Texas Flood Crisis Deepens: 129 Dead, Search Operations Suspended Amid New Downpours July 13, 2025 Hill Cou

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📰 Texas Flood Crisis Deepens: 129 Dead, Search Operations Suspended Amid New Downpours
🗓️ July 13, 2025
📍 Hill Country, Texas – United States

📄 Torrential rains have returned to central Texas, exacerbating the region’s worst flooding disaster in years and forcing authorities to suspend ongoing search and rescue operations. The death toll has officially reached 129, including 36 children who were attending a youth camp near the upper Guadalupe River when the water surged on February 4.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued new flood warnings for the Hill Country region until 7:00 p.m. today, with rainfall levels expected to range between 51–102 mm, and isolated pockets possibly receiving up to 305 mm. Some areas have already recorded 152–254 mm of rain in the past 24 hours.

Orlando Bermudez, a meteorologist, warned, “Today’s rainfall will quickly soak into the fragile soil and drag everything downstream.”

Authorities say the Guadalupe River is expected to crest at 15 feet (4.6 meters) later today — roughly 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the official flood stage. Local police in Kerrville have closed multiple roads and urged residents to seek higher ground. Forecasts indicate rain may not be as intense as the earlier storm, but due to the saturated terrain, any additional rainfall increases the risk of flash floods and landslides.

Emergency responders, who have been searching for roughly 160 missing persons over the past eight days, were forced to evacuate the area today as conditions deteriorated. Search efforts had included helicopters, rescue boats, and drones along the river.

In the February 4 disaster, within just one hour of the initial downpour, the Guadalupe River rose 8–9 meters, sweeping away homes and campgrounds. Today’s worsening weather is expected to hinder recovery efforts even further.

Continued rainfall over already saturated ground poses a high risk of renewed flash floods across central Texas. The death toll may continue to rise as search efforts remain on hold. Officials are likely to extend flood alerts and evacuation orders. Infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness will come under renewed scrutiny in the coming weeks.

🔗 Reported from Kerrville, United States – World News Natural Disaster Desk

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