Disaster declared in 28 counties as Texas flooding strains communities
What to know about the Texas flooding
- The National Weather Service said Thrusday a "large and deadly flood wave" was barreling down the same river wrecked by floods last summer, where two dozen children and counselors were killed at Camp Mystic.
- Four other rivers in Central and South Texas also reached the major flood stage, but waters were receding Friday morning.
- Officials confirmed at least two people have died in the floods. Residents credited improved alert systems installed since the 2025 floods with helping to warn people of the potential danger.
Collapsed bridge leaves Cade Loop residents stranded as Hill Country flood recovery lags
Parts of the Texas Hill Country are beginning to dry out after days of extreme flooding, but some neighborhoods remain completely cut off – including Cade Loop, where about 100 residents have been stranded for two days.
The only road in and out of the neighborhood, a bridge over the Guadalupe River, collapsed near the bank, leaving homeowners with no way to drive into town.
Many of the residents are older, and the detour they're now forced to take is dangerous: a steep climb over loose rocks and rushing water.
For those willing to make the trek, even simple tasks – like picking up lunch – have become risky.
"This is pretty unbelievable. We thought that last year was one of those once‑in‑a‑lifetime things," said Kerr County resident Chris McClain.
Kerrville community helps beloved restaurant rebuild after devastating flooding
Rain has finally moved out of parts of the Hill Country, but the damage left behind from this historic flooding will take far longer to recover from.
Businesses, homes, and major roads remain torn apart, including a longtime Kerrville restaurant that was nearly destroyed – yet may reopen sooner than expected thanks to loyal customers who showed up immediately to help.
The 20‑year‑old Mexican restaurant was hit hard when a nearby creek overflowed.
Mud and high water swept through the building, leaving nothing untouched. The flooding was so severe that vehicles were washed into the restaurant, further compounding the destruction.
Year's worth of rain hits Uvalde in just days, topping 24-inch flood total
Uvalde's rainfall totals this week were extreme. Several gauges recorded more than 24 inches of rain during the flooding – more than the city's average annual rainfall of 23.22 inches.
In other words, Uvalde saw a year's worth of rain in just a few days, overwhelming roads, creeks, and neighborhoods across the area.
Disaster declared in 28 counties as Texas flooding strains communities
Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a major disaster declaration for 28 counties, a step that strengthens the state's request for federal assistance as flooding impacts communities across South Texas.
Abbott said Uvalde County "almost became an island." He also said everyone in Texas was far more prepared because of the learned experiences last year.
According to Abbott:
- The Nueces River remains the greatest threat, with dangerous water levels continuing into Friday.
- The death toll stands at two.
- Rescue operations are still underway. State teams have rescued more than 270 people, while local officials in Uvalde and nearby areas have rescued over 300.
- In the Uvalde region, 125 people remain in shelters.
To support long‑term recovery, the state has launched the Rebuild Texas Fund to assist flood victims.
Abbott set to hold a news conference from Uvalde
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is in Uvalde Friday afternoon to receive a briefing about flood recovery efforts, and will hold a news conference. CBS News Texas will stream the news conference live on the CBS News App, Pluto TV and in the player above.
Texans On Mission joins relief efforts
Teams of Texans On Mission volunteers from around the state are heading to Central and Southwest Texas on Friday to help residents clean up from the floods.
John Hall, the chief mission officer for the Dallas-based Christian non-profit, said they plan to start their operations in Uvalde. They also plan to set up in Kerrville and Boerne. It marks a return to the same region that volunteers helped recover from last year's deadly floods.
"The once-in-a-lifetime flood that impacted them in 2025, we're right back to a once-in-a-lifetime flood. I was talking to somebody just this morning who lives in Kerrville, and they said 'I've just started to learn to trust, to have hope again. And now this has happened,'" Hall said.
