TX TX-Hunt, Overnight flooding at Camp Mystic, all girls camp. Unknown number of missing. July 4, 2025

[Friday Fan]

They don't have cell service at Camp Mystic, so even if allowed they would not have heard those alerts.

We've stayed on the north fork a few times. The homeowner had a landline, but if we needed cell service, we had to drive into Hunt. The same applies to the south fork. There just aren't cell towers in the area.

This is incredibly sad. Such a beautiful place and "slice of heaven" for all of us who in South Central Texas.

 

[Friday Fan]

Here is the flood plain at Camp Mystic. It's surrounding by the river, Cypress Creek and a dry creek from the top of the hill. Those dry creeks can be very dangerous. It appears the the river facing part of the camp was built on park of a dry riverbed.

ArcGIS Web Application

hazards-fema.maps.arcgis.com

 

[Friday Fan]

Is it common to not have even a rough estimate of how many missing people there are? Surely they can count the camp rosters, the number of ten camp sites, the number of RV camp sites....etc

Some people just pull up on motorcycles. Some "campgrounds" aren't even campgrounds, put simply pullover spots etc. Hopefully there aren't too many. That area gets packed, especially on July 4th. Landowners will want squatters to pay. Although they may not get their contact info.

Then there are homeless people.

 

[SimplyCass]

How did we get a dozen '1,000-year floods' in 3 days?

Both Texas and North Carolina experienced '1000-year floods' this week. How is that possible, and is the danger increasing?

www.yahoo.com

I haven’t been following the thread but instead have been reading and watching the news.

I’m not a meteorology geek, but after the floods now also in New Mexico and North Carolina, this article from AccuWeather caught my eye. Apologies if it’s already been posted.

Just too much heartbreak to read here right now. Prayers for all the families.

IMO the ONLY thing that could have helped is to have had a screeching loud warning system, strobe lights, sirens etc. Texts are worthless when phones are off at night or apparently not permitted at the camps.

JMO

Generally speaking, I'm wondering if it's a regular feature or regulatory requirement for overnight camps to have a 'watch duty' for someone to be up and ready to take action in case of a flood or other emergency. Could be fire, earthquake, etc. This person would (or should) have a NOAA radio or similar.

This vaguely reminds me of the MV Concepcion fire, where it was later found out that regulations mandated a 'roving night watch' on dive boats which the boat operator did not do.

 

[sunflowermomma]

My mother's house is in between two rivers that flood nearly every year, we are blessed they have not been catastrophic thus far but people have lost their homes and vehicles in the past. They have solar powered alarms on the riverbanks that sound an alarm like a tornado siren when the river gets too high. It seems like something like this would have been helpful on the Guadalupe given the remoteness and lack of cell coverage.

If a specific area like Camp Mystic experiences a flash flood this big, is it more likely to happen again in the same area due to the changes in terrain? Obviously the loss of life is the biggest tragedy here, but I also feel bad for the business owners and families who have memories in the area who may not be able to return.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Generally speaking, I'm wondering if it's a regular feature or regulatory requirement for overnight camps to have a 'watch duty' for someone to be up and ready to take action in case of a flood or other emergency. Could be fire, earthquake, etc. This person would (or should) have a NOAA radio or similar.

This vaguely reminds me of the MV Concepcion fire, where it was later found out that regulations mandated a 'roving night watch' on dive boats which the boat operator did not do.

My in-laws owned a Christian summer camp in a southern state while my husband was growing up. Not near a river though and not as nice as Camp Mystic! I asked him and he said they always had at least one person on staff working the night shift, checking on the cabins and walking around the property.

I don't think we've heard whether or not Camp Mystic had night staff/security but with how fast the water was moving and rising, it might not have mattered. I'll try to find and link the real-time video of the water rising over a road, it went at least 20' in a matter of seconds.

 

[Serononin]

I have learned that you can have "Disaster Training" every quarter, review the "Disaster Plan" each year. And then, when a disaster actually happens, there is always something that we didn't know, or cover. There is always something!

