Daughters missing after flash floods slam all-girls summer camp in Texas

Heavy rainfall led to flash flooding throughout the south-central Texas town of Kerrville on Friday morning. Local reports say rescuers were called to assist people stranded on rooftops and to investigate a home swept away by the swollen river.

HUNT, Texas – Some parents were notified on Friday that their daughters at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, had gone missing after devastating flash floods tore through south-central Texas.

More than a foot of rain fell overnight in parts of west-central Texas, sending floodwaters pouring into waterways. One of the rivers taking the brunt of the onslaught of water was the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, where Camp Mystic is located. 

Early Friday morning, the Guadalupe River reached 30 feet, well above its major flood stage of 22 feet, according to NOAA. The river at Hunt surged from below flood stage to major flood stage in just over an hour, and jumped over 20 feet in just over 2 hours. 

Deadly flooding along the raging Guadelupe River in Kerrville, Texas, which lies downstream of Hunt.

(KABB-TV / FOX Weather)

An email sent by Camp Mystic officials on Friday to the parents of campers noted the “catastrophic flooding” situation at the camp, including that some campers were not accounted for. The parents of those campers had been notified, they said.

Camp officials said they are working with search and rescue to find the girls.

They also stated that they have no power, water or WiFi, and pleaded for help.

“The highway has washed away so we are struggling to get more help,” they said. “Please continue to pray and send any help if you have contacts to do so.”

Officials with the nearby all-boys camp Camp La Junta, which is also located on the Guadalupe River, confirmed early Friday afternoon that all of their campers had been accounted for. 

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The National Weather Service measured 12-15 inches of rain had fallen up river near San Angelo, with 5-7 inches of rain around Hunt and Kerrville. Flash Flood Emergencies remained on the rivers through Friday afternoon.