What was meant to be a day of celebration quickly turned into a heartbreaking tragedy in Texas.
On July 4, an unexpected and violent flood swept through parts of Hill Country, leaving behind a trail of devastation.
Now, nearly a week later, the death toll has reached at least 120, with more than 160 people still missing — many of them children.
As first responders dig through the wreckage, loved ones are holding onto hope for miracles.
Search and Rescue Teams Refuse to Give Up
With an area four times the size of Manhattan to cover, the effort to locate missing victims is enormous.
Over 2,100 first responders are working around the clock across the devastated regions of Kerr County and neighboring Kendall County.
“We’re still in rescue mode,” said Razor Dobbs, a volunteer firefighter from Center Point, just outside Kerrville.
“There could still be a survivor in there, and we’re not quitting until we find everybody.”
Dobbs, who has been part of the response efforts since day one, attends daily emergency management briefings and sees firsthand just how layered and complex the search has become.
Debris Fields and Riverbeds Make Search Work Dangerous
Much of the focus now is on thick, towering debris piles — like one near Center Point that’s 60 feet high and stretches 100 yards.
These mounds are jammed with wreckage: broken RVs, shattered homes, uprooted trees.
It’s where responders recently recovered four bodies near the top of one pile.
To get into the most impacted zones, crews have had to build makeshift roads so heavy-duty excavators can get close enough to start digging.
But even then, they have to proceed slowly.
The debris is so tightly packed, even rescue dogs can’t get through.
“We have to be careful,” Dobbs explained. “You don’t want to damage anything.
Someone might still be in there — alive.”
Flood Waters Spread Far Beyond the Riverbanks
One of the biggest challenges now is understanding just how far the floodwaters actually went.
Dobbs says many people watching from afar don’t realize that this was no ordinary flood.
Officials reported that in Hunt, Texas, a “rain bomb” caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.
Water surged into wide fields and areas with tall crops, potentially sweeping people away where no one would think to look.
“These waters didn’t just hit the riverbanks — they spread out, way out,” Dobbs said.
“It’s very possible someone could be lying somewhere, hidden under vegetation.”
Grief Mounts as Families Await News
The emotional toll is crushing. According to the latest update, 96 deaths have been confirmed in Kerr County, including 60 adults and 36 children — many from the popular summer destination Camp Mystic.
Downstream in Kendall County, another eight bodies have been recovered — none of them local residents.
Officials believe the floodwaters carried them from Kerr County before they were discovered.
Among the 161 people still missing are five little girls and one camp counselor from Camp Mystic, a painful reminder of the children caught in the storm.
“This Is Still a Rescue Mission”
Despite the days that have passed, Dobbs and the rest of the response teams are not calling this a recovery yet.
“This is not just about recovering bodies,” he said.
“We are still actively searching. We want to bring people home — alive, if possible.”
He likened the current search efforts to the days after 9/11, when rescue crews combed through rubble hoping for signs of life.
The scale is massive, the work is slow, and the emotional weight is heavy — but the mission continues.