Collapsed bridge in Uvalde County shows continuing danger from floods even after rain stops
A bridge collapse in Uvalde County highlights how conditions are still dangerous in areas that were impacted by devastating floods on Thursday, even after the rain stopped, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
The bridge of FM 481 crossing the Nueces River collapsed at some point during the flooding, DPS posted on social media. Images from a helicopter posted Friday morning show a chunk of the bridge missions as the river comes nearly level with the roadway.
According to the National Weather Prediction Service, the Nueces River crested at 28 feet at 7 p.m. Thursday. It currently stands at about 16 feet, which is considered moderate flooding.
Woman confirms her husband was one of the flooding victims
Jennie Steward of Kerrville posted on social media that her husband, John Mark Steward was one of the people killed in Thursday's flooding.
Jennie Steward said Thursday morning that her husband was inside their home when it was swept away. She was in Dallas, so she was not home at the time.
Later on, she posted that his body was found.
"Mark, my love, I will forever be grateful for the beautiful years we shared together," she wrote on Facebook.
Kerrville residents credit fewer deaths to lessons learned, new warning systems
As of Friday morning, the death toll in the Central and Southwest Texas flooding stands at two. That's a far cry from the more than 130 deaths in the 2025 Hill Country floods.
In the past year, counties and the state have invested in installing or improving alert systems. Kerrville residents to CBS News' Jason Allen that the improvements, and the experience from last year, made them take the threat more seriously.
"People were paying very close attention to the weather for the last three days. Everybody that we talked to yesterday around town said they were watching the warnings as they came across on their phone, and they were listening for, you know, any sense that somebody might tell them it was time to evacuate," Allen reported on CBS News Texas Mornings.
"And when some of those evacuation orders came, when firefighters were knocking on the door, sounding their siren, people said they didn't question it. They grabbed a few things and they left. And we're already hearing from some people, they're crediting that action, that preparedness with not repeating the loss of life that we saw here a year ago," he said.
Watch his full report here:
After a year of repairs, a Guadalupe River homeowner faces flood damage again
After spending more than a year repairing her home from last year's devastating Guadalupe River flood, Kara Doctor thought she was finally nearing the end of the recovery process.
Instead, she is facing flood damage once again.
Doctor, who lives in Center Point near Kerrville, was awakened early Thursday morning by emergency responders warning residents to evacuate as the Guadalupe River rapidly rose.
"I went to bed last night and saw red and blue flashing lights this morning," Doctor said. "They told us, 'The river's coming. We gotta get out. You gotta get out now.'"
The flooding comes just as Doctor was preparing to complete the final repair from last year's disaster. Her contractor was scheduled to finish work on the home's fireplace, the last remaining project after extensive remediation and repairs following the July 4 flood in 2024.
Operation Texas Strong mobilizes relief effort for Hill Country flood victims
In Weatherford, Operation Texas Strong is collecting critical supplies for flood victims in the Texas Hill Country.
When founder Bobby Crutsinger learned about the latest flooding, his mind immediately went back to the devastating floods that struck on July 4 last year.
"Not just one time they lost everything – now it's going back through the second time again," Crutsinger said.
Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund launches as dangerous flooding continues
Relief efforts in the Texas Hill Country are already underway as life-threatening flooding continues across the region.
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has launched the Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund to support those affected by the disaster.
Last year, following the July 4 flooding of the Guadalupe River, the foundation raised more than $150 million to help people get back into their homes. Leaders say they are not waiting for the waters to subside before making sure the community has what it needs to begin recovery efforts.
Earlier today, Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country CEO Austin Dickson sat down with CBS News Texas to discuss what the community needs right now.
Did the newly installed flood sirens in the Texas Hill Country work?
As floodwaters surged through the Texas Hill Country early Thursday morning, officials credited recently installed flood-warning sirens with providing critical alerts to people living and camping near the Guadalupe River.
At about 3:30 a.m., six privately installed flood sirens near campsites in Ingram activated as rising water triggered sensors. The sensors had been strategically positioned between the river and nearby sleeping areas to ensure the warnings would sound before floodwaters reached campsites.
