What was intended to be a serene Fourth of July transformed into a calamity as flash floods wreaked havoc in various regions of Texas, especially near the Guadalupe River. Within a mere 45 minutes, floodwaters rose by 26 feet, leaving communities entirely unprepared.
The number of fatalities has exceeded 100. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr., visibly shaken, informed CNN that local authorities received no prior warning. “I’ve lost two friends. We loved them. And they’re gone,” he expressed tearfully.
The floods were instigated by an unforeseen downpour—over a foot of rain fell throughout the area—resulting in the overflow of the Guadalupe River. Initially, the National Weather Service had forecasted significantly less rainfall, estimating only 3–8 inches depending on the specific location.
Texas Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd expressed his discontent regarding the erroneous forecasts, stating that officials were unprepared for the magnitude of the catastrophe. At Camp Mystic, a well-known girls’ summer camp in Kerr County, 27 out of 750 campers tragically lost their lives.
