Remembering Texas Hill Country: 1 year since the heartbreaking flooding disaster killed 135 on July 4

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1 year after deadly flooding disaster, Kerr County recounts loss, heartbreak while focusing on recovery

FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne returned to Kerr County, Texas, one year after the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than an hour, causing catastrophic damage and killing at least 135 people. The area is showing signs of recovery and progress, while recognizing the heartbreak that occurred there a year before. 

It's been one year since the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country rose to record-breaking heights in the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, taking the lives of at least 135 people. 

Over just a few hours, relentless rains caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry caused rivers to rise and Flash Flood Emergencies to be issued in Kerr County and surrounding areas. 

Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.

(Eric Vryn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The precipitation caused some waterways to rise 30 feet in just an hour, catching residents and visitors off guard as floodwaters raced eastward through the Lone Star State toward the Gulf.

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FILE: House floats down Guadalupe River during historic Texas flooding

Video from Friday during the devastating flooding shows a house moving downriver before getting caught against a bridge in Center Point.  The flooding has left more than 100 people dead across Texas hill country.

The National Weather Service called it a "deadly flood wave", urging people to seek higher ground and evacuate quickly. 

Hundreds of people were swept away as the Guadalupe River escaped its banks, carrying away homes, cars and flooding campgrounds, including the all-girls camp, Camp Mystic. 

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As floodwaters began receding late on July 5th, the destruction was unimaginable. 

Mud, trees, brush and debris created massive piles along the banks of the Guadalupe River. 

Personal items, clothing and memories of loved ones missing in the floods were scattered around and buried in mud.

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Stories of rescue, recovery and heartbreak emerged as search and rescue for the missing began. 

Nathan Sharpe grieves at the entrance to the Hunt city square on July 09, 2025, in Hunt, Texas.

(Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

Tales of heartbreak and hope

FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne reported on the ground for days, telling the stories of those who risked their lives to save others, following along as flood recovery continued and the death toll rose.

Families told their stories of escaping the rising floodwaters, fleeing to the roofs of their homes in panic. 

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94-year-old Betty Matteson and her family had just moments to flee the water that was filling her home in Hunt, Texas. They escaped to their attic and were preparing to climb onto the roof, more than three stories up, when the floodwaters began receding. 

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FILE: 94-year-old Texas flood survivor describes fleeing to attic

Betty Matteson, 94, told FOX Weather Meteorologist Kiyana Lewis that her grandson woke her up when the flooding came into their Hunt, Texas home. The family rushed into the attic, where they watched the water come up near the attic on the three-story home. They were about to climb onto the roof with the water finally stopped rising.

"Thanks to our Heavenly Father, we were saved," she told FOX Weather in the days following the rescue. 

Stories began to emerge of the heroes of the flooding, both those who survived and who were swept away. 

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FILE: Kerrville neighbors place ribbons to remember Texas flooding victims

FOX News Correspondent Kennedy Hayes spoke to neighbors who survived the flooding in Kerr County. Their uphill neighborhood, which normally does not flood did on July 4. The neighbors are placing ribbons to remember the more than 100 flood victims. 

People and companies from all over America responded to aid flood victims and help with search and recovery. 

Camp Mystic: A place of devastating loss

At Camp Mystic, the search for more than two dozen girls became frantic as rescue operations shifted into recovery. 

In total, 28 lives from the camp were lost, including 25 campers ages 8 to 10, two 18-year-old counselors and the camp's co-executive director. 

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CENTER POINT, TEXAS - JULY 18: A 10-foot cross is seen along the banks of the Guadalupe River in front of Camp Mystic on July 18, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. 

(Brenda Bazán / The Washington Post / Getty Images)

Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in June, almost two months after announcing the camp would not reopen for the 2026 season. 

Multiple families of the young girls who died in the flooding have sought answers, filing civil lawsuits against the camp. 

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The Texas state Legislature launched an investigation into the camp following the tragedy, eventually releasing a report in June that stated the camp failed to adequately train and prepare its staff for flooding. 

A view of Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on July 5, 2025. 

(RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP  / Getty Images)

Coming back to Kerr County

Byrne revisited Kerr County one year after the flooding, speaking with residents and officials on the progress the county has been making in the year since the tragedy. 

"This week is hard because we're reliving what was the most tragic day in our community's history," Joe Herring, Kerrville mayor said. 

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HUNT, TEXAS - JULY 1: A small make shift memorial for victims that died during the July 4 floods last year in Hunt, Texas, US, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.  

(Christopher Lee for Washington Post / Getty Images)

Herring told Byrne that they still haven't located two of the missing a year later. 

Ryan Logue is a diver who has worked tirelessly for the last year on searching for those two missing people and cleaning up the Guadalupe River after the floods. 

INGRAM, TEXAS - JULY 1: Ryan Logue, an amateur diver who has dedicated himself to finding remains of the July 4 flood victims along the Guadalupe River, poses for a portrait at Ingram Lake in Ingram, Texas, US, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. 

(Christopher Lee for Washington Post / Getty Images)

"The goal will always be that we're always going to look for that young girl and for Jeff Ramsey. That doesn't stop," he said.

New homes have been built, and Kerr County has installed brand new flood sirens which are tested regularly. 

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"We're a hurting community. We are still trying to heal. We are at the one-year mark where there is a lot of people having to relive horrific experiences and memories," John Dunn, owner of The Hunt Store, said. 

HUNT, TEXAS - JULY 1: A memorial for the victims during the July 4 floods last year in Hunt, Texas, US, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. 

(Christopher Lee for Washington Post / Getty Images)

The Guadalupe River is calm again, and the debris has been cleared away from its banks, but thousands of people will never look at the river the same. 

"People will come back, it'll be hard. Some people’ll never get in it again," Herring said. 

INGRAM, TEXAS - JULY 1: The Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas, US, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

(Christopher Lee for Washington Post / Getty Images)

Recovery continues across the region as families and communities reel in the progress made while recognizing the calamity, one year later.