Photos: After Texas Hill Country flood, grief and recovery take hold

"Photos: After Texas Hill Country flood, grief and recovery take hold" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

An aerial view of damage along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville on July 5, 2025. Heavy rains in the Hill Country on July 4 caused catastrophic flooding and loss of life. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune A destroyed vehicle caught in between trees in Hunt, a small town where the the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River meet, about 13 miles west of Kerrville. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune Toppled trees and debris surround a sign offering directions to the Kerr Co. towns of Ingram and Leakey. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune Trees fallen due to the water current during the flood in Hunt on July 5, 2025. Search parties have been combing the area looking for survivors or bodies. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune An American flag is placed on the trunk of a tree knocked down by the flood along HWY 39 in Ingram, just outside of Kerrville. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune A child cleans off a table at a food and supply drop-off station at Cross Kingdom Church in Kerrville on Saturday. Recovery work began immediately in the area, part of the Central Texas Hill Country known as "Flash Flood Alley." Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune First: Kerrville resident Charity Hicks, 38, right, hugs a friend at a food and supply drop off station at Cross Kingdom Church in Kerrville. Next: Volunteers help set up the church's food station. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune A destroyed metal canoe next to next to the Guadalupe River at Kerrville's Flatrock Park. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune A helicopter surveys the Guadalupe River above Ingram. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune Campers from Camp Waldemar in Hunt are reunited with their families at the Arcadia Live Theatre in Kerrville. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune As U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn look on, Gov. Greg Abbott signs an emergency proclamation during a press conference at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune Aerial view of Camp Mystic, where many children went missing after the flood. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune A view of Camp Mystic from the banks across the river after the flood as game wardens search the area and guard the grounds. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune A Texas Game Warden searches the area around Camp Mystic on Saturday. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune Another camp, the Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls in Hunt, was heavily damaged by the flood. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune Ducks look for food at Flatrock Park next to the Guadalupe River after the flood waters recede. Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune A pickup truck on the side of the road on Highway 39 in Hunt has a Texas flag hanging on its side with the date of the flood spray-painted on the side. Credit: Brenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune

---

Shape the future of Texas at the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! We bring together Texas’ most inspiring thinkers, leaders and innovators to discuss the issues that matter to you. Get tickets now and join us this November.

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/06/kerrville-flood-photos-hill-country/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.