Jim Ollerton wipes sweat from his head while holding one of his handmade rosaries outside the Uvalde County Fairplex in Uvalde on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Ollerton, his wife and their three dogs have been sheltering at the Fairplex since Wednesday with other evacuees from around Uvalde after severe flooding.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Jim and Tonia Ollerton sit with their dogs, from left, Ernie, Maisie and Brody, outside the Uvalde County Fairplex in Uvalde on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The Ollertons have been sheltering at the Fairplex since Wednesday with other evacuees from around Uvalde after severe flooding.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
People wait in their vehicles along U.S. 90 over Dinner Creek, east of Knippa, as the Texas Department of Transportation repairs the road after floodwaters damaged it on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The agency closed the road to traffic indefinitely, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Garza, who declined to give her first name.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A construction worker pours new gravel along the railroad tracks along U.S. 90 over Dinner Creek, east of Knippa, after floodwaters damaged it on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A line of cars backs up along U.S. 90 over Dinner Creek, east of Knippa, as the Texas Department of Transportation repairs the road after floodwaters damaged it on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The agency closed the road to traffic indefinitely, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Garza, who declined to give her first name.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Garza, who declined to give her first name, tells truck driver Caleb Miller to turn around and find an alternate route as the Texas Department of Transportation repairs a section of U.S. 90 east of Knippa after floodwaters damaged it on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Miller and his partner, Julio Reyes, had been sitting in their tractor-trailer since 2 a.m. They drive weekly routes between Del Rio and San Antonio and said they had been on the road for 24 hours.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Truck drivers Julio Reyes, center, and Caleb Miller, right, talk with another driver after being told to turn around and find an alternate route as the Texas Department of Transportation repairs a section of U.S. 90 east of Knippa after floodwaters damaged it on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The agency closed the road to traffic indefinitely, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Garza, who declined to give her first name.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
City workers place road blockades along Studer Street near Morales Junior High as the Leona River floods the road in Uvalde on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Rapids flood the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
The Perdenales River floods over Mark Isbell’s RV home at Arrowhead Creek Vineyards in Stonewall, Thursday, July 16, 2026. Isbell, his wife Kim and their dog were able to evacuate the RV before the flood swelled and overtook their home.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Bill Dozier pets his dog, Guero, while sitting on the bed of his truck above floodwater at his home along North Camp Street in Uvalde on Thursday, July 16, 2026. He said water was up to his ankles inside the house.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Julian Garza, owner of Koyote RV Trailer Park, gathers items stuck in floodwater along North Camp Street in Uvalde on Thursday morning, July 16, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Filomeno Escamilla checks that his door is locked before getting a ride from a friend out of Koyote RV Trailer Park after more floodwaters arrived in Uvalde on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Damaged trailers at River Run RV Park on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Rich Diesel Repair employee Ryan Hess looks up at a cat named Bucket in Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Hess said Bucket scampered to the elevated ledge as floodwater rose inside the shop.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
Gary Shipman and Sofia Patton look across the Guadalupe River over at their ranch from Howdy’s Bar and Grill on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerr County.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Debris from the flooded Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Sheds and other debris are strewn across Acradia Loop Bridge in Kerrville after the Guadalupe River crossed flood stage on Thursday.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Several sheds and structures block Arcadia Loop Bridge after the flood on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
The Guadalupe River surges in Kerr County amid flash flooding.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Floodwater engulfs Rodeo Los Corrales Dance Hall in Comfort on Thursday, July 16, 2026, after heavy rain sent the Guadalupe River surging more than 30 feet in about three hours.
Ricardo Delgado /Staff
A barge is stuck under the Sidney Baker Bridge after flooding of the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
The Guadalupe River surges in Kerr County amid flash flooding.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
A barrel, logs and other debris lie across a closed stretch of Texas 27 between Comfort and Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026, after floodwaters crossed the highway near Wilson Creek.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
A large log and other debris cover a closed stretch of Texas 27 between Comfort and Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Flooding near Wilson Creek swept across the highway and nearby fields as the Guadalupe River rose rapidly overnight.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
A bicyclist looks toward a flooded street near downtown Comfort on Thursday, July 16, 2026, as officials urged people to avoid flooded roadways.
