,” Trump said.
>> Director who helped bring CodeRED to Kerr County says leadership lost sight of tool’s value
Trump said he’s visited with the parents of children who died in the flood.
Melania Trump said, “My deepest sympathy to all of the parents who lost beautiful, young souls. Deepest sympathy from all of us. To the community, to everybody who lost a loved one, we are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you.”
“We just met with wonderful families. We prayed with them. We hugged. We held hands. They shared stories, and I met beautiful, young ladies,” she said. “They gave me this special bracelet from the camp, in honor of all of the little girls that lost their lives. So, we are here to honor them and also to give the support, help. I will be back. I promised to them. I just pray for them and give them my strength and love.”
Five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still considered missing. Eight people were confirmed dead in Kendall County.
Friday marks one week since the flooding hit Kerr County and other parts of Texas, killing at least 128 statewide:
- Travis County: 8 dead (4 missing)
- Burnet County: 5 dead (1 missing)
- Williamson County: 3 dead
- Tom Green County: 1 dead
The Fourth of July catastrophe in the Hill Country has made it one of the deadliest floods in Texas History.
>> Kerr County tragedy already one of the deadliest floods in Texas history
Local officials have faced questions about how well they were prepared for the rain and how quickly they acted.
WATCH BELOW: Horrifying and heroic: Survivors share stories with KSAT journalists of deadly Hill Country Floods
When a reporter asked Trump about the concerns Friday, Trump called that reporter “evil” and said he thought “everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances.”
“I admire you, and I consider you heroes,” Trump said of the state and local officials around him.
Abbott thanked the president for what he called a swift federal response to the disaster.
“This is the fastest, that I’m aware of, of any administration responding so swiftly, so collaboratively, so coordinated as we have in response to this,” Abbott said. “Thank you for that major disaster declaration. It ensures that we’re going to be able to more effectively respond and help rebuild.”
WATCH: President Trump, first lady arrive in San Antonio
The president and first lady arrived in San Antonio just before noon on Friday. They departed for Kerrville in Marine One shortly afterwards.
They are expected to depart Kerrville at 3:15 p.m. for Bedminster, New Jersey.
The president has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas needs to recover.
Trump extends major disaster declaration to more Texas counties
Ahead of his visit to flood-ravaged Central Texas, Trump on Thursday approved a request from Abbott to extend the major disaster declaration beyond Kerr County to eight additional counties, making them eligible for direct financial assistance to recover and rebuild.
These counties are eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance programs:
- Burnet
- Kerr
- San Saba
- Tom Green
- Travis
- Williamson
These counties are eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program:
- Kendall
- Kerr
- Kimble
- Menard
- San Saba
“President Donald Trump approved my request to add more counties to his disaster declaration, which will provide critical assistance to Texans and communities impacted by the devastating flooding,” Abbott said in a news release Friday. “There has been extraordinary collaboration with the state and the federal government to make sure that we address Texans’ needs as quickly as possible through disaster assistance programs. The State of Texas will continue to work with our federal and local partners to provide impacted Texans with the support they need to heal and recover.”
More counties could be added to the disaster declaration as further information from the damage assessments becomes available, according to FEMA.
FAA issues temporary flight restriction over Hill Country search area
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction for counties in the Texas Hill Country affected by recent flooding, according to a Thursday news release.
The restriction targets aircraft and drones from operating without permission.
“Adherence to the temporary flight restrictions rules must be followed for the safety of all aircraft and ground personnel within the area,” the release said.
Earlier this week, a private drone collided with a rescue helicopter over the Hill Country flood zone. The City of Kerrville posted on its Facebook page, stating that the drone had been operating in restricted airspace.
The helicopter made an emergency landing, and no injuries were reported.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy discusses support, philanthropic moves
During a press conference on Friday morning, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country announced it had garnered $30 million in donations in response to last week’s deadly floods, which ripped through Kerr County.
>> Hill Country group announces plans to disperse funds for continued flood relief efforts
The Kerr County Relief Fund was established on the morning of July 4, 2025.