I have been fortunate to have never had anyone die. And I am sure that many emergency coordinators are reviewing their own plans for flash floods, weather incidents, to see what is missing. If nothing else, this incident may save lives in the future. That is really the only way we learn and improve. Unfortunately.

Regulations are written in blood, as they always say. I wish it weren't so, as I'm sure we all do

 

[Friday Fan]

I’m sorry if this was covered but was the lovely camp mystic truly built on a dry river bed does anyone know?( Geology is the only science I was capable of passing in college and I remember dry river bed floods were astounding.)

Very likely!

Oldest image is from 1938. No flood zoning in a campground back then. No upgrades would be required later on.

Historic Aerials: Viewer

www.historicaerials.com

ArcGIS Web Application

hazards-fema.maps.arcgis.com

FEMA shows it as a waterway. This is not all that unusual in this part of Texas because many of these areas are dry 99% of the time. Also a cabin isn't a permanent home, so slight amts of water damage can be ignored or easily repaired.

One former camper stated her cottage flooded in 1987.

'It's a Waking Nightmare': Camp Mystic Alum Recalls Flood That Hit the Same Cabins in 1987

Nearly 40 years ago, Katherine Howe was evacuated from one of the Camp Mystic cabins washed away by the swollen Guadalupe River on July 4.

thebarbedwire.com

 

[Corina]

Generally speaking, I'm wondering if it's a regular feature or regulatory requirement for overnight camps to have a 'watch duty' for someone to be up and ready to take action in case of a flood or other emergency. Could be fire, earthquake, etc. This person would (or should) have a NOAA radio or similar.

This vaguely reminds me of the MV Concepcion fire, where it was later found out that regulations mandated a 'roving night watch' on dive boats which the boat operator did not do.

Exactly what I was wondering, I had this drafted:

Do the camps have security staff actively patrolling through the night with the ability to summon assistance and/or alert the camp to emergency?
If the safety of dozens or hundreds of people is involved, this seems like a sensible plan.

 

[keyorca]

Harley Moeller, Gary, and DeeAnn Knetsch confirmed deceased (staying in HTR RV Park) Article

-Beth and Hutch Bryan have been found (Article with all following names)
-Clayton Meadows has been found (29, Arrowhead Cabins)
-Malaya Hammond (17, Burnet County)
-Lee Brizendine (83)
-Betty West (84)

Alicia Torres (wife of Don Jose Olvera) was also found, confirmed by family on Facebook but I haven't seen any articles yet

Also I believe Al Lorio 's identification was retracted, his name is gone from the linked article now

I'm local, I joined because I found you guys were keeping a list of the missing/recovered. I have a running list I've been working on for the last few days, I organized mine by location rather than last name though!

Hoping the missing are found swiftly and that all those affected find some sort of peace

 

[Snoopster]

Harley Moeller, Gary, and DeeAnn Knetsch confirmed deceased (staying in HTR RV Park) Article

Beth and Hutch Bryan have been found Article

Clayton Meadows has been found (above article) (Arrowhead Cabins)

Alicia Torres (wife of Don Jose Olvera) was also found, confirmed by family on Facebook but I haven't seen any articles yet

Also I believe Al Lorio 's identification was retracted, his name is gone from the linked article now

I'm local, I joined because I found you guys were keeping a list of the missing/recovered. I have a running list I've been working on for the last few days, I organized mine by location rather than last name though!

Hoping the missing are found swiftly and that all those affected find some sort of peace

Welcome to Websleuths and thank you for contributing to the thread.

I'm sorry we're "meeting" you under these conditions.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

"As CNN has previously reported, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — whose department oversees FEMA — recently enacted a sweeping rule aimed at cutting spending: Every contract and grant over $100,000 now requires her personal sign-off before any funds can be released.

For FEMA, where disaster response costs routinely soar into the billions as the agency contracts with on-the-ground crews, officials say that threshold is essentially “pennies,” requiring sign-off for relatively small expenditures.

