Search and rescue operations remain the priority in central Texas, according to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, as crews continue to look for the missing along the Guadalupe River.

He added authorities were recovering and identifying bodies Saturday. “We knew today was going to be that day, so our numbers are going to constantly be changing,” he said.

“We’re in a marathon, and we got to make sure we always think about that and look after each other,” Rice said.

There are still 27 children missing from Camp Mystic, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said at a Saturday news conference, as officials rescue people from campsites after the Guadalupe River surged Friday.

“We’ve been rescuing people out of these camps by the hundreds all day,” Rice said.

The private Christian summer camp is nestled near the Guadalupe River, which rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours during torrential rains Friday that triggered flash flooding in parts of Texas.

Everyone at the approximately 18 other nearby camps along the river has been accounted for, officials previously said.

Rice said the holiday weekend complicates counting missing people outside of the total missing from Camp Mystic, so officials won’t be providing that number.

“Campers are coming in for Fourth of July weekend, people are camped along the river bank, people are coming in to visit – there’s a number that we just don’t know yet,” he said. “We’re not going to put a cap on this; we’ll just continue until we find everything else.”

At least 43 people died in Kerr County, Texas, after severe flooding hit the state, according to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.

The fatalities include 28 adults and 15 children, Leitha said at a news conference Saturday. The sheriff added five children and 12 adults have yet to be identified.

The official death toll has risen further following catastrophic flooding in parts of central Texas.

At least 32 people, including 14 children, have died, according to local officials. There are still more than two dozen people missing from Camp Mystic, a girls summer camp in Kerr County.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an expanded disaster declaration today, adding six new counties, and vowed to continue adding others as needed.

A US Congressman says his two daughters were evacuated from Camp Mystic, the hard-hit summer camp for girls in Hunt, Texas, where more than 20 campers are still missing.

Rep. August Pfluger announced he and his wife were “now reunited” with their daughters in a post on X Saturday.

“The last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors,” he wrote.

“Please join us today as we pray for miracles,” he added.

CNN’s Ed Lavandera got a firsthand look at the destruction from flooding at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas, where the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours during torrential rains that triggered flash flooding in parts of the state yesterday.

More than 20 campers remain unaccounted for after the disaster.

See aftermath at summer camp in Texas where multiple people are still missing after flooding

03:30 - Source: CNN

See aftermath at summer camp in Texas where multiple people are still missing after flooding

03:30

Renee Smajstrla, the 8-year-old Camp Mystic camper who went missing during the torrential flooding in Kerr County, Texas, has passed away, her family confirmed to CNN.

“It’s truly devastating,” Shawn Salta, Smajstrla’s uncle, told CNN.

Salta said his niece was recovered on Friday.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the government response and the National Weather Service in the wake of the tragic flooding in Texas that has left 32 people dead, including 14 children.

“When President Trump took office…he said he wanted to fix, and is currently upgrading the technology. And the National Weather Service has indicated that with that and NOAA, that we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in basic the federal government for many, many years, and that is the reforms that are ongoing,” Noem said.

The president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which the administration is already abiding by, does make cuts and even closes some weather research labs that are vital to forecast improvement. The Department of Government Efficiency, formerly led by Elon Musk, has also cut hundreds of employees at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the NWS.

Asked about the impact of those cuts during a press conference Saturday, Noem continued to defend the government and the president, saying that she will bring “concerns back to the federal government.”

“I do carry your concerns back to the federal government, and to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kind of things that that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members, but we know that everybody wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technologies have been neglected by far too long,” Noem said.

Still, this storm was extremely unpredictable and truly unprecedented, the water rising very high very quickly.

As CNN has previously reported, the NWS issued a flood watch early Thursday afternoon that highlighted Kerr County as a place at high risk of flash flooding through the overnight. A flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County as early as around 1 a.m. CT on Friday. A more dire flash flood emergency warning was then issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. CT, followed by another one for Kerrville at 5:34 a.m. CT.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that Trump’s fiscal year budget is what affects the National Weather Service.

As flood waters recede in central Texas, ground crews are able to uncover and search additional areas, Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said.

Dogs are also assisting in searching banks where people may be missing, Kidd said. Crews are assigned to different areas and are reporting back to command if they find anyone, he added.

At least 32 people, including 14 children, are dead following torrential rains and flooding in Texas, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a Saturday news conference.

The sheriff’s office is working to identify some of the deceased, Leitha said. Officials are still working to locate the 27 people still missing from Camp Mystic, he added.

The private Christian summer camp is nestled near the Guadalupe River, which surged suddenly on Friday amid relentless rainfall. Everyone at the approximately 18 other nearby camps along the river has been accounted for, officials previously said.

Camp Mystic, located in the unincorporated community of Hunt in western Kerr County, Texas, hosts approximately 750 children.

Officials said Saturday afternoon that search efforts will continue until everyone who is missing is found.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott underscored the urgent focus on finding survivors of the devastating floods during a press conference Saturday, and said he is directing all state agencies involved to prioritize lifesaving operations.

“My instruction to every state agency involved in this is to assume everybody who is missing is alive,” Abbott said. “And there’s a need for speed, not just every hour, every minute counts, which is why there’s people in the air, people in the water, people on the ground right now, because they’re looking to save every last life.”

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, echoed the governor’s message, making it clear while the shift from rescue to recovery operations will eventually be necessary, the current mindset is firmly focused on rescue.

“History would tell us that after a certain time period, those chances (of survival) diminish,” Kidd said. “Our hope and prayer is that there are still people alive that are out there, and we’re still actively searching for them.”

US Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said state officials are “far from having finished the job” of search, rescue and recovery after deadly floods hit the state.

Authorities say more than 20 girls are still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas. Roy noted the “heroic efforts of people that worked in those camps, directors of the camps, people who own the camps, who not just risk their lives, gave their lives to try to go save the lives of those kids, that’s who they are as Texans.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressed the ongoing federal response to the catastrophic flooding in Texas, emphasizing the urgent need for resources, coordination and continued federal support as the search for missing people intensifies.

In addition to ground efforts, federal officials have requested more aviation assets to aid in aerial search and rescue.

“We, just at the request of a previous conversation less than an hour ago … requested more fixed-wing aircraft from the Coast Guard to come and help us,” Noem said. She added many of the aircraft will be equipped with thermal imaging to allow round-the-clock searches.

“Some of the assets that other agencies may offer don’t have that kind of equipment but the Coast Guard does have it so that will be deployed so that the search and rescue efforts don’t stop even when it does get dark at night.”

She reassured Texans FEMA would remain fully engaged and ready to provide additional assistance based on evolving needs from state leadership.

“We’ll continue to stay engaged, and I’ll be here,” Noem said, noting her plans to visit Camp Mystic, where more than 20 girls are still unaccounted for, along with other parts of the community to assess damage and offer support.

“The number one priority now is people,” Noem stated. “(It) is making sure we’re finding people as fast as possible and we’re returning them to their families.”

While damage assessments to infrastructure are ongoing as bridges, roads and power lines have all sustained impact, she said the focus remains on saving lives before turning fully to long-term recovery.

“The state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters,” she said. “You are an example to the nation of getting through these difficult times. But also know that you’re not alone, that you have the entire country’s hearts with you.”

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said his property was devastated and he “barely got home” after catastrophic flooding occurred in the area.

“We didn’t know,” he said of the weather. “We know we get rains. We know the river rises, but nobody saw this coming,” Kelly said at a Saturday news conference.

He detailed the devastation he saw while touring damaged areas.

“I got to see firsthand many of the body bags and it breaks my heart,” Kelly said.

He added that while in a helicopter tour, he saw the area near Crider’s — a local rodeo and dancehall — was wiped out.

“There’s nothing on the other side of Crider’s,” he said. “It’s just Hill Country.”

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch early Thursday afternoon that highlighted Kerr County as a place at high risk of flash flooding through the overnight. A flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County as early as around 1 a.m. CT on Friday. A more dire flash flood emergency warning was then issued for Kerr County at 4:03 a.m. CT, followed by a one for Kerrville at 5:34 a.m. CT.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated in remarks Saturday that President Donald Trump will “honor” the federal disaster declaration signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following the deadly flooding there.

“I’ve visited with the president already about this federal disaster declaration that the governor was going to sign here this morning, and he has indicated that he will honor that and that he will accept that so that response and that relief will be coming,” Noem said during a press conference.

Noem added she has spoken with Trump, who is at his New Jersey golf club, several times on Saturday and he is “grieving” and the president is committed to using federal resources to help.

Previously, the Trump administration has denied some requests for individual and public assistance. The denials and delays follow executive orders signed by the president earlier this year seeking to shift the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states.

CNN’s Gabe Cohen and Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an expanded disaster declaration on Saturday, adding six new counties, and vowed to continue adding others as needed.

The new declaration includes Texas counties Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Travis and Williamson.

Friday, the governor issued a disaster declaration for Bandera, Comal, Concho, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimball, Llano, Mason, McCullough, Menard, Reeves, San Saba and Tom Green counties.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the search for missing people amidst flooding in parts of the state will be nonstop.

He noted the “extraordinary devastation” across the state and said Texans are coming together in its wake. The governor also emphasized that recovery efforts are a 24-hour operation.

“Joyce Catherine,” Ty Badon called out from the banks of the Guadalupe River. “Joyce Catherine,” he called out again.

But, so far, there has been no answer.

He keeps praying that his 21-year-old daughter will answer his calls. Until then, there is no limit to how far a father will walk to find his daughter.

The father from Beaumont, Texas, raced to the Texas Hill Country Friday afternoon where Joyce Catherine was spending the Fourth of July weekend with three other friends. The group was staying in a house right along the swollen river.

Badon started Saturday morning at the home where the last call from the group came around 4 a.m. Friday morning. Joyce Catherine had spoken on the phone with the parents of another friend in the group, describing floodwaters rushing into the home.

She said that two of her friends had been washed away. Then the phone connection cut off.

Father describes desperate search for missing daughter in Texas

01:56 - Source: CNN

Father describes desperate search for missing daughter in Texas

01:56

Joyce Catherine Badon is an architecture student at the Savannah College of Art and Design and planned to continue in a graduate program at Tulane University after graduating next year.

“She’s a beautiful girl,” Badon said. “Couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”

Badon said he and his son came upon the body of a young boy during the search.

The families of Sarah Marsh and Lila Bonner, two campers who went missing from Camp Mystic, the girls’ summer camp in Kerr County, Texas, that was affected by devastating flooding, confirmed to CNN that they have passed away.

Bonner’s family confirmed to CNN in a statement that the 9-year-old has passed away.

In a post on Facebook, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt said she’s “heartbroken over the loss of Sarah Marsh, and we are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers during this unimaginable time.”

Earlier, the mother of missing Camp Mystic 9-year-old camper Janie Hunt told CNN in a message this morning that her daughter has died.