Death toll climbs to 87 as search efforts continue

According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, as of 8 a.m. Central Time, 87 deceased have been recovered in Kerr County — including 56 adults and 30 children — after catastrophic flooding hit Kerr County on Friday. Identification is pending for 19 adults, 7 children and one additional person still unidentified.

“Hundreds of first responders remain along the Guadalupe River working to reunite families,” Leitha said.

Five campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for from Camp Mystic in Hunt.

“We ask private boats to stay off the Guadalupe River to allow search and rescue teams to operate without any interference,” Leitha said. “This is a tragic time for us. We are so grateful and thankful for all the resources provided to us to do this job. I can assure you we will not stop until this mission is complete.”

“I want to reassure our community and those families that the city, the county, the state and the federal experts are working together as one team,” Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said. “The outpouring of generosity has been tremendous, and we are grateful to the generosity of the world. We are working on a new system to accept donations. When those plans are complete we will post them online on the city’s Facebook page.”

Financial donations can still be made to The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, which has established the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund to support local response, relief and recovery efforts following the devastating July 4 flood.

All donations will directly benefit organizations working on the front lines of this emergency.

To access the fund and for full details, go to https://tinyurl.com/KerrFloodRelief.

According to Lt. Col. Ben Baker from the Texas Game Wardens, 300 game wardens have been dispatched to the area. They have searched 26 river miles since Friday morning, made 444 rescues and 30 recoveries.

Assets the Texas Game Wardens have provided to the search and rescue efforts include two helicopters, 12 drone teams, 10 K-9 units, nine swift-water boat crews, 15 airboats, 16 UTVs and 169 four-wheel drive vehicles.

“The Texas Game Wardens will remain here and serving the community,” Baker said. “The priority right now is bringing people home. All of our resources are focused on recovery.”

According to Leitha, the authorities are in the process of developing a flood timeline, but priorities remain with search and rescue.

“We know that there’s substantial road damage,” Sgt. Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department said. “What we’re asking for the public to do to assist us, if they believe they have seen a victim to notify emergency services. Call 911 or our nonemergency number at 830-257-8181. We also ask folks to limit their travel. Now is not the time for sightseeing. This operation is ongoing and continuous.”

According to Lamb, the last live rescue was made on Friday.

This article was originally published in the July 8, 2025 edition of the Kerrville Daily Times and The Seguin Gazette.