In essence, they say the order has stripped the agency of much of its autonomy at the very moment its help is needed most.

“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” a longtime FEMA official told CNN. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”

For example, as central Texas towns were submerged in rising waters, FEMA officials realized they couldn’t pre-position Urban Search and Rescue crews from a network of teams stationed regionally across the country.

In the past, FEMA would have swiftly staged these teams, which are specifically trained for situations including catastrophic floods, closer to a disaster zone in anticipation of urgent requests, multiple agency sources told CNN.

But even as Texas rescue crews raced to save lives, FEMA officials realized they needed Noem’s approval before sending those additional assets. Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/fema-texas-flood-noem

 

[iamshadow21]

Exactly what I was wondering, I had this drafted:

Do the camps have security staff actively patrolling through the night with the ability to summon assistance and/or alert the camp to emergency?
If the safety of dozens or hundreds of people is involved, this seems like a sensible plan.

There was a night watchman at Mystic, he saved a bunch of girls. It was in an early article I linked.

 

[iamshadow21]

Harley Moeller, Gary, and DeeAnn Knetsch confirmed deceased (staying in HTR RV Park) Article

-Beth and Hutch Bryan have been found (Article with all following names)
-Clayton Meadows has been found (29, Arrowhead Cabins)
-Malaya Hammond (17, Burnet County)
-Lee Brizendine (83)
-Betty West (84)

Alicia Torres (wife of Don Jose Olvera) was also found, confirmed by family on Facebook but I haven't seen any articles yet

Also I believe Al Lorio 's identification was retracted, his name is gone from the linked article now

I'm local, I joined because I found you guys were keeping a list of the missing/recovered. I have a running list I've been working on for the last few days, I organized mine by location rather than last name though!

Hoping the missing are found swiftly and that all those affected find some sort of peace

Ah, thank you. I had Clayton and Alicia added ready to go this morning, but not the others.

Give me a little time to check all the live feeds for others, and then I'll post the updated list.

MOO

 

[Angela_Beckett]

"

Firefighters from Mexico aid Texas flood search and rescue: ‘There are no borders’​

Team of firefighters and first responders volunteer along Guadalupe River after mass flooding in show of solidarity"

Firefighters from Mexico aid Texas flood search and rescue: ‘There are no borders’

Team of firefighters and first responders volunteer along Guadalupe River after mass flooding in show of solidarity

www.theguardian.com

<modsnip - random Instagram source>
"When it comes to firefighters, there’s no borders,” Ismael Aldaba, founder of Fundación 911, in Acuña, Mexico, told CNN on Tuesday. “There’s nothing that’ll avoid us from helping another firefighter, another family. It doesn’t matter where we’re at in the world. That’s the whole point of our discipline and what we do.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/08/us/video/mexican-rescue-team-texas-flooding-vrtc

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

"

Firefighters from Mexico aid Texas flood search and rescue: ‘There are no borders’​

Team of firefighters and first responders volunteer along Guadalupe River after mass flooding in show of solidarity"

Firefighters from Mexico aid Texas flood search and rescue: ‘There are no borders’

Team of firefighters and first responders volunteer along Guadalupe River after mass flooding in show of solidarity

www.theguardian.com

<modsnip - random Instagram account>
"When it comes to firefighters, there’s no borders,” Ismael Aldaba, founder of Fundación 911, in Acuña, Mexico, told CNN on Tuesday. “There’s nothing that’ll avoid us from helping another firefighter, another family. It doesn’t matter where we’re at in the world. That’s the whole point of our discipline and what we do.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/08/us/video/mexican-rescue-team-texas-flooding-vrtc

<modsnip - quoted post was snipped>

Did Mexican president send rescue teams to Texas after deadly flooding?

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that recognition belongs to the volunteers from Ciudad Acuña.

www.snopes.com

The personnel who assisted in search and rescue efforts in Kerr County were volunteers from the Civil Protection and Fire Department of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, and the nonprofit organization Fundación 911. Their deployment was made independently, in response to a request from the U.S.-based organization Texas EquuSearch, and was not coordinated by the Mexican federal government.
(..)
Sheinbaum did not take credit for sending rescue teams to Texas. When asked about the viral Viola Davis post during her July 7 news conference (at about 1:11:23 into the official livestream), she clarified that the aid came from volunteer firefighters in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, who traveled to Texas independently.

