Texas officials report one person dead as flash floods hit the Hill Country, with sirens sounding, rivers rising near Comfort and Abbott warning drivers to stay out of floodwaters.Show Caption
One person has died in Texas Hill Country flooding as flash‑flood emergencies and rescues unfold across the region.Abbott confirms the death and urges residents statewide not to drive into rising waters, repeating “Turn around, don’t drown.”Rivers near Comfort and Kerr County, including the Guadalupe, are surging, prompting siren alerts and road closures.Texas has activated a large emergency response, with teams positioned across Central and South Texas for high‑water rescues.Forecasters warn that more storms and life‑threatening flash flooding are possible as watches and warnings remain in effect.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has confirmed that one person has died in the Hill Country because of torrential rainfall causing life-threatening floods."I have learned that there has been one loss of life now, and that happened overnight. I am informed that the loss of life is not a camper," Abbott said.Currently, the area affected by heavy flooding is along the Guadalupe River near Comfort, Texas. As of yesterday, Texas already had more than 1,300 personnel responding to the flooding events in Kerr County, Uvalde and other parts of the state.Live updates: Life‑threatening flash floods in Texas Hill Country todayDangerous flash flooding is expected to continue Thursday across parts of South Central Texas as additional rounds of heavy rain move over already saturated ground. The National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio warned that the flooding threat remains “significant to locally catastrophic” across the southern Edwards Plateau, western Hill Country, Rio Grande region and areas along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio.Forecasters said some locations could see an additional 10 to 15 inches of rain, with widespread totals of 2 to 6 inches possible in the highest-risk areas. Rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour could overwhelm creeks, rivers and arroyos, while even lower rainfall rates may trigger flash flooding because soils are saturated from previous storms.“The flood event is not over,” the weather service said, warning residents to avoid flooded roads and be prepared to seek higher ground.Abbott says floodwaters will continue rising, warns downstream communities at riskTexas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday, during a press conference, that flood conditions remain dangerous across the Hill Country, warning that “the waters will continue to rise” as flooding moves downstream from areas hit hardest by recent storms.Abbott said emergency crews have rescued about 70 people so far and that communities downstream from Kerrville — including Comfort and surrounding areas — are facing some of the worst impacts “as we speak right now.”Abbott addresses flood sirens after deadly Texas stormsGov. Greg Abbott said emergency sirens across affected Texas communities were working during the ongoing flood emergency, though he acknowledged one siren experienced a delay early Thursday morning.Over the last year, Texas has installed flood sirens in the region in response to the July 4, 2025, flooding event that claimed more than 130 lives — 28 of which were at Camp Mystic.Abbott said one siren that was triggered before 4 a.m. did not activate immediately but sounded about five to 10 minutes later. He said officials determined the siren system “worked just fine” overall.The comments came as officials continue responding to life-threatening flooding across the Hill Country, where rising rivers and additional heavy rain remain a concern.Kerrville power outage mapTexas weather watches, warningsMateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
