Editor's note: This story was updated at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.
Just over a year after catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River devastated Kerr County, Kerrville residents spent Thursday surveying widespread flood damage while emergency crews continued search and rescue operations and forecasters warned the flood threat was not yet over.
Repeated rounds of torrential rain sent the Guadalupe River out of its banks overnight and again Thursday, forcing water rescues, damaging neighborhoods and bringing fresh destruction to a community still recovering from last summer's catastrophic floods.
Gov. Greg Abbott said at least two people died in Thursday's flooding. Rescue operations continued across Kerr County throughout the day.
At least one person has died in dangerous overnight flooding that prompted evacuations and damaged homes, schools and roads in the Hill Country. https://t.co/clINeUtIWd pic.twitter.com/Ic9Vhnkex8
— KUT Austin (@KUT) July 16, 2026
One of the clearest signs of how dramatically the flooding had once again changed Kerrville was the closure of the Sidney Baker Street Bridge — a rare sight in the city.
Resident Jamie Flores said a barge used in the search for the missing campers broke away from its moorings during the flooding and became lodged beneath the bridge.
"The barge that they were using to search for the people is stuck under that bridge right there. So that's what they're doing."
Flores said she doesn't live along the Guadalupe River, but many of her friends do. Asked whether they had made it through the flooding safely, she replied:
"Yes. Everybody's safe so far."
Elsewhere in Kerrville, residents were beginning to assess what the latest flood had left behind, even as officials warned the emergency was not over.
Looking out over the swollen Guadalupe River from a deck just off Water Street, Jose and Nina Venegas considered themselves among the lucky ones.
"I think we're blessed. We were blessed that we woke up, you know."
Jose said if he and Nina hadn't awakened when they did, they could have drowned. Their home took on about 15 inches of water but remained standing.
Many of their neighbors were not as fortunate.
"If you go right now and see it, you see that whole Lawson all the way to Monterey Street. You're talking 20 homes."
He said many of those homes had been pushed off their foundations.
Across Kerrville, piles of debris lined streets, cleanup crews began clearing roads and residents compared the latest damage with what they endured just over a year ago.
Kerr County issued a disaster declaration after floodwaters damaged roads, bridges, homes, schools and other infrastructure. City officials urged residents to stay off the roads while first responders continued rescue operations and utility crews worked to restore essential services. Kerrville also asked residents to conserve water after flooding disrupted operations at the city's surface water treatment plant.
The flooding extended well beyond Kerr County. A Flood Watch remained in effect through Friday morning for much of the Hill Country, southern Edwards Plateau and Rio Grande Plains, including Bandera, Blanco, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Llano, Maverick, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde and Zavala counties.
Flood Warnings remained in effect along portions of the Guadalupe River at Hunt, Kerrville and Comfort, while Flash Flood Warnings and Flood Advisories continued Thursday evening for parts of Kerr, Kendall, Bandera and Real counties. Forecasters warned that additional rainfall on saturated ground could quickly trigger renewed flooding and urged residents not to drive through flooded roadways.
The flooding also struck neighboring communities. Along the Pedernales River in Gillespie and Blanco counties, the river reached its highest level since 1979, prompting another Flash Flood Emergency as the National Weather Service warned of a dangerous flood wave moving downstream. In Uvalde County, repeated rounds of heavy rain flooded neighborhoods, closed major highways and streets, prompted shelter-in-place orders and led to additional water rescues.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms continued through Thursday night before conditions gradually improved on Friday. However, another 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated amounts up to 8 inches, fell across portions of the Flood Watch area,as saturated soils and elevated rivers produced renewed flooding.
The latest disaster comes just over a year after the July 4, 2025, Guadalupe River flood that killed 119 people in Kerr County and more than 130 people across the Hill Country. Since then, local officials have installed flood warning sirens, expanded emergency notification systems and updated emergency response plans intended to provide earlier warnings to residents, visitors and summer camps.
Former Kerrville Mayor Judy Eychner said many homes and businesses had only recently begun recovering from last year's flood before being hit again.
"They're ruined again," she said. "They will have to start all over again."
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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