 

[iamshadow21]

Current Known Victim List

A

B
Joyce-Catherine Badon, 21, (riverside cabin)
Mary Grace Baker, 8, Camp Mystic
Anna Margaret Bellows, 8, Camp Mystic
Lila Bonner, 9, Camp Mystic
Lee Brizendine, 83, Burnet
Beth Bryan, adult, (riverside cabin)
Hutch Bryan, adult, (riverside cabin)
John Burgess, 39, (camping in an RV)
Julia Anderson Burgess, 38, (camping in an RV)
Tanya Burwick, 62, San Angelo (car)

C
Ella Cahill, 21, (riverside cabin)
Chloe Childress, 18, Camp Mystic (counselor)
Cody Crossland, 40s, Ingram (car)
Michelle 'Shellie' Crossland, 50, Ingram (car)

D
Molly DeWitt, 9, Camp Mystic
Josephine 'Phina' Dunlap, adult, Andrews

E
Katheryn Eads, 52, (camping in an RV)
Richard 'Dick' Eastland, 74, Camp Mystic (camp director)

F
Bruce Ferguson, 83, (in an RV)
Holly Frizzell, 72, Hunt/Casa Bonita

G
Sally Sample Graves, 91, Kerrville

H
Malaya Hammond, 17, Burnet County (car)
Hadley Hanna, 8, Camp Mystic
Blair Harber, 13, (family riverside cabin)
Brooke Harber, 11, (family riverside cabin)
Janie Hunt, 9, Camp Mystic

I

J
Mary Kathryn Jacobe, 8, Camp Mystic
Braxton Jarmon, 15, Leander
Emlyn Jeffrey, adult, (family riverside cabin)
Penny Cooper Jeffrey, adult, (family riverside cabin)

K
Melissa Kamin, 45, (camper)
Rob Kamin, 50, (camper)
DeeAnn Knetsch, adult, (camping in an RV)
Gary Knetsch, adult, (camping in an RV)


L
Lainey Landry, 9, Camp Mystic
Hanna Lawrence, 8, Camp Mystic
Rebecca Lawrence, 8, Camp Mystic

M
Reese Manchaca, 21, Hunt
Sarah Marsh, 8, Camp Mystic
Alissa Martin, adult, Leander
Amanda Martin, 44, (camping in an RV)
OPD Officer Bailey Martin, 23, (camping)
Bobby Martin, 46, (camping in an RV)
Linnie McCown, 8, Camp Mystic
Blakely McCrory, 8, Camp Mystic
Clayton Meadows, adult, (riverside cabin)
Harley Moeller, 5/6, (camping in an RV
Jake Moeller, 38, (camping in an RV)
Megan Moeller, 33, (camping in an RV)

N
Wynne Naylor, 8, Camp Mystic

O
José Olvera, 70s, Kerr County/Hunt

P
Clay Parisher, 20mo, (family riverside cabin)
Eloise Peck, 8, Camp Mystic
Brad Perry, 49, (camping in an RV)
Preston Prince, 22, (car)

R
Jane Ragsdale, 68, Heart O' The Hills (camp director)
Joel Ramos, adult, Ingram (car)
Tanya Ramsey, 46, (camper)
Sherry Richardson, 64, (riverside cabin)
Cindy Nelson Rushing, 50s/60s, (camper)
James Rushing, 50s/60s, (camper)
Julian Ryan, 27, Ingram (arterial laceration while saving his family)

S
Camille Santana, adult, (riverside cabin)
Mollie Schaffer, adult, Hunt
Shon Scott, adult, Andrews
Renee Smajstrla, 8, Camp Mystic
Mary Stevens, 8, Camp Mystic
Kaitlyn Swallow, 22, Williamson