Gov. Abbott confirms second flood-related death in Texas
On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed a second flood-related death as he continued to warn of dangerous conditions in the Hill Country and South Central Texas.
Abbott said a man died near Comfort and a woman died near Uvalde.
His announcement came as he warned that life-threatening and catastrophic flooding remained a major threat.
Abbott warns of catastrophic flooding as heavy rain threatens 59 Texas counties
Gov. Greg Abbott warned Thursday evening that life-threatening and catastrophic flooding remains a major threat overnight, with 59 counties under a flood watch and additional heavy rain expected.
More than 230 water rescues have already been completed, Abbott said. The Nueces River near Uvalde is forecast to reach record levels, with flow estimated at twice Niagara Falls' flow. Uvalde and Johnson City were also identified as the communities at greatest risk over the next 24 hours.
According to state officials, the heaviest rainfall has been concentrated in Uvalde, Kinney, Bandera, Kerr, and Gillespie counties.
Kerrville bridge closed following barge strike
The main road crossing the Guadalupe River in Kerrville has been shut down, not because of high water, but due to structural concerns after a barge struck the bridge.
Officials say the bridge will remain closed until inspections are completed and its safety can be confirmed. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes until further notice.
More than 40 rescues reported amid Texas Hill Country flooding
Rescue efforts have continued around the clock across the flooded region. Texas Game Wardens say they have participated in more than 40 rescues involving people trapped in submerged vehicles and flooded homes. Among those brought to safety was a young child carried through floodwaters by first responders.
In nearby Bandera, volunteers with the Cajun Navy also joined the response, helping move a herd of horses out of rising floodwaters and onto safer ground.
Guadalupe River still running high as recovery begins in Kerrville
Flooding remains a serious threat across parts of the Texas Hill Country, even as water levels begin to recede in some communities.
In Kerrville, floodwaters are still running high along the Guadalupe River, and the bridge that crosses the river through town remains closed. Drivers entering the area continue to receive emergency alerts warning of flash flood conditions. The impacts of the flooding are visible across the region. Rivers and creeks along the route into Kerrville have overflowed their banks, with flood debris and road closures becoming increasingly common beginning near Fredericksburg.
Farther south toward Uvalde, high water continues to make travel difficult.
Extreme rainfall totals for Central and Southwestern Texas
The National Weather Service said Thursday that some parts of Texas received over 2 feet of rain since Monday, which has led to the dangerous flooding in five rivers. Rain continues to fall, and the NWS said it will continue to update rain totals twice per day.
Here are the latest preliminary rain totals:
- Knippa (Uvalde County): 26.59"
- Uvalde: 21.76"
- Kerrville: 19.48"
- Kickapoo Cavern State Park (northwest of Uvalde): 16.02"
- Boerne (northwest of San Antonio): 14.8"
- Utopia (northeast of Uvalde): 12.25"
Rescue, relief organizations deploy to Texas flood zones
A team of volunteers from Cajun Navy 2016 is heading to Kerr County to assist with water rescues, the organization said Thursday. They will focus on the Center Point area, just southeast of Kerrville.
"Our hearts are with the families and communities affected by this disaster," Jon Bridgers Sr., the founder of Cajun Navy 2016, said in a statement. "When people are facing their darkest moments, our mission is simple: show up, help where we're needed, and stand alongside first responders and local officials until the job is done."
All of Cajun Navy 2016's volunteers are trained and certified in swift water rescues, the organization says. The group was founded in 2016 after historic flooding in southeastern Louisiana.
Volunteers with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief (SBTC DR) are heading to the Uvalde area to help feed people in need. The team will be preparing hot meals in cooperation with the Salvation Army, the organization said in a statement.
"We are Texans helping Texans," said SBTC DR director Scottie Stice. "We served in Kerrville last year when the flood hit and we are ready to serve again in any way possible."