Alexia Massoud/Staff
Rescue helicopters fly over the flooded Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
A green ribbon in remembrance for the July 4th flood is seen while the Guadalupe River floods on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
People look at a flooded bridge on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Mark Isbell, owner of Arrowhead Creek Vineyards, opens a gate alongside his dog, Perdenales, as the Perdenales River floods his property in Stonewall, Thursday, July 16, 2026. Isbell, his wife Kim and their dog were able to evacuate the RV they reside in on the property before the flood swelled and overtook their home.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
Kevin Grona, shop owner of Video Solutions in Kerrville said about two feet of water from Town Creek inundated his business.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Cindy Grona watches the latest weather report update from inside Audio Video Solutions in Kerrville. Flood waters from Town Creek made their way inside the business overnight.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Lorena Guillen, co-owner of Howdy’s Bar and Grill, watches the Guadalupe River flood once again on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Randon Grona takes break after helping his dad Kevin Grona clean up their shop after a flood on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Crews clean up debris after a flood on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
A view from inside of TNT Audio Car Stereo & Security after a flood damaged the business on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Floodwater leaves mud and debris throughout Rich Diesel Repair on Crossing Street in Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The nearby Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in three hours overnight.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
Furniture and other belongings are piled inside the Wilson family’s flooded property in Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026, after the Guadalupe River surged overnight
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
Mud coats furniture removed from the Wilson family’s flooded property along the Guadalupe River in Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The river crested at 37.94 feet, less than 2 feet below its crest during last July’s deadly flooding.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
A high-water mark stains the exterior of an investment property owned by Clarence and Kami Wilson along the Guadalupe River in Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The property, where their son was living, flooded overnight.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
People gather to watch as the Perdenales River floods Ranch Road 1623 in Stonewall, Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman
At least two people have died and more than 230 people were rescued amid flash flooding in the Hill Country after heavy rain and thunderstorms battered a region where more than 130 people died over the July 4 weekend last summer, Gov. Greg Abbott said.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Kerr and Kendall counties, including Kerrville, Ingram, Hunt, Center Point and Comfort, as well as Uvalde County, as the Pedernales River reached major flood stage, and the Guadalupe River submerged structures in Kerr County.
Elected leaders have made disaster declarations as emergency response efforts are underway.
Comal County order evacuations as river rises
Comal County has issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents who live along the Guadalupe River from the Comal County line to FM 311 due to river flooding.
“If you are in this area, leave now. Take your family, pets, and essential medications,” county officials said in a social media post. “Do not wait to see how conditions develop. Leave while roads are still passable. Do not drive through any roads that are already flooded.”
The Guadalupe River is projected to surge to just over 40 feet near Spring Branch in the next several hours, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That would be above the 39 feet level that is considered major flood stage for the river, and only slightly below the record crest of 42,1 feet on July 3, 1932.
The National Weather Service, which has issued a major flood warning for the area, says that if the river’s level rises above 39 feet, flooding would “reach secondary roads and low bridges near the river making them extremely dangerous to motorists. The lowest residences flood from Kendall County to Canyon Lake. Picnic and camping facilities in Guadalupe River State Park upstream are severely flooded. Roads, marinas, and many parks and facilities at Canyon Lake flood.”
The water level at the Spring Branch gauge was 8.8 feet at 3 p.m. and 16 feet at 6 p.m., according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It had risen to 27.86 feet at 8 p.m.
Residents evacuating can head to Spring Branch Middle School for shelter, according to county officials.
A second person has died in the Hill Country flooding, Uvalde County officials have confirmed. A 74-year-old man died after driving into high water at U.S. 83 and County Road 400 about 4 miles north of Uvalde, county officials said Thursday.
