Trump heads to Texas as flood tragedy deepens with new storms brewing

As more rain threatens the Texas Hill Country, the exhaustive search for over 150 individuals still missing after the devastating July 4 floods now enters its second week. With 120 confirmed fatalities, there are grave concerns that the incoming storms could severely hamper these critical search operations. FOX Weather’s Katie Byrne is live in Kerrville with an update on how the community is preparing for additional rainfall while continuing the challenging effort to locate those unaccounted for.

KERRVILLE, Texas – As ominous storm clouds gather once more over the Texas Hill Country, the desperate search for over 150 individuals still missing since the catastrophic July 4 floods has now stretched into its second week. 

With 120 confirmed fatalities – including 39 children – from the devastating deluge caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry dumping four months of rain in two days, concerns are mounting that the incoming rain could severely impede the already massive search and rescue operations. 

Deaths and missing people have been reported across Kerr, Burnet, Travis, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties. More than 170 are missing across the region. No survivors have been found since the day of the flooding.

CHANCES OF HEAVY RAIN WILL RETURN TO TEXAS JUST A WEEK AFTER DEADLY FLOODING

People gather at a memorial for victims of the Kerr County flood in Kerrville, Texas, on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

(Eli Hartman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Kerr County later Friday afternoon to survey the damage and meet with local officials and affected families.

This comes as the community of Kerrville is still reeling from shock and grief as a growing downtown memorial bears testament to the profound loss, adorned with flowers and visited by those seeking solace and a place to mourn. 

“Just seeing these small faces will absolutely break your heart,” FOX Weather’s Katie Byrne observed, highlighting the immense human toll of the disaster.

WHAT’S BEHIND ALL THE RECENT EXTREME FLOODING?

A memorial for victims of the Kerr County flood in Kerrville, Texas, on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

(Eli Hartman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Intense rainfall unleashed catastrophic flash flooding, turning the tranquil Guadalupe River into a raging, destructive wave. A wall of water ripped through homes and cabins, sweeping people downstream. The death toll from this inland flood event quickly surpassed the flood-specific deaths of last year’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, and tragically, it also claimed more lives than Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Texas in 2017.

BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE PHOTOS OF CAMP MYSTIC, KERR COUNTY SHOW DEVASTATION OF TEXAS FLOODS

U.S. Border Patrol officers search through flood debris along the Guadalupe River on July 6, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.

(Eric Vryn/Getty Images)

Survivors of the floods paint a grim picture of the deluge, recounting harrowing tales of clinging to trees for hours, hearing the agonizing screams of those caught in the torrent, and watching as cars, gas tanks and entire houses were swept away.

Bud Bolton, a Kerrville flood survivor, shared his devastating experience with FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray. He described feeling utterly helpless as a 26-foot wall of water engulfed the hundreds of RVs, tiny homes and campers clustered along the river, carrying entire families downstream. 

“It’s just all those screaming kids we had to listen to that we couldn’t get to and couldn’t save them,” Bolton said. “And water rose, what, 28 foot and 45 minutes? Not much you can do.”

KERRVILLE FLOODING SURVIVOR DESCRIBES HEARING ‘SCREAMING KIDS’ AS GUADALUPE RIVER RAGED

Bud Bolton told FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray he lost his home to the Central Texas flooding on July 4. He describes trying to help people being swept away on the Guadalupe River and his son finding the body of a child from Camp Mystic. 

Among more survivors is Julia Hatfield, whose RV was swept away. She tearfully recalled to FOX Weather as she called her father, thinking it might be her last conversation amid the sheer terror and speed as floodwaters rose.

“A moment of denial, when things move that quickly, from waking up to trying to get out in time to survive,” she said. “In that moment, I called my dad. I wasn’t even sure why I was calling him. He’s the guy that I call when things go wrong.”

‘BLESSING BUCKETS’ FILLED WITH BIBLE, HOPE BROUGHT TO TEXAS FLOOD SURVIVORS

Now, a more robust and organized operation is underway, with first responders employing dog teams, helicopters and even two NASA aircraft to aid in the search. Some teams are on horseback, navigating the rugged, hilly terrain.

“We are looking and searching the deeply impacted flood debris along the river,” Kerr County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Jason Walder said. “So these areas are where a lot of this debris is bottlenecked. So it’s a lot of large trees. It’s a lot of the vehicles. It’s a lot of home structures have built up in these areas.”

JOIN FOX’S SUPPORT OF RECOVERY EFFORTS FOLLOWING THE DEVASTATING FLOODING IN TEXAS

Video from the U.S. Coast Guard District 8 shows an aircrew rescuing a family near Kerrville, Texas after flooding surrounded their camper.

The hardest-hit town of Hunt remains largely cut off, with access primarily restricted to first responders. Devastation is widespread, particularly at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp, which has been largely destroyed. 

Tragically, 27 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic are confirmed among the deceased, with five campers and one counselor from the camp still missing. 

“I know where they’re at, and I know that he’s got them, and he’s holding them,” an emotional Dan Beazley of North Richland Hills expressed FOX Weather at the site of the tragedy.

Beazley hoped the site might become a place for prayer, where a nation would never forget what happened.

94-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DESCRIBES RACING TO ATTIC TO FLEE WATER FILLING HOME DURING TEXAS FLOODS

Community residents grieve and pay their respects at a memorial on July 10, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas.

(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Flood threat increases for Texas towns still recovering from deadly flooding

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After more than a foot of rain caused historic flash flooding across South Central Texas, conditions are expected to deteriorate once again heading into the weekend, the FOX Forecast Center said.

As thunderstorm activity is expected to trigger late Saturday and the growing potential for additional heavy rainfall, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has issued a Level 2 out of 4 flood risk for Saturday into Sunday across a broad portion of the southern Plains, including areas of the Texas Hill Country.

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As is often the case with small-scale weather features, the FOX Forecast Center said precise storm placement and rainfall amounts remain uncertain at this stage. 

However, given the already saturated and highly vulnerable landscape across the Hill Country, residents affected by the July 4 flooding should remain especially alert for any locally developing storms.