T
Greta Toranzo, 10, Camp Mystic
Alicia Torres (Olvera), 70s, Kerr County/Hunt

U

V
William Venus, 57, (car)

W
Tim Walker, adult, (family riverside cabin)
Betty West, 84, Travis County
Amber Wilson, adult, (truck with camper)
Jeff Wilson, 55, Kerrville (truck with camper)

X

Y

Z
Paula Zunker, 35/36, (riverside cabin)
Reece Zunker, 36, (riverside cabin)

 

[iamshadow21]

Harley Moeller, Gary, and DeeAnn Knetsch confirmed deceased (staying in HTR RV Park) Article

-Beth and Hutch Bryan have been found (Article with all following names)
-Clayton Meadows has been found (29, Arrowhead Cabins)
-Malaya Hammond (17, Burnet County)
-Lee Brizendine (83)
-Betty West (84)

Alicia Torres (wife of Don Jose Olvera) was also found, confirmed by family on Facebook but I haven't seen any articles yet

Also I believe Al Lorio 's identification was retracted, his name is gone from the linked article now

I'm local, I joined because I found you guys were keeping a list of the missing/recovered. I have a running list I've been working on for the last few days, I organized mine by location rather than last name though!

Hoping the missing are found swiftly and that all those affected find some sort of peace

Now that I'm properly awake, I'm replying to the bit about organisation.

I went by alphabetical order because it's what other forum members had said would be useful for them to easily see if a name was already on there, but also, a large volume of the victims, the information on where they actually were when they died or were washed away is scant or nonexistent. So many were visitors in tents or RVs or staying in holiday cabins or the cabins of relatives. And sometimes, the only article I find is a local media outlet for where they live. For example, one I found talked about how the victim was a resident of Mobile but was camping with family. She didn't die in Mobile. Some are even vaguer, saying that a person was simply a victim of the Hill Country flooding, with no indication of if they were a resident, camping, or a motorist who drove into floodwaters. So that's why so many are simply labelled with 'camping' or 'cabin' or 'car'. And some just have 'Hunt' or even just a question mark. I continue to check. People following for a few days will notice I'm updating with ages and locations as I find them. I'm also keeping tabs on families where only one (if any) of a group have been recovered, knowing that I'm likely going to be adding the other members in the coming days.

MOO

 

[Betty P]

They don't have cell service at Camp Mystic, so even if allowed they would not have heard those alerts.

We've stayed on the north fork a few times. The homeowner had a landline, but if we needed cell service, we had to drive into Hunt. The same applies to the south fork. There just aren't cell towers in the area.

This is incredibly sad. Such a beautiful place and "slice of heaven" for all of us who in South Central Texas.

We’re the wealthiest country in the world. There’s no reason someone shouldn’t be able to provide internet and cell service in this area before. It’s not Siberia or the North Pole. It’s just common sense.

<modsnip>

 

[Ghostwheel]

We’re the wealthiest country in the world. There’s no reason someone shouldn’t be able to provide internet and cell service in this area before. It’s not Siberia or the North Pole. It’s just common sense.

<modsnip>

<modsnip: Quoted post was modsnipped>

I'm just throwing this out there. There are people, (and I am one of them) who relish not having cell or internet and being able to be without electronics for a time. Unfortunately, we are now so used to cell service/internet, it is forgotten that the whole world doesn't own a smart phone and a warning system that doesn't rely on it is not always kept at the ready. I saw that there were some people on physical watch duty which likely saved many people. If the gauges were broken as some stories state, then no cell alert would have gone out from that. If the power was out, internet and cell would not have worked anyway unless the alerts went out before the power went out. I, personally, have been in two fires where it was the physical door knock as the only means of warning, and it wasn't because there was no warning system on a cell phone. My D didn't get the warning until we'd left the area and had cell service again. Little late for that.

My point is that even if they'd had cell/internet, you can't rely on that. It becomes a false sense of security. One assumes everyone was notified, but they were not. Jmo based on my own experience.