The Guadalupe River Floodings
10 July 2025
by Paul Haneke
On the night of July 3rd to July 4th, the Guadalupe River, stretching all the way through Texas before culminating in the Gulf of Mexico, rises a terrifying seven meters (likely even more; the gauge stopped recording at that point) within a single hour.
The National Weather Service’s “flood watch”, suggesting caution in areas close to the river, takes about twelve hours to be upgraded to the status of “flash flood warning”. About three hours later, the warning becomes an “emergency flash flood warning”. A mere 45 minutes later, masses of rain, from unexpectedly stationary thunderstorms crash down around Kerrville, a small town with a population of about twenty thousand people. The water level around the county seat reaches its peak of at least seven meters at 4:45am. Another 45 minutes later, an emergency warning specifically for Kerrville is issued. Tragically, too late for many.
Kerr County, unlike its neighbouring district Kendall County, is not equipped with mandatory wailing sirens in areas prone to flooding. Similar warning systems have been applied for twice within the last decade but were in turn denied twice by the State of Texas. Considering the early time of day, the late warnings, and 4th of July being an international holiday in the United States, it is to be surmised that the emergency broadcasts via radio, television and mobile phones, could not reach everyone in time. Many Kerr County citizens died due to the weather calamity; many others are still missing. As of writing this, July 9th, the overall death toll is reported to lie above 110. Separately, more than 160 people are still missing.
As can painfully be observed when looking at these cataclysmic events, underfunded emergency measures are a pressing issue that CANNOT be neglected. When looking at the small number of casualties in Kendall County (seven) compared to those in Kerr County (eighty-seven), it is evident that those measures save lives. However, the current presidential administration has eager plans of reducing aid even further: by delegating FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) from federal to state level, thus restricting their access to government funds.
While I usually try to end my articles on a positive note, this time I feel inclined to instead refer to this heartbreaking CNN-article, which compiles some of the victims’ biographical information and accounts of their final moments as shared by friends and family members: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/06/us/victims-texas-flash-flooding-death.
for those interested in helping via donation:
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/where-to-donate-help-central-texas-flood-recovery/
sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deadly-texas-floods-one-town-warning-siren-rcna217202
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-floods-live-updates-death-passes-100-rcna217415
https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/texas-flooding-camp-mystic-07-08-25-hnk
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/07/politics/noaa-nws-fema-layoffs-cuts-texas-floods
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrville,_Texas