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July 15, 2025: News on the deadly Texas floodsWeather July 15, 2025: News on the deadly Texas floods
By Holly Yan, Chris Boyette, Chelsea Bailey and Elise Hammond, CNN
Updated 6:50 PM EDT, Mon July 15, 2025
Former head of FEMA reacts to agency’s response to Texas ...
01:17
What we covered
• Recovery response: Search efforts could continue for months, Kerr County’s sheriff said today, noting that rising river levels delayed work on Sunday. Meanwhile, county commissioners held their first official meeting since the devastating storms over the Fourth of July weekend, as both local and federal disaster responses face increasing scrutiny. Officials have yet to explain key details about the critical early hours of the floods.
• Latest storms: Thunderstorms are continuing today, and rivers are expected to remain swollen early this week. On Sunday, additional rain complicated recovery efforts and prompted new evacuations in central Texas due to flood danger. The region is already reeling from the catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 132 people.
• Flooding timeline: More than a summer’s worth of rain fell in Kerr County overnight leading into July 4, swelling the Guadalupe River and turning the beloved waterway into a deadly torrent. This timeline shows how the disaster unfolded.
Our live coverage has ended for the day. Read through the posts below to catch up.
Monday’s flood risk in Texas increases as cluster of thunderstorms brings heavy rainfall
From CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller
The flood risk from excessive rainfall in central and south-central Texas today has been upgraded to a level 3 of 4 in response to a persistent cluster of thunderstorms stretching from the Rio Grande into Hill Country. This includes the hard-hit flood zones in and around Kerr County.
Numerous flash flood warnings have been in place since this morning and will continue into the afternoon for parts of Uvalde, Bandera and Kinney Counties, where up to 6 inches of rain have fallen since midnight. Six inches of rain is about two months’ worth for the region.
The thunderstorm complex is expected to weaken through the afternoon, but the upgrade was still warranted because it’s extremely humid and the ground is still saturated, the Weather Prediction Center said. More humidity indicates the storms are capable of heavier rainfall rates.
The Frio River in Uvalde County has already risen 4 feet this morning and is forecast to reach major flood stage this afternoon.
Family believes Camp Mystic director received 1:14 a.m. flood warning about an hour before he started evacuating kids
From CNN’s Pamela Brown, Holly Yan and Shoshana Dubnow
Camp Mystic co-director Richard Eastland died while trying to rescue girls from a cabin during the flash flooding.
Camp Mystic co-director Richard Eastland died while trying to rescue girls from a cabin during the flash flooding. George Eastland
The family of Camp Mystic co-director Richard “Dick” Eastland believes he received an alert about “life threatening flash flooding” on his phone that the National Weather Service sent at 1:14 a.m. July 4, about an hour before he started evacuating young campers, a family spokesperson told CNN.
The National Weather Service’s alert warned of “life threatening flash flooding” in Texas’ Kerr County — where the all-girls camp is in a flood zone. The alert did not include an evacuation order.
Eastland, who ran Camp Mystic for decades along with his wife, “started to assess immediately himself after (the) warning and, in the process, contacted family by walkie talkie,” Eastland family spokesperson Jeff Carr told CNN on Monday.
Carr said the relocation of campers to the recreation hall started between 2 and 2:30 a.m., based on observations of the river conditions. “But there was no information available concerning the magnitude of what was coming,” he said.
“Camp leaders promptly responded to alerts as they have always known to do based on the information available to them,” Carr told CNN.
The Washington Post first reported on the timing of when Eastland received the alert and when evacuations began.
After those evacuations began, the National Weather Service issued a more dire warning for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m.: “Move to higher ground now! This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the alert said.
A damaged room is seen inside a cabin at Camp Mystic on July 7 in Kerr County, Texas.
A damaged room is seen inside a cabin at Camp Mystic on July 7 in Kerr County, Texas. Sergio Flores/Reuters
Eastland died while trying to rescue girls from Bubble Inn, a cabin near the Guadalupe River that housed many of the camp’s youngest girls.