The man, whose name was not released, was from out of state.
A Kerrville man also died Thursday morning after floodwaters from the Guadalupe River swept away his mobile home.
The death of John Mark Steward, 65, was confirmed by his wife, Jennie Steward, who was out of town when the flooding struck.
The crew members at the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department aren’t certain how many people they rescued from rising water on Thursday.
Fire Chief Charles Holt and firefighter Razor Dobbs lost count of the number of people evacuated from cars or houses on a day that “has been a blur,” Holt said.
Dobbs said one of the day’s more dramatic rescue stories involved Holt using a swift-water boat to rescue a man, his wife and their dog from their attic.
Dobbs said the department was much better prepared for flood rescues this time around, saying training had “gone through the roof” since last year and that it “paid off.”
“We’ve had more funding, so we’ve had the proper tools… that’s really helped,” Dobbs said. “So now we can act on a dime.”
Fire crew members were continuing to search along the Guadalupe River on Thursday afternoon, Holt said.
Flooding in Kerr County saw river levels rise to more than 30 feet Thursday.
Ricardo Delgado/San Antonio Express-News
“We don’t have a clear count on or have any numbers currently on what’s missing,” Holt said.
Holt said his team recovered the body of a flood victim from the river, upstream from the fire station. He declined to provide additional details.
Gov. Greg Abbott said late Thursday that at least two people have died.
Officials have not released the victims’ names, but Kerrville resident Jennie Steward told the San Antonio Express-News that her husband John Mark Steward, a 65-year-old Kerrville man, died when floodwaters overwhelmed his mobile home on Thursday morning.
Abbott’s office also said a 74-year-old man died after driving into high water near Uvalde. The man, whose name was not released, was from out of state.
Kevin Grona, who owns Audio Video Solutions and the building the business occupies in Kerrville, spent Thursday morning trudging through mud and piling up waterlogged merchandise.
He said he plans to tear down the building, which is next to a portable structure he also owns that floated into the street. He estimates he lost about $75,000 worth of inventory.
A tipped over Bobcat due to flooded waters from the Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerr County.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
But Grona said he can keep operating Audio Video Solutions without the building and hopes to reopen eventually in a new space.
“We’ll make it through it,” he said.
Lorena Guillen closed Blue Oak RV Park in Ingram after last year’s flood destroyed the park and killed four guests staying there. She was repairing the property to make way for an amphitheater and farmers market and wanted to expand Howdy’s Restaurant, Bar and Chill, her adjacent business.
But Thursday’s flood swept away $100,000 worth of supplies.
“It feels so weird, being here again. I never thought in my lifetime that I was going to see this again,” Guillen said.
Flood waters took out part of the Arcadia Loop Bridge after the Guadalupe River flooded on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Floodwaters ripped away a huge chunk of the bridge where Goat Creek and the Guadalupe River meet in Kerrville, forcing the closure of Arcadia Loop, a roadway off Junction Highway. The surging water tore a 50-foot gap in the bridge’s span.
Several small, crumpled storage sheds are blocking the roadway leading to the bridge from Junction Highway.
A 65-year-old Kerrville man died after rising floodwaters swept away his mobile home early Thursday, his wife said.
A neighbor said he awoke to an emergency call from John Mark Steward at 3:06 a.m. Steward said his mobile home was flooding. By the time neighbor Mike Eifert could reach him, Steward’s home had started to float away.
John (Mark) Steward lost his life to disastrous Kerr County flooding just a day after celebrating his third wedding anniversary with wife Jennie Steward.
Provided by Jennie Steward
Steward’s wife, Jennie Steward, said the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office called her to confirm his death. The San Antonio Express-News could not independently verify the death with authorities.
During the early morning flash flooding that led Kerr County officials to declare a disaster, Steward’s creekside home was carried away by the rising water, Eifert said. Goat Creek, which runs near where Eifert and Steward lived, flows into the Guadalupe River.
Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Thursday that at least one person had died. It is unclear whether he was referring to Steward or another victim. Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for clarification.
Kendall County reports two rescues, no deaths in flooding
No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported so far in Kendall County, and first responders have conducted two rescues, local leaders said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
“Property damage and damage to roads and bridges is prevalent throughout the county,” County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said. “We’re not able to do a full assessment of the damage at this point because there’s still significant water.”
Stolarczyk and other county officials anticipate a second wave of rainfall this afternoon but believe the worst of the storm and flooding is over.
Some Comfort residents questioned how the sirens were used, but county leaders said officials activated them and issued other notifications to alert residents.
First responders close off State Highway 16 as the Pedernales River floods the roadway on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Fredericksburg.
Joel Angel Juarez/Associated Press
“The sirens were manually activated in Comfort when the time was right,” Deputy Fire Marshal Brady Constantine said after the news conference.
The manual activation came before National Weather Service data triggered sirens in Comfort, he said.
Constantine said he did not have timestamps showing exactly when the sirens sounded but would release that information publicly later. He emphasized that public safety was addressed from the “very beginning.” He said his team’s day began at 2 a.m. Thursday because “rainfall was imminent.”
Officials sent notifications through a federal public alert system and a local subscription-based emergency notification system. The messages told “anybody on the Guadalupe to seek higher ground” and warned that the river would rise rapidly.
“As the waters touched Kendall County, we had already done multiple drive-throughs of the neighborhoods in lower Comfort area,” Constantine said.
River Sentry has installed 105 flood-warning towers along the Guadalupe River, according to Joe Swann, the company’s chief experience officer.
Swann stayed in Kerrville on Wednesday night in anticipation of potential flooding.
He said he rushed to Ingram in the middle of the night after alarms sounded from six towers outside Howdy’s Bar and Chill and the neighboring River Run campground. When Swann arrived around 4 a.m., the last remaining campers were evacuating River Run.
“Our towers worked,” Swann said.
The 8-foot towers have ground-level sensors that detect rising water and activate an alarm and lights intended to wake people, much like a hotel fire alarm. River Sentry was founded after last year’s deadly Hill Country flood.
Eoin Guiry – Chief Operating Officer with River Sentry, checks on the flood alarms on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
The company donated 100 systems to property owners along the river. Swann said the Eastland family, which owns Camp Mystic, paid the $750,000 cost of getting the alarms in place. Most of the systems are installed at 15 children’s camps along the river, including Camp Mystic.
The company’s towers are separate from the county’s new warning system. They function like smoke alarms in a home, responding to high water in a specific location. The countywide system is ultimately intended to predict when flooding is imminent.
Swann said the towers blare a siren, shine a red light toward the river and a white light uphill. For six minutes, they play a recorded warning telling people nearby to move to higher ground.
Last July, the Guadalupe River’s floodwaters swamped Rich Diesel Repair in Center Point. Owners Audrey and Nathan Rich cleaned out the mud, restored the place and reopened it.
Just more than a year later, they’ll have to do it all again. The river flooded their shop again, leaving a waist-high line of mud as the water receded.
Much of their equipment, some of which was donated after last year’s floods, is likely ruined, and several cars on the property are probably totaled.
This time was “way worse than last year,” Nathan Rich said as he trudged around the muddy shop floor.
“You can’t boo-hoo about it forever,” Audrey said. “Life’s got to go on.”
Shop employee Ryan Hess tried several times to get Bucket, a calico cat, down from an elevated ledge inside the shop. She scampered up there to avoid the water and wasn’t cooperating when Hess tried to bring her down.
Hess said he found the shop’s other cat, Frankie, wading through the water as the river rose.
“We kind of have to giggle about it,” Hess said. “If you’re not in some sort of good spirit, it’s just going to get worse.”
