More deaths confirmed in Hill Country floods as heavy rain leads to evacuations, rescues in Central Texas

Heavy rain on Sunday caused evacuations and rescues in parts of already-flood-ravaged Central Texas as officials confirmed more deaths from the July 4 floods.

Sunday’s rain comes more than a week after the Fourth of July floods killed at least 132 people across Central Texas, with 106 of the deaths reported in Kerr County. Of the Kerr County deaths, 70 were adults and 36 were children, officials said.

Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County.

>> Brief downpours moving through South-Central Texas

On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott said on X that the state was making rescues in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties.

Evacuations were taking place in Lampasas, Menard, Kimble and Sutton counties, he said.

“Texas Task Force 1 has already rescued dozens of Texans in the Lampasas area,” Abbott posted on X. “They and other first responders will continue operations to prioritize saving lives.”

The latest round of flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association, a San Saba-based nonprofit.

“Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,” she said. “Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.”

With more rain on the way, county officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate. Johnson said people were being moved to the San Saba Civic Center, which has become a safe, high place for people to receive aid and shelter.

“Everyone is in some way personally affected by this,” she said. “Everyone is just doing what they can to help their neighbors.”

In Kerr County on Sunday, a weeklong search for victims of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River was paused as officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge.

The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday afternoon that recovery teams in west Kerr County were able to resume operations.

>> Search for Texas flood victims paused as heavy rains bring new threat of high waters

Sunday was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the July 4 floods.

In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door-to-door to some homes after midnight early Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area.

Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning of the potential for a flash flood. Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte said.

“We’re working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,” Lochte said.