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At least 2 dead, hundreds rescued in Texas floods
Two people are now confirmed dead in widespread flash flooding across the Hill Country. Gov. Abbott says both victims were swept away, one in an RV and the other in a vehicle. A lot of this is happening in the same area where flash floods killed more than 100 people last year on the Fourth of July.
HILL COUNTY, Texas - At least two people are confirmed dead after severe storms led to a flash flooding emergency across South and Central Texas.
Gov. Abbott Gives Update
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FULL VIDEO: Abbott confirms 2 dead in Texas Hill Country floods
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has confirmed that at least two people have died in the most recent round of catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country.
What we know:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been meeting with emergency management and public safety officials.
He gave an update on the state’s ongoing response to the severe storms on Thursday afternoon. You can watch that full news conference in the video player above.
What they're saying:
"Protecting life remains our top priority as we work our way through, extraordinarily in many ways, record-breaking rain. Once again, life-threatening, catastrophic flooding remains our main risk tonight and overnight through the early morning hours. There will be an ongoing risk of some tornadoes. 59 counties are in flood watch. You're going to expect very heavy rain tonight in these large area," Abbott said.
The governor pointed to several new river level records that were set overnight and said there are no more than 2,300 state emergency responders helping in the area.
"We are not out of this scenario yet," Abbott said.
Texas Flooding Deaths
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Victim ID'd after getting swept away by deadly Texas floods
The family of one victim of the Texas Hill Country flooding confirmed his identity late Thursday night. John Mark Steward is one of two confirmed deaths from the catastrophic flooding that hit Central Texas on Thursday. FOX 4's Alex Boyer and Peyton Yager have more from the site of the flooding.
What we know:
Gov. Abbott confirmed two deaths, one in Kerr County and one in Uvalde County.
The family of 65-year-old John Mark Steward confirmed he had died in Kerrville. The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said the man who died in their county was a man whose RV home was swept away by floodwaters overnight.
John Mark Steward
Steward's wife, Jennie, was away on a business trip to North Texas when the flooding hit. "My heart is broken, I am devastated. My husband, Mark, was found and went to be with Jesus. Thank you for all the search and rescue people," she wrote on social media.
"He couldn’t make it over from that house to this one because the stream was extremely strong and high," Mike Eifert, Steward's neighbor, told FOX 4's Alex Boyer. "After that, he got in contact again, and he told me that the house was falling apart."
"A wonderful person. Mark and Jennie, always there, just really good people."
The Uvalde Police Department said the victim in their area was a 74-year-old man whose vehicle was swept off U.S. Highway 83. Police said his family resides out of the state and ignored warnings not to proceed up the roadway.
Texas flooding: 2 reported deaths in catastrophic Hill Country flooding
Catastrophic flash flooding across the Texas Hill Country has left two people dead, Gov. Abbott reported Thursday.
What we don't know:
The victim’s names have not yet been released.
Texas Hill Country Flooding
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Witness describes seeing headlights in Guadalupe River
Gov. Abbott issued a disaster declaration for nearly 60 counties after a round of catastrophic flash floods that left at least two people dead. That number could rise, especially with reports from witnesses who saw headlights floating down the Guadalupe River overnight. "It was terrifying."
Big picture view:
According to the National Weather Service, more than 28 inches of rain has fallen in parts of the Texas Hill Country over the past three days.
Between 9:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday, the Guadalupe River rose more than 47 feet. The NWS predicted it would reach a crest similar to last year’s catastrophic flooding.
Across the Hill Country, hundreds of people have been rescued, and more than 80 evacuations have been ordered, according to the Texas Game Wardens.
The first responders are currently using boats and helicopters to reach people stranded by the dangerous rising water.
But without new warning sirens that were installed just months ago in response to last year's deadly flood, many officials fear things could have been much worse.
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How new flooding sirens along Guadalupe River worked during catastrophic Texas floods
For the first time, sirens installed after the deadly 2025 Texas floods alerted campers along the Guadalupe River to flee rising water during the 2026 catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country.
What they're saying:
Residents in the hardest hit counties – Kerr, Uvalde, and Kendall counties – are bracing for this year’s flooding to be more damaging than last year’s because of the massive amount of rain that’s fallen.
"This is reminiscent of last year’s July 4th flood. We’ve taken on a significant amount more water than last year’s flood. This morning, there was about 200,000 cubic feet per second of water coming through the Guadalupe, which was significantly higher than last year," said Judge Shane Stolarczyk, with the Kendall County Commissioner’s Court.
"When we first got here about an hour ago, it would be under the bridge. And then it just kept rising and we kept moving back from the water. Definitely the highest I’ve seen," said Becky and Barney Cash, who live in Kendall County.
"It definitely was not as strong over this side of the road. And then over the guardrails, it’s definitely bigger than last year," added Macy Massey, another Kendall County resident.
"I’m worried if houses are going to get flooded," said Harper, a Boerne resident.
How to help the victims
What you can do:
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country set up a relief fund to support nonprofit organizations involved in recovery efforts.
If you'd like to help the victims, visit www.communityfoundation.net.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the National Weather Service, Texas Game Wardens, Gov. Greg Abbott, public officials in the Texas Hill Country, and reporters from FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, FOX 7 Austin, and FOX 26 Houston.