In the Kerr County community of Center Point, residents were surveying flood damage Thursday and comparing it to last July’s flooding.
Clarence Wilson and his wife, Kami, stood on the banks of the Guadalupe River and watched the flood-swollen river roll past.
Clarence Wilson said his first thought when the river started rising was “here we go again.”
The Wilsons own an investment property on the river that their son was renting. It was flooded overnight.
“What are we going to do to clean up? Ain’t many words to say,” Clarence Wilson said.
His wife said this time around, the weather alerts were “a lot better than last year.” She said she remembers getting just one alert on her phone last year; she said she got alerts about every two hours this time.
Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces said earlier in the day that the flooding in the Center Point area was “every bit as bad as last year” and said emergency crews conducted evacuations and rescues for hours.
The Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in just three hours overnight and crested at 37.94 feet in Center Point, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s less than 2 feet below the 39.61 feet the river reached in Center Point during last July’s deadly flooding.
Those who were brought to Comfort High School for shelter after flooding and heavy rain saw it as a silver lining. Family members sitting in camp chairs and laughing with coffee in hand played card games on Thursday morning and talked while passing the time.
Kari Redman, 50, said her family comes together for a one-week reunion every year in the Hill Country. This year, 42 of them traveled there from across the country and international destinations like Vienna.
Floodwater covers fields near Haufler Fertilizer & Ag Products along Texas 27 between Comfort and Center Point on Thursday, July 16, 2026, as flooding closed roads across the area.
Ricardo Delgado/Staff
The last four of the family’s reunions were in Comfort. This was the first time they evacuated; last year’s reunion came right after the July 4 floods.
“I felt very safe and felt like we were taken care of,” Redman said. “I have zero complaints, our kids are playing basketball, volleyball, playing games.”
They were staying at the Meyer Hotel, by Cypress Creek, and evacuated around 5 a.m. They were alerted “before it became a concern,” and the water didn’t touch them, she said.
A wildlife rescue shelter in Ingram says it suffered significant damage due to the flooding along the Guadalupe River.
Katie Buck, owner of Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab, posted videos on social media of the shelter being overwhelmed by floodwaters, beginning late Wednesday night.
She said she was able to save the animals, but the shelter’s enclosures and other equipment was lost.
“We are flooding so badly. We lost all our enclosures, our deer pens, our big enclosures chicken coops, turkey pens, everything,” Buck said in the video. “Our enclosures are destroyed, some got entirely washed away down river, nowhere to be seen. Our porcupines enclosure is probably not going to be usable anymore either.”
The rehabilitation facility is a nonprofit that was established in 2016. The organization takes in hundreds of surrendered, orphaned, sick and injured animals, according to its website.
River levels across the Guadalupe River basin are starting to fall below major flood stage. In Hunt, water levels have fallen to around 17 feet, more than three feet lower than their early morning peak.
Kerrville has seen a slight rise in water levels over the past hour. However, overall river levels are still down over 3 feet from their highest point, and they’re expected to fall below flood stage by 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Debris lines a bridge along Town Creek after flooding on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Farther downstream, Comfort rose to a crest of 37.08 feet early Thursday morning — more than a foot higher than the area’s crest during the catastrophic flood on July 4, 2025. Over the past three hours, though, water levels have now fallen by 9 feet, and they’re likely to fall below major flood stage by 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon
On San Antonio’s Northeast Side, the City of Schertz issued mandatory evacuation orders because of rising waters. Residents of the Pecan Grove RV Park were required to evacuate. The city also issued voluntary evacuation orders for people who live in Lone Oak, Rio Vista and Buffalo Valley South.
As of Thursday morning, the city said public safety workers would continue to monitor impacted areas and let evacuees know when it is safe to return to their homes.
As Kerr County residents along Quinlan Creek and the Guadalupe River continue to evacuate to higher ground, churches and schools have opened their doors to receive them.
