Texas RV Park Residents Say No Warning Came Before Deadly Flood

Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, following devastating flash flooding that began early Friday morning. So far, at least 111 people have been confirmed dead and 173 are still missing.

Key Points

• Kerr County remains the hardest-hit area, with 161 of the missing from that region alone.
• Old River Road RV Resort staff say no emergency alerts were received before water entered the park; nearly 400 guests were on site at the time.
• Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp, lost 27 campers and staff in the flood; six others are still unaccounted for.
• Officials had previously rejected a modern warning system in favor of an informal phone-based alert system, which failed to notify downstream areas during the disaster.

RV Park Residents Caught Off Guard

At Old River Road RV Resort, where nearly 400 people were staying in RVs and cabins, the water arrived quickly and without formal warning. Managers Mari Ann Moran and Hannah Thrasher said they typically receive automated emergency alerts, which trigger text messages to guests who have opted in. This time, they say no alert ever came. Volunteer firefighters woke them in the night as the water had already begun to rise. With no official guidance, they surveyed the damage and moved to higher ground.

Rescue Crews Continue Search Along the Guadalupe River

The extent of the destruction was clear as crews spent hours excavating a pickup truck buried under layers of sand and debris. Across the river area, at least 20 summer camps and RV parks sit near the shoreline.

Camp Mystic Among Hardest Hit

The all-girls Christian summer camp lost 27 campers and staff in the flooding. Five children and one counselor remain unaccounted for. Just two days before the disaster, the Texas Department of State Health Services had signed off on the camp’s emergency preparedness plan.

No Clear Answers from County Officials

At a press briefing this week, county officials declined to address who was responsible for issuing flood warnings or monitoring the situation before the water reached populated areas. Their focus, they said, remains on recovery efforts.

Past Warnings About Outdated Alert System Resurface

The lack of advance warning has reignited concerns about emergency preparedness in the region. About a decade ago, Kerr County officials debated replacing their informal phone-based alert system, known as “river calling”, with a modern setup that included sirens and automated notifications. Some officials at the time were strongly opposed. Meeting records from 2016 show former Commissioner Buster Baldwin objected to the proposal, saying sirens would disrupt the character of the area. He later voted against it.

The “river calling” system, where upstream residents were expected to phone neighbors downstream during rising waters, also appears to have broken down. Park managers said they never received any such calls and instead relied on media coverage and weather apps, which didn’t issue evacuation alerts.

Residents Call for Answers as Recovery Continues

Now, with search teams still combing the river and debris fields for missing individuals, questions are mounting over the decisions made in the years leading up to the flood. Residents and visitors alike are asking what could have been done differently, and how so many people were left without warning in the face of a disaster of this scale.