Horrible flooding in central Texas @, TW

[abs]

Edited that this may end up being a TW and is @ content

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/guadalupe-river-flooding-evacuations-20422474.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG91c3RvbmNocm9uaWNsZS5jb20vbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlL2d1YWRhbHVwZS1yaXZlci1mbG9vZGluZy1ldmFjdWF0aW9ucy0yMDQyMjQ3NC5waHA%3D&time=MTc1MTY1MzUyOTk3OQ%3D%3D&rid=ZmY1YTk5ODEtZDNhZS00MzljLTljNzUtYTg1NTQyNTI3ZTNk&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

Sorry for the big link. Lots of flooding along the Guadalupe river. Several fatalities and missing people including young campers from Camp Mystic. Devastating. I’m so worried about storm season and so worried about the missing girls.

[dulcemariamar]

I know there has been less funding given to meteorologists. Did they advise local residents of the possibility of a flash flooding?

[acr]

Camp Mystic is the camp I went to my whole childhood (3rd generation camper), my cousin's girls go there, my friends' kids, etc. My son went to the camp just down the river (last summer was his final summer). It's terrifying. The young campers are the ones missing. Their cabins are on lower ground and few girls are still unaccounted for. Devastating. The pictures friends are sending me (I have one friend who is back as an adult counselor while her daughter attends). They're being air-lifted out. 

I remember flooding when I was a camper, and we'd have meals delivered via canoe, but it was never this awful.

[abs]

I didn’t go to Camp Mystic but a lot of people I went to school with did.

I feel sick to my stomach. There isn’t much confirmed info but the girls missing seem to be between 7-8. It’s all over SM now and rescue missions happening.

[acr]

Oh, I just heard at my son's camp (where the boys in our family go): a cabin of young staff at La Junta was washed down the river but luckily got hung up on a tree and all boys were rescued. My god, awful.

[abs]

Oh God Dan Patrick is reporting 23 missing children. I feel sick.

[acr]

Jul 4, 2025 15:53:35 GMT -5 abs said:

Oh God Dan Patrick is reporting 23 missing children. I feel sick.

Awful awful. It's primarily the youngest youngest cabins. From my sources...this is actually pretty accurate. 

[wildrice]

Jul 4, 2025 15:53:35 GMT -5 abs said:

Oh God Dan Patrick is reporting 23 missing children. I feel sick.

A friend of a friend's daughter is one of the missing, and the posts she is sharing are just heartbreaking. They are too little for this to happen to them. I hope at least some of them are found alive.

[acr]

Jul 4, 2025 16:55:14 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Jul 4, 2025 15:53:35 GMT -5 abs said:

Oh God Dan Patrick is reporting 23 missing children. I feel sick.

A friend of a friend's daughter is one of the missing, and the posts she is sharing are just heartbreaking. They are too little for this to happen to them. I hope at least some of them are found alive.

Hugs. Just in tears over here thinking of everyone. This is going to be a mix of tragedy and miracle that will be hard to process for the sweet kids.

[mcppalmbeach]

I feel absolutely sick over this. Praying the kids are found safely.. water is super scary.

[hurleygirl (formerly "AJL")]

Jul 4, 2025 14:27:12 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

I know there has been less funding given to meteorologists. Did they advise local residents of the possibility of a flash flooding?

Likely yes but also consider that this type of rain and flooding is not unusual to that part of Texas or this time of year so it's not something we necessarily evacuate for. We're all mindful of not trying to ford flooded areas (turn around, don't drown is a slogan every central Texas child knows).  The Guadalupe river is expected to crest at 37 feet tonight. That's huge. The other thing is where do people go if every where around you is flooding too? 

[wanderingback]

This is beside the point but an article I read mentioned an acting governor. Where’s Abbott? I wish the answer was that he’s stuck on Mars or something.

[hurleygirl (formerly "AJL")]

Jul 4, 2025 20:27:01 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

This is beside the point but an article I read mentioned an acting governor. Where’s Abbott? I wish the answer was that he’s stuck on Mars or something.

Abbott is out of the country right now.

[underwaterrhymes]

I read an article where the local authority said they flood often because the soil is thin, but they have no warning system in place.