Calvary Temple Church, 3000 TX-534 Loop in Kerrville; Citywest Church, 3139 Junction Highway in Ingram; and Comfort High School, 143 US-87 North in Comfort, are serving as emergency shelters for people evacuating their homes.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that one person has died in this week’s flooding across Texas.
Abbott said the death occurred downstream from Kerrville, between Kerrville and Comfort. He said he could not confirm whether the victim was an adult and that additional details would be released within the hour.
Abbott said the state has assisted in rescuing more than 70 people and that he plans to travel to the affected areas within the next 24 hours.
Abbott also said flood warning sirens were operational in Kerrville, one of the hardest-hit communities during last year’s deadly floods. However, he said one siren was delayed by about five minutes.
Dozens of Kerrville residents this morning watched floodwaters crash through Louise Hays Park from the Dallas Daughtry Memorial Pavilion, which overlooks the Guadalupe River.
Debris rushed by the onlookers, and trees were toppled by the surging water. At least three helicopters hovered overhead.
A barge was stuck under the Sidney Baker Bridge nearby, just out of sight of the pavilion. The bridge, which is lined with green ribbons to memorialize last year’s deadly July 4 flood, was closed off early Thursday morning.
Donna Fabrizius, 68, recorded video of the river from under the pavilion. The retiree has lived between Kerrville and Ingram for nearly three decades.
Fabrizius said she was out of town during last year’s catastrophic flood.
Kevin Grona, owner of Audio Video Solutions, walks around in mud after his shop was flooded on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
“I just wanted to see for myself what they experienced last year,” said Fabrizius, accompanied by her daughter and grandson.
“People are just really starting to get their lives put back together,” Fabrizius said, reflecting on how hard Ingram and Hunt were hit. “To have this happen again is just unbelievable to me.”
Ben Jonas, 20, walked around the pavilion with a camera around his neck, shooting photos as his partner, Quassia Maeyama, watched the river flow.
Jonas, a dog groomer, lives and works nearby. He was told not to go to work today because of the hazardous road conditions.
“It breaks my heart,” Jonas said. “I grew up in Kerrville and I have a lot of memories at the park. In recent years, we would just go and walk. The trails are all ruined now, and it’s just sad. The parks just not what it used to be. There’s no tree coverage.”
The Pedernales River at Fredericksburg has reached 34.34 feet, with about 70,000 cubic feet of water flowing past every second. That is roughly 523,000 gallons per second, or 31.4 million gallons per minute. For comparison, the average flow over Niagara Falls is about 85,000 cubic feet per second.
The Pedernales River at Johnson City is forecast to rise more than 10 feet through the afternoon, approaching 22 feet and reaching major flood stage by 6 p.m.
At that level, roads from Stonewall to Lake Travis could become dangerous or impassable. Low-lying areas of Pedernales Falls State Park are also expected to flood, and bridges, low-water crossings and roads near the river could become hazardous.
Officials warn that fencing, roads and other infrastructure in the floodplain could be damaged or destroyed. U.S. 87 South will soon be impassable, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
It’s standard during an extreme weather event for local and state officials to declare a disaster. Why do they do that?
Foremost, because it gives Gov. Greg Abbott legal authority to take immediate action to help an area slammed by a disaster such as the flooding now unfolding in the Texas Hill Country.
Abbott issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday for 59 Texas counties, including all of the San Antonio and Austin areas and all of the Hill Country. On Thursday morning, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly issued a declaration limited to his county.
Abbott’s declaration states: “I authorize the use of all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster.”
The declaration gave the governor legal authority to mobilize the Texas Division of Emergency Management and send search-and-rescue teams, high-water vehicles, helicopters and swift-water rescue crews to affected areas — as well as state troopers, game wardens and medical support personnel.
Under Texas law, a declaration also allows the governor to suspend purchasing rules and other requirements that might slow recovery efforts. And it sets in motion formal damage assessments that help state officials make the case for financial aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Individuals and businesses can self-report storm damage using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool. State officials use the responses to assess the scope of damage. It doesn’t guarantee you will receive financial assistance, and even if you file a report using the state tool, you should also contact your insurance company.