“The outpouring of love and support from all of the country, from particularly Texas, particularly here in Kerr County, has been extraordinary,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy said before a Friday press conference.
Roy, describing Trump’s planned Friday visit, said he was looking forward to visiting with him.
Roy, whose congressional district includes Kerr County, said the support and work from the foundation were important.
“Across party lines and politics aside, people have reached out to me from all over the country,” he said. “I think today is going to be a bright spot in demonstrating what can happen (when) people come together.”
During Friday’s press conference, Austin Dickson, the foundation’s CEO, said over 100,000 individual donors made gifts in a matter of days.
“We have heard from Kervillians, Texans, Americans and people all over the world say ‘we are with you,’” said Austin Dickson, CEO of The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
2,100+ responders from 10 states working in Kerr County
During a news conference on Thursday, Kerrville Community Services Officer Jonathan Lamb said more than 2,100 responders are on the ground in Kerr County. Ten states have deployed specially trained teams to Kerr County to assist with recovery efforts.
According to the Kerrville Public Utility Board, power has been restored to areas that lost electricity during the July 4 floods.
KSAT meets the first person in line outside makeshift FEMA center in Kerrville
On Thursday morning, KSAT’s Ernie Zuniga met with Wayne Donaghe, the first in line at a makeshift FEMA recovery center at a church in Kerrville.
Donaghe recounted how he, his wife, son and dog, Sassy, escaped their home before rising floodwaters overtook it.
“Saw a house go by and a car light go by and knew we had to get out,” he said. “By the time I got everybody out of the bed, it was already, I don’t know, maybe two inches from coming in my house.”
Donaghe said his home was a total loss, but he hoped to return and rebuild with the assistance of FEMA.
Emergency alert request from first responders in Kerr County met with delay
A request from a firefighter with the Ingram Volunteer Fire Department to send a mass emergency alert to warn residents of impending flooding was delayed, according to dispatch audio obtained by KSAT from a source.
>> Director who helped bring CodeRED to Kerr County says leadership lost sight of tool’s value
The request came in at 4:22 a.m. on Friday, July 4. However, a source told KSAT that neither the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office nor the Kerrville Police Department sent a CodeRED Alert to some residents until 10:04 a.m. on July 4.
Fredericksburg, Ingram, Andrews County fire officials update search and rescue efforts
Fire officials from Ingram and Fredericksburg said on Thursday that search and rescue teams continue to work tirelessly along the Guadalupe River to find missing people after the Hill Country floods.
A Fredericksburg fire official said on Thursday the top priority is to provide closure to families of those still missing.
“Our number one goal in this operation is to find the loved ones that are missing,” Fredericksburg Fire Chief Lynn Bizzell said. “We are working diligently every day."
Bizzell said about 300 personnel are working the area.
“We are encountering tremendous debris problems in the river,” Bizzell said. “We have ground crews that are going in by hand and searching and trying to see what we can do from a recovery standpoint."
Watch the entire Thursday press conference below:
The operation faces challenges from massive debris piles along the river, with the piles being 20-30 feet high, according to Fredericksburg Fire Marshal Reagan Rabke.
During the Thursday press conference, Bizzell said crews in Ingram were working to remove debris from an eight-mile stretch of the river littered with debris.
The search includes first responders from across Texas as well as teams from Canada and Mexico.
>> The Mexican rescue team assisting in Hill Country floods relief
Andrews County Sheriff Charles Stewart said agencies involved also include the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Volunteers and professionals are combing through debris, checking vehicles and RVs, and sometimes entering the water.
Officials ask that debris piles be left untouched until public safety crews have thoroughly searched. Once cleared, professional teams may use heavy machinery to remove large debris.
Officials warn that the process could take months to thoroughly cover the river.
Stewart emphasized a strict no-fly zone for drones over the search area.
He also urged volunteers to check in at the fire station before going to the river to ensure safety and coordination.
Officials said the search operations have been running from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
State inspected Camp Mystic two days before deadly floods; camp had emergency plan
State officials verified that Camp Mystic had an emergency plan in place before the July 4 floods, according to records obtained on Tuesday by KSAT Investigates.