Things like this are only going to get worse, especially with the erosion of federal funding for climate change initiatives and cuts to funding for government organizations like NOAA.

So awful. I’m so sad for the families who are missing or have already lost their loved ones.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 4, 2025 20:27:01 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

This is beside the point but an article I read mentioned an acting governor. Where’s Abbott? I wish the answer was that he’s stuck on Mars or something.

I'd settle for him being soaring without a lifeline in space. Vice is no better. 

They want to destroy NWS? This is the result. I know it may not be directly related, but this is a preview

[abs]

24 confirmed fatalities so far.

[hurleygirl (formerly "AJL")]

Jul 4, 2025 20:39:09 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I read an article where the local authority said they flood often because the soil is thin, but they have no warning system in place.

Things like this are only going to get worse, especially with the erosion of federal funding for climate change initiatives and cuts to funding for government organizations like NOAA.

So awful. I’m so sad for the families who are missing or have already lost their loved ones.

What do you mean there is no warning system in place? We have forecasts that tell us when we’re going to get severe thunderstorms and high levels of rain. We get flash flood watches and warnings all the time. It’s not like a tornado. You don’t know the flash flood is coming until it’s here. There is no higher ground to get to. This flooding is record setting; not what we usually experience.

[abs]

Yeah the Guadalupe river rose like 26 feet in 45 minutes. I cannot imagine. You get warnings about rain and possible flooding but flash flooding is a whole different thing. Weather services were on it but it happened in the middle of the night. In an area where cell service isn’t great. Just horrible layering upon horrible but I don’t know how it could have been prevented.

[acr]

It floods there sometimes and it’s not catastrophic like this. They’re prepared for flooding but not something of this magnitude. Even if Mystic had notice when it looked like the Guadalupe was rising, I’m not sure there would have been enough time then - maybe? It’s a lot of kids, fairly spread out cabins on the lower elevation side, and not a lot of vehicles to get them in to take them to higher ground.

I am gutted that there are now reports of fatalities amongst the young campers.

[basilosaurus]

Jul 4, 2025 22:08:13 GMT -5 hurleygirl (formerly "AJL") said:

Jul 4, 2025 20:39:09 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I read an article where the local authority said they flood often because the soil is thin, but they have no warning system in place.

Things like this are only going to get worse, especially with the erosion of federal funding for climate change initiatives and cuts to funding for government organizations like NOAA.

So awful. I’m so sad for the families who are missing or have already lost their loved ones.

What do you mean there is no warning system in place? We have forecasts that tell us when we’re going to get severe thunderstorms and high levels of rain. We get flash flood watches and warnings all the time. It’s not like a tornado. You don’t know the flash flood is coming until it’s here. There is no higher ground to get to. This flooding is record setting; not what we usually experience.

I wouldn't say there's no system, but trump and accomplices have been very open about gutting NOAA and NWS. Yes, this was historic, and there was likely little to be done, but these things will keep happening when our warning systems were destroyed by doge and now this horrific budget bill. NWS has fully admitted that they don't know what to do about the hurricane season. The current head of whatever agency (fema? nws?) didn't even know there was a hurricane season. 

Yes, I should focus on the tragedy at hand. It's horrific. Maybe it's unrelated to destroying the government programs that keep us safe. I can't help myself from thinking this is a smidgeon of what's to come, though.

[underwaterrhymes]

Jul 4, 2025 22:08:13 GMT -5 hurleygirl (formerly "AJL") said:

Jul 4, 2025 20:39:09 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

I read an article where the local authority said they flood often because the soil is thin, but they have no warning system in place.

Things like this are only going to get worse, especially with the erosion of federal funding for climate change initiatives and cuts to funding for government organizations like NOAA.

So awful. I’m so sad for the families who are missing or have already lost their loved ones.

What do you mean there is no warning system in place? We have forecasts that tell us when we’re going to get severe thunderstorms and high levels of rain. We get flash flood watches and warnings all the time. It’s not like a tornado. You don’t know the flash flood is coming until it’s here. There is no higher ground to get to. This flooding is record setting; not what we usually experience.

From this article: www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/nation/multiple-deaths-reported-in-texas-rescue-efforts-underway-as-flash-flooding-threatens-communities

When asked about the suddenness of the flash flooding, Kelly said "we do not have a warning system" and that "we didn't know this flood was coming," even as local reporters pointed to the warnings and pushed him for answers about why more precautions weren't taken.

"Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming," he said. "We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States."



ETA - I didn’t mean to imply that this wasn’t unexpected and catastrophic. Not living in an area prone to flooding, I didn’t know if there was a warning system that flood-prone areas have (much like in tornado-prone areas) that alert people to get to higher ground. Since it was specifically mentioned in the article, I thought it must be something missing in this particular community since they highlighted it.

[karinothing]

I dont understand why a camp continued to operate in an area prone to flooding. If some place can flood a little, it can flood a lot. It sounds like flooding was a known issue.

The weather service does issue flash flood warnings. I get them. They are typically hours before an event but obviously don't always happen so I am sure folks get complacent. Flash flood warnings were issued before the flood in Texas happen. Hopefully this changes procedures in the future for flood prone areas.

This really is horrible. I am so sorry for everyone involved.

[acr]

There are dozens of camps along the river. Minor flooding has always happened over the years - of the grounds, not the buildings. These camps are 120+ years old - this is level of catastrophe is unprecedented. The cabins are generally set back pretty far from the river.

[abs]

Honestly not sure what could have been done differently. There were warnings but this was catastrophic flash flooding. Seems like there needs to be better ways to receive warnings in the middle of the night though.

Nothing from officials yet but seems like it’s now recovery and not rescue. I’m gutted. Just so sad for these girls and all the people that didn’t survive.

[wanderingback]

I think this might be an example of how climate change really is affecting things to unprecedented levels and we need to be diligent about how things need to change for safety of everyone. Just because something has been done one way for dozens of years doesn’t mean we can continue doing it that way as our environment no long supports what we were doing 20, 30, 50+ years ago. A good reminder for us all since the federal government is not going to protect us.

[abs]

More flooding happening today near Lake Travis/Austin area. Hope our posters near there are okay.

[Pom]

We were still living in Texas when Wimberley, TX on the Blanco River flash flooded about 10 years ago. People were calling for help from their homes along the river. It was beyond awful and I think maybe 13 people were swept away and perished. When we moved to San Antonio I was shocked at the flood gages you saw anywhere near a waterway. This type of catastrophe is no joke and the thought of it getting worse with no spending for government monitoring of ripe conditions for this kind of situation is gut wrenching and inhumane. Texas GOP govt will go right along with the fed cuts and agree it’s best so I am terrified for my family and everyone that lives in places that rely on NOAA & the NWS and other agencies I probably don’t even know about. Weather along the gulf is not a joke. I can picture these camps in the Hill Country when we visited Hunt many times. You’d never imagine something like this could happen. Horrific.

[hurleygirl (formerly "AJL")]

I need all y’all who are commenting that essentially the victims of the flood are to blame because why were they in a flood-prone area to begin with to zip it. FOUR LITTLE GIRLS are confirmed dead. Over a dozen campers are still missing.

People have historically built settlements, camps, homes, etc near rivers. But this flood is unprecedented and was unexpected in its severity. So stop being a know it all and instead take some time to reflect on the fact that families have lost their babies, their loved ones.

[underwaterrhymes]

hurleygirl (formerly "AJL") - I don’t see anyone blaming people for living in that area.

[hurleygirl (formerly "AJL")]

Jul 5, 2025 9:17:00 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

hurleygirl (formerly "AJL") - I don’t see anyone blaming people for living in that area.

Right here:

Jul 5, 2025 8:16:03 GMT -5 karinothing said:

I dont understand why a camp continued to operate in an area prone to flooding. If some place can flood a little, it can flood a lot. It sounds like flooding was a known issue.

The weather service does issue flash flood warnings. I get them. They are typically hours before an event but obviously don't always happen so I am sure folks get complacent. Flash flood warnings were issued before the flood in Texas happen. Hopefully this changes procedures in the future for flood prone areas.

This really is horrible. I am so sorry for everyone involved.