Heavy rains overnight have caused more flooding in Uvalde, with water rising into a number of homes, leading to water rescues and evacuations and closing roads all across Uvalde County.
Rescue helicopters fly over the flooded Guadalupe River on Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Kerrville.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
There have been no fatalities in the county, and as of 10 p.m. last night, there is no one considered missing or unaccounted for, said Juli Alvarado, spokesperson for the Uvalde Police Department.
Emergency crews have primarily used boats for rescues, and then helicopters after the sun came up. Alvarado said the rescues are “mainly people that are stuck in their cars.”
A sheriff pounded on 74-year-old Ralph Nieto’s door at 5 a.m., urging him to get out of his home. If he hadn’t been alerted, Nieto said he’d be “waist deep” in water now.
Ralph and his wife Teresa, 70, said sirens went off as the river rose, but a notification from law enforcement ultimately woke Ralph.
Now, the couple is circling portions of Eighth and Main streets, trying to get a view of their property.
“It’s a scary situation because the water rises quick, and you hear all these horror stories about people in their attics trying to be saved,” Ralph said. “We were fortunate; we were able to get out.”
The couple has owned their home for 15 years, and while they expected to deal with the threat of flooding maybe “one or two” times, the issue is becoming increasingly frequent.
“They said that (the 2025) July 4th flood was a 500-year flood or something like that,” Teresa said. “And look, here we are again a year later.”
Teresa said the creek near their house has risen “to a scary level” four times since they moved in.
They’re torn about whether to stay. Teresa wants to stay, but Ralph is “ready to leave.”
Teresa Garcia, 66, has lived in her house — right across the street from the river — in Comfort for 27 years.
“The water is in the house, and that’s all I have,” she said.
She has a bad knee and hip and uses a walker to get around. She walked two blocks before getting picked up by an ambulance that took her to Comfort High School.
Comfort resident Teresa Garcia sits with her dogs outside The Tinsmith’s Wife near downtown Comfort on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Garcia, who calls the antique shop a “safe place,” she evacuated to Comfort High School after her home flooded.
Alexia Massoud/Staff
“It’s always you start over, you start over, you start over,” she said. “We’ve gone through several, but this one is bad.”
Residents José Martínez and Jose Rocio said sirens went off at 5 a.m. and again at 7 a.m. as alerts on their phones sounded off frequently.
Rocio said he lives in an elevated area, but the water was only 1.5 feet away from his doorstep.
They described the level of flooding as similar to what they experienced in 2001 and 2005.
A flash flood emergency has been issued for Blanco and Gillespie counties, including the communities of Fredericksburg, Stonewall, Luckenbach and Johnson City, the National Weather Service announced Thursday morning. If you are in the area, seek higher ground immediately. The flash flood emergency is scheduled to stay in place through at least 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
High water covers North River Road in Stonewall on Thursday, July 16, 2026, as the Pedernales River rose more than 22 feet in three hours. The road was closed to traffic.
Julianna Russ/Staff
In Fredericksburg, water levels along the Pedernales have risen by more than 22 feet in just three hours. By 9 a.m., the river’s height had reached 32.75 feet, which is already nearly a foot above major flood stage. The river is may rise slightly higher over the next few hours before finally receding in the late afternoon and evening. Read more.
Floodwaters from the Guadalupe River partially submerged Rodeo Los Corrales Bar & Cowboy Store in Comfort on Thursday morning.
The establishment on State Highway 27 is a bar, dance hall and cowboy outfitter that hosts live performances by Tejano and Norteno bands as well as rodeo events at an outdoor arena on the grounds. As seen from the highway, muddy floodwaters appeared to have swamped much of the interior of the low-slung, warehouse-style building.
The rain inundated Comfort overnight, with river levels rising more than 27 feet in just over an hour. By 7:20 a.m., the river’s height had reached 36.97 feet, 9 feet above what is considered “major flood stage.” The water level exceeded the river’s crest during the July 4, 2025 flooding.
Comfort’s downtown appeared desolate early Thursday morning, with just a few open signs flashing in small business windows across the downtown area. Water spilled onto the yards of some homes near the town’s central corridor.
The river banks were filled nearly to the height of the highway overpass on roads into the city.
Kendall County sheriffs and Texas Department of Transportation staffers were deployed across city streets, shutting off exits just west of downtown.
The U.S. 87 bridge over the Guadalupe River in Comfort was “shaking” before it was closed to traffic at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, a Kendall County Sheriff’s deputy said.
Underneath the bridge, brown water churned with debris from upstream and reached the canopies of trees along the banks of the river. Drivers slowed as they approached the span. Some pulled over to shoot smartphone video of the scene. Officials from state and local public safety agencies zoomed past, heading north toward hard-hit parts of Kerr County.
U.S 87 is Front Street in Comfort. It crosses the Guadalupe half a mile from the town’s historic district of shops and restaurants.
County Judge Rob Kelly issued a declaration of disaster Thursday morning as the county “is facing significant threats to life, health and property.” Flooding has damaged roads, sewer systems, homes, schools and other buildings, Kelly wrote in a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott. He asked Abbott to declare a state of emergency and provide resources.
A Kendall County Sheriff’s Office vehicle stands at a road closure near downtown Comfort on Thursday, July 16, 2026, as flooding damaged roads and bridges across the area.
Alexia Massoud/Staff
Several summer camps along the river said children and employees are safe.
Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, commonly known as Camp CAMP, said everyone at the camp southeast of Kerrville is safe. Camp CAMP is on a ridge more than 80 feet above the river and all cabins are dry, camp leaders said in a notice on its website. It has backup generators ready in case it loses power.
“Campers and staff will remain safely sheltered in the cabins while continuing to enjoy rainy-day programming and activities. We also have ample food and essential supplies on hand to care for everyone at camp for as long as needed,” the camp said.
Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly said in a Facebook post that all campers and staff are safe.
The Center Point Volunteer Fire Department posted videos on Facebook of high water near its building.
“It happened again,” the person shooting the video said as they panned to downed trees and debris. “Unbelievable.”
About 5,000 people in Kerr County were without power Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.com. In Uvalde County, where flooding has caused road closures, about 1,800 people were without power.
Kerr County Commissioner Rich Paces said flooding in the Center Point area is “every bit as bad as last year” and that evacuations have been underway for hours. Center Point is 10 miles southeast of Kerrville.
Paces, who lives in the Center Point area and is a volunteer with the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department, said in a text message that he and other volunteer fire department members have been working since 3 a.m. “evacuating people and turning people around on flooded streets.”
The Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in just three hours overnight and crested at 37.94 feet in Center Point, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s less than 2 feet below the 39.61 feet the river reached in Center Point during last July’s deadly flooding.
Between 4 and 12 inches of rain had fallen in Kerr County early Thursday, causing flash flooding, and another 1 to 2 inches are possible, the weather service said around 7:30 a.m. It described the conditions as a “particularly dangerous situation.”
The Guadalupe River at Comfort hit 36.63 feet around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, up from 5.4 feet around 4:40 a.m.
Roads and bridges in the area are flooded and many are closed. Local officials are telling people to shelter in place, move to the highest level of their home or building and avoid flooded roadways. The city of Kerrville said people along Quinlan Creek in northeastern Kerrville should evacuate, and Sidney Baker Street bridge is temporarily closed.
Residents and business owners posted photos and videos on social media of flooded streets and water lapping at their doorsteps. The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said the Texas Department of Transportation has closed Highway 39 from Ingram to Highway 83 because of water on the road and said all travel across the county should be considered hazardous.