The lethal floods that struck Texas on the 4th of July caught native officers off guard because the torrential rains precipitated the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic ranges in a matter of minutes, officers stated at a press convention Saturday.
No less than 27 folks died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, resulting in “catastrophic” flooding, in response to officers.
A Flood Watch was in impact for elements of New Mexico and western Texas Thursday afternoon as rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms packing heavy rain moved by way of the world. By Thursday night, 5 inches of rain had fallen in elements of western Texas, together with Midland and Odessa.
Boerne search and rescue groups navigate upstream in an inflatable boat on the flooded Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Consolation, Texas. Heavy rainfall precipitated flooding alongside the Guadalupe River in central Texas with a number of fatalities reported.
Eric Vryn/Getty Photographs
The Nationwide Climate Service issued a flash flood warning for Kerr County, the place the river is situated, round 1:14 a.m. Friday.
The Guadalupe River rose 26 ft in 45 minutes that morning, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring advised reporters Friday.
A primary responder searches an space alongside the Guadalupe River that hit by flash flooding, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
Eric Homosexual/AP
“This got here at night time, when folks had been asleep in mattress,” he stated.
The river reached its second-highest peak on file, surpassing a 1987 flood degree, the Nationwide Climate Service stated.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advised reporters that it’s as much as native mayors and counties to evacuate in the event that they really feel the necessity and lots of had been not sure the place the storm would land.
At a information convention Friday, Kerr County Decide Rob Kelly stated the county doesn’t have a warning system on the river.
Kelly was pressed by a reporter as to why evacuations did not happen Thursday, however the decide stated, “We did not know this flood was coming.”
A person surveys particles alongside the Guadalupe River after a flash flood struck the world, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas.
Eric Homosexual/AP
“We’ve floods on a regular basis. That is probably the most harmful river valley in the USA, and we take care of floods frequently. When it rains, we get water. We had no purpose to imagine that this was going to be something like what’s occurred right here, none in any respect,” he stated.
Rain continued to hit the area Saturday, prompting flash flood emergency warnings for a lot of Burnet County and western elements of Williamson County and Travis County.
ABC Information’ Emily Shapiro and Kyle Reiman contributed to this put up.