Department of State Health and Human Services records show it inspected the camp along the Guadalupe River on July 2, two days before heavy rain flooded the Hill Country.
>> State inspected Camp Mystic two days before deadly floods; camp had emergency plan
Records show there were 64 staff members and 386 campers at the Guadalupe portion of the campgrounds during that inspection.
Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, which runs independently of the Guadalupe River, had a combined 215 staffers and campers when inspectors visited the properties on July 2.
>> Timeline: When the warnings began for Kerr County before catastrophic flooding
Kerr County Commissioners had conversations about flood warning system
Minutes from a 2016 Kerr County Commissioners Court found that discussions on a flood warning system had been ongoing for several years.
>> Kerr County Commissioners had conversations about flood warning system almost a decade ago
An emergency management coordinator currently serving Kerr County discussed several existing flood warning resources present in the county, but indicated none were “really flood control or flood warning systems.”
The county had applied for funding from FEMA to support the county’s goal of installing a system. Its application was not selected, according to an ABC News report.
Boil water notice for Canyon Lake-area residents
The Texas Water Company has issued a boil water notice for residents in the Canyon Lake area following severe flooding along the Guadalupe River.
The Texas Water Company said flooding caused an influx of debris and sediment into Canyon Lake. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) required the public water system, Canyon Lake Shores, to issue the notice, effective immediately.
The boil water notice currently affects a range of subdivisions in the Canyon Lake area. Click here for the latest.
Bexar, Guadalupe counties included in expanded disaster declaration
On July 5, Abbott expanded his disaster declaration to include the following counties:
- Bexar
- Burnet
- Caldwell
- Guadalupe
- Travis
- Williamson
Abbott had previously signed a disaster declaration for the following counties during Friday’s news conference: Bandera, Coke, Comal, Concho, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Llano, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reeves, San Saba and Tom Green.
Remembering the victims of the flood
Officials have not released the names of people killed in the floods, but relatives and friends of victims have taken to social media to remember their loved ones.
Click here to read more about the victims.
How to help
As rescue operations continue in the Hill Country, many are asking how they can support those affected by the floods.
Click here to read about some ways to help victims and their families, as well as how to support first responders.
County judge: Warning system not in place
In a July 4 news conference, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Kerr County does not have a warning system on the river.
When pressed by a reporter on why evacuations didn’t take place Thursday evening, Kelly said, “We didn’t know this flood was coming.”
“Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming,” Kelly said. “We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here, none whatsoever.”
A Flash Flood Watch was issued for Kerr County at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday. The first flood warning was issued at 1 a.m. Friday.
In a July 4 news conference, then-acting Governor (and current Lt. Gov.) Dan Patrick said Jay Hall, an assistant chief with the Texas Department of Emergency Management, “personally contacted the judges and the mayors in that area and notified them all of potential flooding.”
“It is up to the local counties and mayors under the law to evacuate if they feel a need, but that information was passed along,” Patrick added.
WATCH: KSAT 12’s Sarah Spivey explains the Guadalupe River’s crest over Friday and Saturday.
10+ inches of rain
Between 10 and 12 inches of rain fell in the Kerr County area overnight on July 4, resulting in major flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Rain gauges have recorded more than 10 inches of rain in Ingram, but radar estimates suggest up to 13 inches in more rural areas.
Kerr County spokesperson Clint Morris told KSAT on July 4 that it is “an extremely active scene, countywide.”
“This may be a once-in-a-lifetime flood” for the county, he said, adding that they’ve responded to multiple calls for high-water rescues. People should avoid traveling west of Ingram near the Guadalupe River.
Comparisons to the 1987 flood
On the night of July 16, 1987, just outside Comfort, the kids at Pot O’ Gold Christian Camp were settling in for their final night of the retreat, while 30 miles up the Guadalupe River, at the other end of Kerr County, heavy rainfall would turn what had been a sleepy river into a wall of water.
While trying to evacuate the camp, a bus carrying 43 campers never made it across. Sadly, 10 of those on the bus drowned.
In a July 4 news conference, Kelly said the Friday flood “far surpasses the ‘87 flood."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More recent related coverage of the Hill Country floods: