By Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 2039 EAT on Saturday 5 July 2025

We’re en route to Kerr County, where rescue teams are still searching for at least 27 missing children following devastating flash floods that tore through this Central Texas community.

Not long after leaving San Antonio’s airport, the sprawling interchanges that define Texas’ urban sprawl give way to rolling green countryside.

The hour-long drive west is flanked by tree-covered hills that stretch into the distance, partly obscured by light fog and a steady drizzle. Rain is expected to continue through Sunday, complicating ongoing recovery efforts.

Traffic is sparse along the highway to Kerrville, the county seat. While floodwaters have largely receded from the city itself, the worst destruction and the heart of ongoing search and rescue operations lies further west.

From a roadside stop near the highway, we can see a massive American flag rippling in the breeze. In the distance, a towering cross looms over Kerrville from a hilltop  typically a tourist attraction, now a silent witness to the unfolding crisis.

Lieutenant Governor of Texas Dan Patrick has given an update on the unfolding crisis in Central Texas, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.

Of the 27 children still missing after flash floods struck a summer camp in Kerr County, Patrick said “many of these girls are younger girls under the age of 12.”

He warned that additional people are likely unaccounted for across the region, after families and groups had set up tents along the river to watch Fourth of July fireworks.

“We don’t know about those people,” he said. “We expect the number of those recovered will be higher.”

Patrick acknowledged that flash flooding had been included in the day’s weather forecast, but noted the challenge of predicting localised events in such a large, rural county. “You never know exactly where it’s going to hit and when it’s going to hit,” he said.

Camp Mystic, a historic Christian summer camp for girls, has become the center of heartbreak and uncertainty after devastating flash floods swept through Central Texas.

Twenty-seven children remain missing from the camp, which sits along the banks of the Guadalupe River near the small town of Hunt.

Founded in the 1930s and run by the same family for generations, Camp Mystic is a beloved institution for many Texans.

Its website describes the camp as a place where girls can grow “spiritually” and build self-esteem in a “wholesome” Christian environment.

In a message to the families of the camp’s roughly 750 attendees, staff told parents that if they had not been contacted directly, their child was accounted for. Still, for dozens of families, silence has become a source of dread.

Earlier, Camp Mystic reported it was aiding emergency responders but was facing severe logistical hurdles. Power, water, and internet access were all down. A major access road was also washed out, delaying reinforcements, according to The New York Times.

Online, panic and prayer unfold side by side. Parents flood social media with posts, sharing photos and contact information in hopes of locating missing daughters.

As rain continues to fall and search efforts stretch into another day, the camp once filled with songs and summer traditions has been transformed a quiet ground zero in one of the worst flooding disasters Central Texas has seen in years.

As search and rescue operations continue in Kerr County, officials have confirmed that 27 children remain missing following the catastrophic flooding that struck Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp near Hunt, Texas.

Trump Says Administration Coordinating with Texas Officials, Announces Noem Visit

While Texas officials provided updates on the ongoing search and rescue efforts, former President Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to express support for those affected by the Central Texas floods.

Trump stated that his administration is “working closely with local officials on the ground in Texas” and announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be arriving in the state “shortly.”

“Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” he wrote. “Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”

The post comes as emergency crews continue efforts to locate 27 missing children from Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp near Hunt, Texas, that was hit by flash flooding late Friday.

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