July 4th deadly Texas floods, one year later

AUSTIN, Texas - It's been one year since floodwaters swept through Central Texas over the July 4th weekend, claiming the lives of more than 130 people.

The majority of the deaths were reported in Kerr County, including 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic.

At least two people still remain missing a year later: volunteer fire Chief Michael Philips of Marble Falls and camper Cile Steward of Austin.

Deadly July 4th floods

The backstory:

The disaster was the result of stalled thunderstorms dumping up to 20 inches of rain over the region, which was suffering from a severe drought. 

The deluge could not penetrate the hardened soil, turning local rivers into violent, fast-rising torrents.

READ MORE: Texas leaders react

Advisories from the NWS escalated shortly after midnight on July 4, and at 1:15 a.m. a flood warning was issued for Ingram and Hunt. 

The sheer amount of rain was overwhelming. Former NOAA Chief Scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist, calculated that the storm had dropped 120 billion gallons of water on Kerr County alone.

State resources were deployed across a wide threat zone – about 35,000 square miles, or about the size of the state of Indiana.

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More than 1,000 first responders from across the country helped with search efforts to bring loved ones home to their families. Crews also came from around the world, including a 16-member search-and-rescue team from the Czech Republic.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

In Travis County, the total financial impact has topped $28 million. First responders conducted 66 lifesaving rescues along 30 miles of waterways, and nearly 300 damage reports were filed for homes and businesses across Leander, Jonestown, and Lago Vista.

The victims

In August 2025, officials released the names of 118 people who died in Kerr County. The oldest victim was 91 while the youngest three were just 1 year old.

The majority were from all over Texas, with some hailing from Florida, Alabama and California.

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The ultimate death toll also included lives lost in other counties, including in Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Kendall and Tom Green. 

Travis County officials identified ten people who died in the floods, the youngest being a 15-year-old boy and the oldest an 84-year-old woman. Nine of the dead were from Leander.

The aftermath

Community response

In the aftermath of the floods, support for the Central Texas community poured in from all over, including businesses, community organizations, sports teams and more.

The main Kerr County relief fund was launched by the local nonprofit Community Foundation to help support local response, relief and recovery efforts. Many businesses and organizations pledged donations for flood relief by donating directly to this fund.

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One business that stepped up in a big way was Texas grocery chain H-E-B, which provided on-the-ground meals, volunteers, product, and support to impacted areas, in addition to funding for multiple nonprofits. 

H-E-B also deployed its Mobile Kitchen in Kerr County, and distributed cleaning supplies, gift cards, food, water, and more to people in flood-affected areas.

Residents also stepped up in other ways, including to reunite people with their belongings that had washed away in the floodwaters.

State investigation, legislative changes

The House and Senate held hearings within a month to investigate disaster preparedness and flooding, looking at flood warning systems, emergency communications and preparation and recovery for natural disasters.

The Texas Legislature also held a special session and quickly passed new legislation related to the floods:

• Senate Bill 1, which added new requirements for camps built fully or partially on floodplains
• Senate Bill 3, which required outdoor warning sirens in flash flood-prone areas

SB 1 was also dubbed the "Heaven's 27 Camp Safety Act" and was championed by the families of the girls killed.

Kerr County became the first Texas municipality to fully install and test new outdoor warning sirens earlier this year.

RELATED: Kerrville Police Department releases 911 calls in their entirety

A subsequent 115-page state legislative investigative report released in June revealed critical evacuation delays, a lack of compliant emergency preparedness plans, and an overwhelmed local infrastructure. At the peak of the crisis, only two 911 dispatchers were on duty in Kerr County, managing 435 emergency calls in a six-hour window.

Lawsuits

Multiple lawsuits have been filed in connection with the floods, with the majority of them aimed at Camp Mystic and the Eastland family.

The first to be filed was on behalf of the family of 22-year-old Jayda Floyd of Odessa, who had been staying at the HTR TX Hill Country Resort on the Guadalupe River with her fiancé and his family. 

The suit alleged that despite being aware of the risk of flooding, including catastrophic flooding, the defendants continued to operate the resort, did not warn visitors of the risks, and failed to evacuate the premises in a timely manner when flooding happened.

Another suit was filed against HTR TX Hill Country Resort on behalf of multiple families whose loved ones died at the resort, including 72-year-old Steve Edwards and his wife Marilyn from San Angelo.

The lawsuit named the owners, managers, and investors of HTR TX Hill Country campground as defendants and an attorney representing Edwards' family said there was no notice of flooding at the campsite until water was already in their RV.

Camp Mystic

Camp Mystic was the site of the single deadliest incident in the floods. Raging waters from the Guadalupe River rose a staggering 26 feet in under an hour before ultimately cresting at a record 37.5 feet.

Twenty-seven campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, along with Richard "Dick" Eastland, the longtime camp director. Eight-year-old Cile Steward, one of those still missing a year later, was a camper there. The girls were given the name, "Heaven's 27".

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Since the flooding, the nearly century-old camp has been the center of multiple lawsuits and investigations, ultimately leading to the camp not reopening for summer 2026.

The camp initially announced plans to reopen its Cypress Lake location with extensive new safety upgrades. Despite those reported upgrades, Camp Mystic had over 20 deficiencies cited in its 2026 camp license application, including concerns over its flash flood evacuation plan.

The reopening plans were also met with pushback from the 'Heaven's 27' parents and even Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who called on DSHS to reject the camp's application.

RELATED: Camp Mystic buildings removed from floodplain map: report

Camp directors were also questioned for multiple days during a hearing prompted by a lawsuit filed by the parents of missing camper Cile Steward to stop the camp from reopening.

A 911 call played in court was from a Camp Mystic counselor who said they were trapped in a cabin and had been trying to get a hold of their camp director for more than four hours, with no luck.

During the hearings, Camp Mystic's medical officer, Mary Liz Eastland, revealed she still had not reported the deaths almost a year later as required by Texas law; this resulted in her nursing license being suspended, then restored on a limited basis with no direct patient care. She also testified that she never tried to get a hold of the counselors on the camp's PA system. 

Within the same month, the camp's directors were also called before Texas lawmakers to face more questions about their flood response. Camp director Edward Eastland apologized to the families of the victims, but defended the camp's response, saying decisions were based on past experience and the information available at the time.

Camp Mystic has since filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing its debts as exceeding $10 million. It remains unknown how this restructuring will affect the families' pending civil litigation or the ultimate future of the historic property.