Texas’ emergency management chief has repeatedly recommended that lawmakers require minimum training but a bill proposed after the disaster failed.
Crider’s dance hall is back. Homes are rebuilt. Kids swim in the river. But there’s also deep grief after the river killed 119 people and traumatized more.
Nearly a year after deadly floods devastated the Texas Hill Country, most summer camps in the Hunt and Kerrville area have reopened following extensive repairs and updated safety protocols.
More than two dozen Texas counties are in the process of mapping out where outdoor warning signs would be most effective during flash floods. The work is the result of the deadly 2025 Hill Country floods.
Dozens of bills were rejected over nearly 60 years, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Some measures would have prohibited youth camps and new construction in high-risk flood areas.
Camp Mystic has withdrawn its application for a Texas state license to operate a summer 2026 camp, telling DSHS it doesn’t want any administrative process to move forward while families grieve and investigations continue after last July’s tragedy.
“I think about the night of the flood every moment of every day,” Edward Eastland said at a committee hearing Tuesday. “We tried our hardest that night and it wasn’t enough to save your daughters.”
The summer camp hadn’t prepared counselors and staff with adequate emergency training, an evacuation plan or flood preparedness supplies, the investigator concluded.
State health officials issued an 11-page deficiency letter to Camp Mystic over its emergency plan, a key requirement for the camp to be licensed to operate.
The camp has 45 days to revise its plan as it aims to reopen for campers this summer. Other youth camps also had deficiencies to correct in their plans, according to the agency that must review them.
A group of 19 camps said fiber-optic internet that lawmakers ordered them to install after last year's floods is too expensive or impossible to get.
Camp Mystic filed to renew its license in March. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has repeatedly urged state officials to reject the application.
Cabins, grounds and other buildings hit by the July 4 flood on the Guadalupe River cannot be renovated or removed, according to the order.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has requested that the state pause the renewal of Camp Mystic's license until a full investigation into last summer's tragic events, where 28 lives were lost, is conducted.
The lieutenant governor’s request to delay renewing the camp’s license came hours after parents who lost children in the July 4 flood sued the state for its alleged failure to enforce an evacuation plan requirement.
Several parents who lost children during last year’s deadly flood in the Texas Hill Country are asking state officials to deny the renewal of Camp Mystic’s license to operate.
In Kerr County, the July 4 flood is expected to quadruple serious emotional disturbances in children and more than triple adult PTSD cases this year.
Hundreds of newly released messages add more detail to the devastating timeline of the deadly floods.
On July 4, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, unleashing one of the worst natural disasters in Texas history and killing 135 people. In Kerr County, families lost homes, businesses, pets, keepsakes – entire lives were swept away in the muddy, violent rush of water.
The county where more than 100 died in July floods wants to quickly build a $5 million flood warning system.
Six months after deadly July floods, Texas Hill Country camps are installing a new flood warning system to protect campers and rebuild parent trust.
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan will serve as grand marshal of the 2026 Downtown Rodeo Parade, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced Thursday.
The Kerrville Police Department announced Thursday that it will release the 911 calls from the deadly Hill Country flood that occurred on July 4, 2025.
Texas earmarked $1.4 billion to help fund flood prevention projects. But after learning that so many communities turned down the money, two lawmakers who approved the program acknowledged it was flawed.
RJ and Annie Harber have leaned on faith, their community and each other to move through each day after losing their daughters and RJ’s parents. But memories of that night still haunt them.
Four lawsuits that were filed separately Monday allege Camp Mystic officials’ lack of planning and stalled evacuation contributed to the deaths of several children and counselors.
The families of campers and counselors who died in the Hill Country Floods at Camp Mystic on July 4 have filed a lawsuit alleging gross negligence and reckless disregard for safety by the camp and its owners.
Only about one-fifth of applicants for federal disaster assistance in Kerr County, Texas have been deemed eligible to get financial help so far.
Despite a plea by the family of a camper who is still missing to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials to those who died, Mystic officials say they’ll proceed with their plans.
Two dads helped lead Camp Mystic parents to advocate for new camp rules in the Texas Legislature. What they wanted most was to have their daughters back.
Texas lawmakers passed two bills that will bring sweeping change to how youth camps are regulated. House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 passed late Wednesday and are scheduled to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday.
The community in Kerrville, Texas, is coming together Friday night for an emotional high school football season opener between the Tivy Antlers and the Del Rio Rams.
HB 256 would prevent camps from correcting violations on the spot to avoid state penalties and reduce the number of camps serving on a state panel to a maximum of two.
In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Tribune climate reporter Emily Foxhall about the emotional pleas Camp Mystic parents made to state lawmakers and analyze the proposed new laws in response to the Kerrville floods.
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has a four-pronged recovery plan: rebuilding homes, supporting mental health, economic recovery, and reviving the area’s quality of life.
Houston parents are mourning their children lost in a deadly Camp Mystic flood—and demanding lawmakers act before another tragedy strikes.
Parents of children who died in the devastating July 4 flood at Camp Mystic delivered emotional testimony before Texas lawmakers on Wednesday, urging quick approval of Senate Bill 1 to improve safety standards at camps across the state.
Parents of the 27 campers and counselors killed when floodwaters rushed through a girl's summer camp in the Texas Hill Country pleaded with lawmakers to pass a bill that would boost camp safety.
The Fourth of July flood bore a striking similarity to the Hill Country flood that killed 10 summer campers in 1987. In the following years, officials took little action to protect against the next storm.
The family of a victim in the Hill Country floods has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a resort where she was staying.
Most of the camps were built decades ago, before modern modeling and flood maps. Counties have little power to regulate construction flood plains.
They lost homes and summer cabins to the July 4 flood in Kerr County. Now they are weighing whether it makes sense to rebuild.