If called upon after the flooding ends, the group said, its volunteers will be ready to help impacted residents clean up their homes.
Water rescues in Texas amid dangerous flooding
Emergency personnel have made at least 80 water rescues in Texas so far.
In Boerne, an Associated Press photographer captured an image of members of the Boerne Fire Department escorting a young woman to safety.
The Texas Game Wardens posted a video to social media that shows an officer carrying a child through floodwaters to a waiting boat.
Summer camps in Texas Hill Country post that campers are safe and happy
Some of the many summer camps in Texas Hill Country updated parents and loved ones of their campers Thursday morning with social media posts, reporting happy and safe campers.
The Herman Sons Life Camp near Comfort posted that the roads to camp have flooded, but they have plenty of water and food and are enjoying rainy day activities indoors. The camp also shared a video of campers inside, complete with glow sticks, and singing a song together.
The CAMP (Children's Association for Max Potential) Camp in Center Point posted that the road into their camp had also flooded, but everyone is happy and healthy.
Abbott: Rapidly rising rivers through Thursday and into Friday
The X account for Gov. Abbott's press office posted video from an interview he did Thursday morning with Bloomberg, along with more information about the state's rescue efforts.
Sirens worked as designed, with one exception, Gov. Abbott says
Since the 2025 Hill Country flooding, emergency sirens have been installed in parts of the state susceptible to river floods that did not previously have sirens.
Gov. Abbott said Thursday that all of the new sirens worked, except for one. That did not go off immediately when it was triggered at 4 a.m, but it did go off when it was triggered again five mins later.
1,300+ people engaged in rescue and response efforts, Gov. Abbott says
Texas Gov. Abbott provided more information about the state's response to the flooding in Central and Southwestern Texas. Speaking an an unrelated event, Abbott said that over 1,300 personnel were engaged in response and rescues, with at least 70 people rescued so far.
The state is using helicopters and drones to find people who may be stranded, he said, and rescuers are working on evacuating them.
Abbott also said he will be traveling to the affected regions in the next 24 hours.
Memorial cross for 2025 flood victims taken over by flood waters
A memorial cross put up at the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department to honor the lives lost in the 2025 flooding in Central Texas was standing in flood waters on Thursday morning as torrential rain moved across the area and forced rivers out of their banks.
One fatality confirmed, Gov. Abbott says
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, speaking at an unrelated event Thursday morning, said that one person in Kerr County was confirmed killed so far connected to the flooding.
Abbott said the person who died was not a camper at one of the many summer camps in the area. "I am informed that none of those camps are facing any type of danger," he said.
Camp safety is still top of mind for many in Texas just over a year after 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic died when the Guadalupe River flooded in the early morning hours of July 4.
CBS Austin is reporting that the death happened while Travis County Star Flight, its emergency helicopter rescue service, was conducting a rescue mission.
How much rain has fallen in Central and Southwest Texas
Uvalde County, between San Antonio and the Mexico border, has received at least 20 inches of rain in the past few days. That is just a few inches shy of the yearly average for the area.
Kerrville, northeast of Uvalde, is not the epicenter of the flooding like it was on July 4 of 2025 when more than 100 people died when the Guadalupe River flooded. However, there is still widespread, potentially catastrophic flooding in the area after 15 inches of rainfall.
The National Weather Service has a flash flood emergency in place, which is the highest threat designation. It indicates an imminent threat to life.
Which rivers in Texas are flooding
The National Weather Prediction Service shows the following Texas rivers at major flood stage as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday:
- A flash flood warning is in place for the Pedernales River, near Fredericksburg and Johnson City.
- A flash flood warning is in place for the Sabinal River, between Uvalde and Hondo
- A flash flood warning is in place for the Frio River, near Uvalde and Concan.
- A flash flood warning is in place for the Nueces and West Nueces rivers, near Uvalde and Bracketville.
- A flash flood warning is in place for the Guadalupe River, near Kerrville and Comfort.
