Fresh rounds of torrential rain have sent floodwaters surging across parts of Texas Hill Country, bringing the Guadalupe River close to levels that threaten areas near Camp Mystic, the site of one of the deadliest tragedies of last year’s catastrophic floods.
The National Weather Service warned Thursday that a “large and deadly flood wave” was moving down the Guadalupe River, prompting urgent evacuation orders and rescue operations in several communities. Emergency officials urged residents to move to higher ground as floodwaters inundated roads, stranded motorists, and cut off access to parts of Uvalde and surrounding communities.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) declared disasters across dozens of counties as more than 1,300 state personnel from over 30 agencies responded to the flooding. More than 75 people had been rescued Thursday morning, primarily from vehicles trapped in rapidly rising water. Officials had not yet reported any deaths.
“This is a life threatening flood,” Abbott said in an X post. “It is of utmost importance that affected Texans heed weather warnings and local advisories. Turn Around Don’t Drown.”
Forecasters said parts of the region received as much as 20 inches of rain over two days, with rainfall rates reaching several inches per hour. The Guadalupe River near Hunt, close to Camp Mystic, climbed roughly 20.5 feet Thursday morning, which is high enough to threaten roads and some structures but still well below the record crest of about 37.5 feet reached during last year’s disaster.
The flooding comes almost exactly one year after catastrophic flash floods swept through the same stretch of Texas Hill Country during the Independence Day holiday. The July 2025 disaster killed more than 100 people across Central Texas, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp on the Guadalupe River. The camp’s longtime director, Dick Eastland, also died while attempting to rescue campers.
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The Camp Mystic tragedy sparked widespread scrutiny of flood forecasting, emergency preparedness, and evacuation procedures at summer camps located near the river. Multiple lawsuits followed, and Camp Mystic later announced it would install a flood warning system. The camp has remained closed and filed for bankruptcy last month.
With additional rain expected through Friday, officials warned that already saturated ground could worsen flooding and urged residents to avoid driving through high water and to heed evacuation orders.