The floodwaters in Central Texas are finally beginning to recede — but what they’ve left behind is more harrowing than anything nature unleashed. As families pour into the Kerrville area, clutching photographs and prayers, they are not hoping for reunions. They are bracing for confirmation of their worst fears.
Texas’s Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) has now privately estimated that the death toll from the catastrophic July 4 flood will exceed 100 lives lost, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the state’s recent memory.
Publicly, state officials remain focused on “live rescues,” but internal emails obtained by the Daily Mail reveal a grim reality: emergency crews are transitioning from rescue to recovery.
“Our hope and prayer is that there are still people alive,” said TDEM chief W. Nim Kidd in a press briefing Saturday. “Our teams are not giving up.”
As of Sunday morning, 69 fatalities had been officially confirmed, including 21 children. Eleven girls and one counselor remain missing from Camp Mystic — the beloved all-girls Christian camp near the Guadalupe River that became ground zero for the flood’s most devastating impact.
DNA Samples, Heartbreak, and Unanswered Prayers
In a quiet and excruciating effort, the state has begun asking families to provide DNA samples to help identify bodies that have been found but are too damaged to recognize visually. Officials are also requesting dental records, blood draws, or personal items from victims to aid in the identification process.
Grieving relatives from across Texas are now arriving in Kerrville and neighboring towns like Hunt and Ingram — not for closure, but for answers.
Young Lives Lost
Among the confirmed victims are Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck, two young girls from Dallas described by loved ones as “inseparable best friends.” Both were campers at Camp Mystic.
“They were full of light,” one family friend shared tearfully. “They didn’t deserve this.”
Also among the deceased is Richard “Dick” Eastland, the longtime director of Camp Mystic. He was reportedly helping to evacuate campers when the floodwaters overtook his cabin.
Tragedy Strikes the Heart of Texas’s Tight-Knit Communities
Many of the missing children belong to families from Highland Park, an affluent enclave in Dallas often referred to as the “Beverly Hills of Texas.” Several have deep ties to Highland Park United Methodist Church, where former President George W. Bush is a member.
In a statement to the congregation, lead pastor Paul Rasmussen wrote:
“This crisis affects many in our HPUMC family… including generations of women touched by Camp Mystic. One of the girls unaccounted for, Hadley Hanna, is part of our church. Please pray for her and her family.”
A candlelight vigil at the church on Saturday night drew over 300 mourners.
Scenes of Devastation and Heroism
Inside the flood-ravaged cabins of Camp Mystic, furniture is scattered, beds are soaked in sludge, and splintered wood hangs from collapsed rooftops. The flash flood, which surged over 30 feet above normal Guadalupe River levels, struck in the early morning as most campers were still asleep.
Search and rescue crews — some from as far away as College Station — continue combing the banks of the river for any sign of the missing.
“We’re really focused on life safety,” said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. We won’t stop until we find everyone.”
A State on Edge, A Community in Mourning
As calls to improve Texas’s emergency warning systems grow louder — many families say they received no flood siren or early alert — the emotional toll continues to mount.
A hotline has been set up to aid in locating missing persons: (830) 258-1111. Families are urged to call with identifying information and last known whereabouts.
In the words of one mother arriving to submit a DNA sample:
“I prayed she was just somewhere, scared but alive. But I’m here now… because I need to know.”
And so, as Texas begins to bury its dead, the nation watches in grief, in disbelief — and in solidarity.
Because in a tragedy this vast, no one mourns alone.