Most victims were Texans, but some were visiting from other states like California, Florida and Alabama. The youngest victims were 1 year old; the oldest was 91.
The Texas Rangers have formally released the names of those who died and the two who still remain missing after the devastating July 4 flood event on the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.
The Associated Press has assembled a chronology of chaotic rescue efforts as a flash flood barreled through the Hill Country of Central Texas before dawn July 4.
The series looks to shine a light on recovery efforts and the inspiring stories of hope. KPRC 2's Re'Chelle Turner is in Texas Hill Country and spoke with Roker to learn more.
An Ingram man searching flood-ravaged banks says a mysterious scream led him to a young girl’s body, bringing a grieving family closure.
One month after the catastrophic Texas Hill Country Flood swept through Kerr County, the physical damage may be fading, but for local businesses, the financial pain is just beginning.
It’s been one month since the devastating Texas Hill Country flood that turned the quiet and calm Guadalupe River into a fury that this area has never seen before.
Elite Houston dive teams are in the Texas Hill Country using rare underwater sonar to search 127 miles of the Guadalupe River for the final two victims of the deadly July 4 flood.
In just one week, the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has raised more than $30 million for the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, the organization announced Friday.
The five-year-old plan, required by the state, detailed when additional monitoring was to take place and who was responsible for alerting the public to evacuate.
Residents told state lawmakers about what they’ve lost and the hardships they’re experiencing almost a month after the July 4 disaster devastated the region.
Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk spoke before a joint House and Senate of lawmakers who visited the Hill Country for the hearing on Thursday.
Sheriff Larry Leitha shared a detailed timeline of the county's response, which has been questioned by lawmakers, residents, and the media since the deadly floods.
"The three guys in Kerr County who were responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable,” said Representative Ann Johnson, a Houston Democrat.
Lawmakers plan to hear testimony Thursday in Kerr County. Questions remain about how state and local entities responded to flood warnings.
Two top leaders in a rural Texas county were asleep and a third was out of town in the initial hours of a catastrophic flood that caused widespread destruction and killed more than 130 people.
Ahead of the Thursday’s Texas legislature meeting in Kerrville, Texas, flood survivors and disaster recovery organizers hosted a virtual press briefing to discuss community needs for federal and state disaster relief.
At least two summer camps in the Texas Hill Country have invited campers back after sustaining little to no damage from the flood. Other camps are still combing through the rubble.
As you drive across Kerr County, it’s hard to miss the many trees ravaged by raging floodwaters. That's why community members remain dedicated to rebuilding from the devastation.
Search and recovery efforts are still underway in the Texas Hill Country after heavy rains flooded the Guadalupe River, causing a flash flood that took hundreds of lives earlier this month.
Lawmakers serving on special committees investigating deadly floods blasted a river authority for failing to build a flood warning system on the Guadalupe River.
Officials in a Texas hill country community pummeled by deadly flooding on July 4 say just three people remain missing, down from nearly 100.
The Kerr County Flood Disaster Joint Information Center has confirmed that three people are still missing following the catastrophic and deadly July 4th flood.
The number of people still missing in a Texas county ravaged by deadly flooding over the Fourth of July holiday weekend now stands at three, down from nearly 100.
Hundreds gathered at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in River Oaks on Thursday to celebrate the lives of four Burgess family members who died in the devastating Hill Country floods earlier this month.
Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a press conference following a briefing on Texas’ continued response to recent severe flooding that impacted communities in San Angelo.
Special K9 Inc., a nonprofit based in Montgomery County that deploys certified cadaver dogs across the U.S. and internationally. It's an all-volunteer team driven by one mission: to help families find their missing loved ones.
After deadly floods swept through Texas Hill Country, Houstonians responded with truckloads of donations, led by a weeklong relief drive from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
As Kerr County continues recovering from devastating floods, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is leading a major donation drive to support families who lost everything.
These young leaders, who started their nonprofit at just 6 and 8 years old, are hosting the event on Saturday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Cypress Creek Lakes Splash Pad in Cypress.
A spokesperson for Camp Mystic said he is still working to confirm the timeline of events that led to the deaths of 27 campers and counselors on July 4th.
Kerr County officials met Monday for the first time since the deadly flooding that devastated the Hill Country area on July 4.
As families across the Texas Hill Country continue to recover from the devastating floods that swept through the region over the Fourth of July weekend, a Houston-based nonprofit is stepping in to help a community that often serves others first: food and beverage workers.
Host of "Eat Like a Local," Chris Shepherd, is behind the nonprofit Southern Smoke Foundation, which is committing $150,000 toward the Hill Country Relief Fund application to assist food and beverage workers impacted by the devastating flood.
Officials are keeping a wary eye on river levels as some crews resume the search for people still missing after catastrophic flooding pummeled Texas this month.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that the federal government has updated the Presidential Disaster Declaration following recent flooding in Texas to include additional counties.
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.
A public Facebook page is looking to comfort those who lost their loved ones in last week’s devastating flash floods.
In the wake of the devastating Texas Hill Country floods, several Texas-based companies have banned together to provide relief those in need.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced its $500,000 commitment to aid in the recovery efforts and rebuilding of the Texas Hill Country floods.
The request of a CodeRED was met with a dispatcher informing the first responder, “10-4 stand by, we have to get that approved with our supervisor, please be advised we do have the Texas Water Rescue en route.”
It has been five days since devastating floods left massive destruction in the Texas Hill Country.
In response to the Hill Country floods and the widespread devastation in Kerr County, NASA has deployed two aircraft to assist state and local authorities in ongoing recovery operations.
Texas police described some of the harrowing rescues they conducted after flash floods engulfed camps and homes in the state's Hill Country.
In the small river towns that dot the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, you can’t look far without seeing devastation.