A total of 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors died. As of Monday morning, two girls remained unaccounted for, Carr told CNN.
The fact that Eastland received the 1:14 a.m. flood warning around is notable, as many others in Kerr County said they never got that same early morning alert.
Last week, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told CNN he didn’t get the alert on his phone. When asked if he was concerned by that, the mayor responded, “Yes, of course it does.”
Kerr County residents praise first responders, raise recovery concerns at first meeting since floods
From CNN's Chris Boyette
Kerr County commissioners meet on Monday to discuss the county’s rebuilding and recovery efforts after the recent floods.
Kerr County commissioners meet on Monday to discuss the county’s rebuilding and recovery efforts after the recent floods. Kerr County
Only a few people spoke during the public comment portion at the start of Monday’s Kerr County Commissioners meeting — the first since the deadly Texas flooding on July 4.
Most comments praised local leaders and first responders, but some residents raised questions and concerns about the county’s rebuilding and recovery efforts.
“I’m so proud to be a member of this community,” Ann Carr said. “That’s why we’re here, not to complain, if anything, just to say thank you. Thank you to the commissioners. Thank you for the police department. Thank you for all the first responders.”
Carr added that after seeing the Guadalupe River flood the land around it, she wants the county to drain a lake near her home.
John Rivenburgh, a local entrepreneur, said he and other business owners have lost money due to the flooding and wanted to know how local businesses can apply for financial assistance. He also said he’s heard reports of looters in the area and asked about protection.
The final speaker during the public comment portion was Christine Pugh, who described her remarks as a “statement of appreciation.”
She got emotional as she spoke.
“This tragic event has proven the greatness of humanity,” she said. “Please pray for the families who were affected. Thank you for blessing Kerr County with kind hearts and love of mankind.”
Search efforts could continue for months, Kerr County sheriff says
From CNN's Chelsea Bailey
Search and rescue teams comb the Guadalupe River near a makeshift memorial in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday.
Search and rescue teams comb the Guadalupe River near a makeshift memorial in Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday. Eric Gay/AP
Kerr County officials are asking residents and the surrounding community for patience as search and recovery efforts continue following the July 4 floods in central Texas.
Sheriff Larry Leitha said his team’s work was delayed for most of Sunday because the river levels continued to rise. But their efforts would continue, he said at Monday morning’s meeting of county commissioners.
“I think we’ll still go strong for another month or two,” Leitha said, “up to maybe six months winding down.”
The sheriff’s office said 2,200 people from multiple agencies have been deployed to assist in the recovery efforts. County Judge Rob Kelly said search and rescue continues to be a top priority.
We’re “trying to get a handle on things so just be patient on us as we try to move forward,” he said. “Emergency management it’s a process, and you do it one step at a time and you work through it one step at a time.”
NOW: Kerr County commissioners hold first meeting since catastrophic Texas flooding
From CNN's Eric Levenson
A Kerr County resident speaks at a Kerr County Commissioners meeting on Monday.
A Kerr County resident speaks at a Kerr County Commissioners meeting on Monday. Kerr County via Youtube
Commissioners in Kerr County, Texas, are meeting in their first official court hearing since more than 100 people in the county, including children and counselors at a summer camp, were killed in catastrophic flooding last week.
The first item on the agenda at the bimonthly meeting: the July 4 flooding. The commissioners will “consider, discuss, and take appropriate action following update on status of recovery efforts,” according to a meeting agenda. Other agenda items will focus on authorizing overtime pay for employees who responded to the flooding and establishing a central location to assist affected citizens.
The meeting is currently being livestreamed. You can watch the meeting at the top of the page.
The Kerr County commissioners’ court consists of County Judge Rob Kelly and four commissioners and is the main governing body for the county, responsible for budgetary, tax and revenue decisions for the population of about 50,000 people