(Houston) Floods caused by torrential rains left at least 24 dead in Texas in the south of the United States, according to a new assessment established on Friday by local authorities. A previous assessment reported at least 13 dead, including children and twenty missing in the sudden flood of the Guadalupe river.
“I can confirm that at that time, we have approximately 24 dead,” said at a press conference Larry Lethia, the sheriff of the county of Kerr, later specifying that the balance sheet was well at 24 deaths.
“We are without news of around twenty” children out of the 750 who participated in a summer camp for girls, said the deputy governor of Texas, Dan Patrick at a press conference.
“This does not mean that they are among the victims, they could be in a tree or without communication,” he continued.
The assistant governor read a message from the director of the summer camp saying that he had undergone “catastrophic level” in front of the director of the summer camp “and have” electricity, water, nor wifi “.
According to the authorities, the level of the Guadalupe river, which crosses the area, rose approximately eight meters in 45 minutes in which it fell “nearly 300 millimeters/hour of rain, a third of the average annual precipitation of the county.
Image Michael Moad, supplied by Reuters
In this image drawn from a video obtained from social media, we can see trees which are partially overwhelmed after storms caused massive floods because of the flood of the Guadalupe river in Kerrville, Texas, on July 4, 2025.
Videos broadcast on social networks show houses and trees carried away by the flood.
Other precipitation expected
An official of the County of Kerr, Rob Kelly, underlined the sudden nature of these floods which occurred around 4 am in this region however used to this type of phenomena.
“We have floods all the time. It is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, “he said. But “we had no reason to believe that it was going to be something like what happened”.
The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, shared on X a video showing the rescue of a refugee person at the top of a tree by a rescuer suspended from a helicopter, above tumultuous waters.
“Air rescue missions like this are carried out 24 hours a day. We will not stop until everyone has been found,” said Abbott.
Photo Associated Press
Water rises following serious floods along the Guadalupe river, in the county of Kerr, Texas, Friday, July 4, 2025.
About 500 rescuers and 14 helicopters were deployed, while the Texas National Guard and the Côtes guards sent reinforcements.
“The rain has calmed down, but we know that another wave is coming,” said the director of public security of Texas, Freeman Martin, adding that precipitation was also expected in the areas of San Antonio and Austin.
The weather services have issued a flood alert for the County Center-South Center, calling on the inhabitants to avoid travel and those living near the Guadalupe river to go “to areas in height”.
In mid-June, at least ten people had perished due to floods in San Antonio, also in Texas, following torrential rains.
In addition, in New Jersey, at least two people were killed by the fall of a tree on their vehicle during a “violent storm” in this northeast state, local police said.
