Search for over 170 missing Texas flood victims continues as recovery begins

More than 161 people still missing in Texas Hill Country nearly one week after historic flooding

More than 161 people still missing in Texas Hill Country nearly one week after historic flooding. FOX Weather Meteorologist Haley Meier has the latest from Kerrville.

KERRVILLE, Texas – Hundreds of people are continuing to look for victims and possible survivors who were swept away when catastrophic flooding decimated communities across Texas’ Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

The disaster struck along Texas’ Guadalupe River after a "deadly flood wave" sent a 20-foot wall of water rushing downstream.

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First responders continue to look for victims, survivors in wake of deadly Texas flooding

Hundreds of people are continuing to look for victims and survivors who were swept downstream when catastrophic flooding devastated communities across Texas' Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray joined first responders as they combed through the countless piles of debris along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville on July 8, 2025.

At least 119 people have been killed, and more than 170 remain missing across Central Texas. In hard-hit Kerr County, at least 95 deaths have been reported, including 36 children.

Many of those children were staying at Camp Mystic – a Christian, all-girls summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

As the search for those who are missing continues, residents are starting the heartbreaking recovery process.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took an aerial tour of the flood damage Tuesday and said the hearts of Texans are breaking "every single day" due to the catastrophe.

"There’s nothing more important on our hearts and minds than the people impacted, especially those who are still lost," he said. "We have to find every single person who’s missing."

The state of Texas has deployed more than 2,100 personnel and more than 1,100 vehicles and equipment to help local officials and communities respond to and recover from the flooding.

In addition, Abbott said more than 20 state agencies were currently responding to the flood threats across the state.

Deaths from the flooding disaster have been reported in six counties – Kerr, Burnet, Travis, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson.

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As the death toll in the wake of the Texas flooding disaster continues to climb, residents in the area have stepped up to help with the search efforts. Weather Correspondent Robert Ray has the latest from Kerrville.

"To put this into perspective, just in Kerr and Kendall counties alone, there are far more fatalities than there were in Hurricane Harvey," Abbott said. "That’s how catastrophic this is."

Review of emergency actions expected

While questions have been raised if anything could have prevented this mass-causality event. Officials in Kerry County said Wednesday there will be a full review of the warnings and emergency services.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said complex topography means the Hill Country "is not a one-size, fits all place," with rural areas, single-lane bridges and low-water crossings.

"This incident will be reviewed. You have my word," Leitha said. "If improvements need to be made, improvements will be made."

Kerrville Police Community Services Officer Jonathan Lamb describes some of the responses by police officers on the morning of July 4 when the flooding quickly turned deadly, trapping people in homes and in vehicles along the river near Highway 39 in Hunt, Texas.

Lamb said a patrol sergeant who lives in the area saw dozens of people trapped on roofs.

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This image shows damage left behind after historic and deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas.

(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)

"He saw people trapped in swift-moving water," Lamb said. "He gave them encouragement over his public address system in his vehicle. He told them to be strong, that he would get to them as quickly as he could and to hang on."

Lamb said that for 13 hours, two officers and a volunteer firefighter and an emergency room doctor provided care to flooding victims. 

"They provided first aid," he said. "They coordinated helicopter evacuations for the most critically injured, communicated the situation back to our emergency dispatch center, Kerrville Police Department."

Meanwhile, in the early hours of July 4, officers in Kerrville realized low-lying areas near the river were in danger. One officer used his PA system to wake people up and tell them to get out. Several officers used a garden hose to rescue people clinging to a tree in waist-deep floodwater.

"I don't know how many lives our KPD team saved in an hour in Kerrville, but I know that this tragedy, as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse," Lamb said.

HUNT, TEXAS - JULY 8: A view of destruction after heavy rainfall overwhelmed the Guadalupe River, sending floodwaters roaring through homes and area summer camps in Hunt, Texas, United States on July 8, 2025. The death toll from flash floods in the US state of Texas has risen to 109, reported. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Abbott issued a disaster declaration for more than a dozen counties in Texas’ Hill Country that were impacted, and President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County to "ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need."

Trump will also travel to Texas this week to tour the devastation.