At least six people are dead and some children staying in area camps are missing, caught in “catastrophic” flooding along the Guadalupe River that prompted evacuations in the Hill Country after heavy rains washed the region overnight. 

Two Camp Mystic directors, Britt and Catie Eastland, pleaded for help and said that some children are not accounted for and that some cabins appear to have been flooded and possibly washed away. They also said the roads have been washed out and that they need urgent air assistance. Camp Mystic is a Christian summer camp for girls in Hunt.

All Kerr County residents who live near the Guadalupe River have been asked to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground. All other residents are encouraged to shelter in place and avoid travel, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. 

Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the “devastating flooding,” saying the state is “surging all available resources to respond.” 

“That includes water rescue teams, sheltering centers, the National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety,” Abbott said in a statement. “The immediate priority is saving lives.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick cautioned residents in his own statement.

“I urge Texans in impacted areas to heed the guidance of their local officials,” Patrick said. 

The National Weather Service said a flash flood emergency is ongoing in South-Central Kerr County, including the Guadalupe River. The portion of the river near Hunt had reached the second-highest level on record, the weather service said. 

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, a flash flood emergency remained in effect in South-Central Kerr County, including the Guadalupe River and areas like Hunt, Center Point, Kerrville and Comfort.

The Guadalupe River near Hunt reached the second-highest level on record, the National Weather Service said. In addition, the river level near Comfort has crested at 34.76 feet. That’s over 6 feet over flood stage and is the fifth-highest level on record for that area.

A flash flood warning has been extended eastward along the Guadalupe River into Comal County, including in Spring Branch. Floodwaters from the Guadalupe River will spill into Canyon Lake over the next couple of days, likely raising lake levels by several feet.

Radar shows that the heaviest rain has moved northward, toward Travis and Williamson counties. However, light to moderate rainfall continues across regions hit hardest by the flooding, including Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, Kendall and Comal counties. Rain will likely continue into the late afternoon, subsiding after 3 to 4 p.m.

Upward of 12 inches of rain has fallen over parts of the Hill Country, most notably South-Central Kerr County. An additional 1 to 2 inches is possible through Friday afternoon. 

County Judge Rob Kelly confirmed to Hearst Newspapers six deaths.

“We can confirm but we are afraid there may be more,” he said. “They are still looking.”

Kelly initially said at least six died, but later, he and other county officials declined to cite specific numbers of dead or missing.

“Suffice it to say, this has been a very devastating and deadly flood,” Kelly said during a news conference.

He said there had been “dozens” of water rescues, but declined to provide updated casualty numbers, saying officials had been advised not to do so. He did not say by whom.

Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said flood waters had reached his home office.

Asked whether the county had a warning system that might have sounded an alert as the Guadalupe rose, he said: “We do not have a warning system.”

He bristled at the suggestion that the county might have taken precautions to prevent loss of life.

“Rest assured, no one knew this flood was coming,” Kelly said. “This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States. We deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we have water. We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what happened here, none whatsoever.”

He said authorities had established two reunification centers: one at Ingram Elementary School at 125 Brave Run West in Ingram, the other at the Arcadia Live, a historic theater on Water Street in Kerrville.

“What we need is cooperation and prayers,” Kelly said. He encouraged people to donate to the American Red Cross and specify that the money go to victims of the Guadalupe River flood.

Emergency crews carried out rescues before dawn at an RV park near Howdy’s Restaurant in Kerrville, which also has been damaged by floodwaters.

Lorena Guillen, owner of Howdy’s, said she noticed heavy rains around 2:30 a.m., so she walked to the river’s edge to check the water’s height.

She said everything looked fine, but an hour later, the flash flood came in.

“The sheriff’s (office) came knocking on doors, and we started getting people out,” Guillen said. “By then, it was too late for the campers.”

Every RV parked in the RV park below the restaurant had been swept away, Guillen said. She estimated 28 RVs had been using that area.

Guillen estimates the water rose 40 feet. The restaurant was damaged. It has no running water and the propane tank was carried away in the flood.

“It’s total devastation … helicopters are flying in, rescuing people trapped in trees, It’s bad,” Guillen said.

The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said “catastrophic” floods have resulted in “fatalities,” though the agency said it would not release further information until next of kin are notified.

The sheriff’s office said it is working with a local and state agencies to respond to calls and rescues. A reunification point has been set up at the Walmart at 2106 Junction Highway.

Texas 27 at Cypress Creek in Comfort and FM 1350 east of Center Point will be closed by TxDOT until water recedes, according to the city of Boerne.

Significant flooding also struck in northern and western Kendall County, including in Comfort.

The Boerne Fire Department deployed rescue teams to assist residents in the Comfort area, according to city spokesman Chris Shadrock.

Kevin Klaerner, spokesman for the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, said crews rescued one man who was stuck in a tree. He said everyone who needed to evacuate has done so. 

County officials opened a shelter at Comfort High School for people displaced by the flooding. In early afternoon, there were about 36 first-responders at the shelter and fewer than 20 evacuees. The evacuees included a woman wearing scrubs accompanied by three children, a man accompanied by three children and eight other adults.

Officials set up a PB&J sandwich station in the atrium outside the school’s gymnasium, along with coffee, chips and cookies at the concession stand.

Some area residents brought by a pizza and others dropped off homemade sandwiches.

This is a developing story. Please check for updates.

The Austin American-Statesman contributed to this report.