Catastrophic flash floods in Texas in the US have killed two people and forced hundreds of rescues in areas still reeling from devastating floods a year ago, governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday.
Rescuers aboard boats and helicopters have saved more than 200 people, including stranded drivers and people trapped in homes, Abbott said.
The governor said the hardest-hit areas are expecting more rain into Friday and are not out of danger yet, with some rivers expected to reach historic levels.
After days of pounding rain, the National Weather Service said a large wave on Thursday barrelled down the same river wrecked by flash floods last summer when two dozen children and counsellors died at Camp Mystic.
Much like last year, the floods came in the middle of the night. However, this time some residents in the Texas Hill Country said they received more warnings.
Forecasters urgently warned people to move to higher ground as rivers rose hour by hour. Some spots of the Guadalupe River rose by more than 9m.
The governor said more than 2,000 first responders had been deployed and some evacuations began before the worst of the flooding.
“What happened last year was a warning to people on or near rivers,” Abbott said. “No-one can be complacent.”
As much as 74cm of rain fell over the past three days in Uvalde County, which was spared from the worst flooding a year ago, the weather service said on Thursday. Other areas saw about 30.4cm of rain.
Victims swept away
The governor said one victim was driving on a flooded road and was swept away near Uvalde while the other died in Kerr County.
Jennie Steward said the body of her husband, 65-year-old John Mark Steward, of Kerrville, was found on Thursday. She was visiting her parents when a neighbour called overnight, saying her husband was missing after water had risen to the door of their mobile home, which stood above the ground.
The entire home was swept off the platform and floated down Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, she said.
“It’s really hard that I wasn’t there with him,” she said. The two last spoke by phone on Wednesday to celebrate their third anniversary.
Residents say they were better prepared
The unfolding crisis brought back haunting memories of last summer’s Hill Country floods that killed more than 100 people over the July 4th holiday.
“It’s crazy happening two times in one year,” said Josiah Rodriguez, who awoke to the sound of heavy rain at about 2am on Thursday in Kerrville. He navigated flooded roads to help evacuate relatives.
“Last year there was no warning. It kind of happened overnight and took everyone by surprise. This year a lot more alerts have gone into place, a lot more safety measures.”
Residents said they were caught off guard a year ago and didn’t receive any warning when floods overtopped the Guadalupe River. Some local leaders were criticised for not acting quickly.
The storms and flooding this time threatened counties close to the Mexico border and in the Hill Country near San Antonio. About 6-million residents across Texas were under a flood watch this week, and many were expected to remain in effect into Friday.
Several agencies sent rescue helicopters to the flood zone, including Travis County in the state capital of Austin.
Residents rush animals and campers to higher ground
At a wild animal rescue, Katie Buck evacuated several dozen animals to higher ground in the dark on Thursday as the normally dry Lazy Creek overflowed. She got all of the animals to safety, but flooding destroyed several enclosures at the Buck Wild Animal Rescue and Wildlife Rehab near Ingram in Kerr County.
“We were starting to get back on our feet again,” Buck said. “To have to go through this again is devastating.”
Residents at a recreational vehicle (RV) park in Comfort moved their trailers when sirens sounded, manager Duke Earwood said.
Water rose over the hoods of vehicles parked near the river at the Comfort RV Resort. Markers showed the flooding already matched last July’s big flood.
“Too familiar and too soon,” Earwood said.
Uvalde residents isolated by floodwaters
Floodwaters also overran the city of Uvalde overnight, cutting off most outside routes. The Leona River, normally dry most of the year, filled streets with water.
“People can’t get anywhere,” said Carmen Rodriguez, who nervously watched water engulf her neighbourhood as a helicopter roared overhead. “We have a place to go, but all the streets are closed.”
Rodriguez said authorities seemed to be prepared, ordering mandatory evacuations and notifying people directly.
After staying up most of the night, Casy Sanford and her husband felt like things were OK at their home in Uvalde as the downpour and heavy winds let up. Texas game wardens were outside their door a few hours later, evacuating the couple, Sanford’s son and three daughters, her mother-in-law and two dogs by boat on Thursday morning.
Sanford said she felt “shock” as they left and closed the door behind them, water seeping into the ground floor of the only home her girls have known.
“My little one was scared. She kept grabbing my hand tight,” Sanford said of her eight-year-old. “I’m not sure what we’ll see when we get back.”
Sanford later said a neighbour had visited her family’s home and found water had climbed as high as the kitchen counters.
Texas game wardens rescued close to 150 people by the afternoon, according to a Texas parks and wildlife department spokesperson. Video released by the agency showed crews hoisting children from a house surrounded with water into a helicopter.
Uvalde resident Jose Maldonado said water reached the first step to the entrance of his RV on Wednesday and rose above the door on Thursday. Floodwaters took down nearby walls, moved cars, flipped a trailer and left behind debris, he said.
He and his wife planned to stay with his parents until they could return to clean up.
Flooding hasn’t reached last year’s deadly high
So far the Guadalupe River has remained below the record levels reached in 2025. Close to Camp Mystic, which hasn’t reopened since last year’s tragedy, the Guadalupe near Hunt reached about 6.3m, which is enough to cause flooding, according to US Geological Survey and National Water Prediction Service data.
In Kerr County, where summer camps dot the river’s shores, the sheriff’s office said all campers were safe. Several camps said children were staying inside, with one camp reporting normal flooding.
While the water didn’t rise as high as a year ago in Ingram, mayor Claud Jordan believes this round of flooding was more widespread in his city.
“There are of businesses that haven’t reopened from last year,” Jordan said. “This doesn’t help.”
The Hill Country is especially prone to flash floods because the area’s signature limestone is covered by a thin layer of soil. During heavy rains, water can quickly shoot downhill before filling the narrow river basins.
AP
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