Death toll rises to 109, at least 171 missing after catastrophic Texas flooding

The death toll from the Texas Hill Country flash floods has risen to 109, with at least 161 people reported missing in Kerr County and up to 10 more in Travis County, according to officials.

Governor Greg Abbott said 94 fatalities have been confirmed in the Kerr County area, with an additional 15 deaths reported in flood-related incidents elsewhere across the state.

“To put this into perspective, just in the Kerr and Kendall Counties alone there are far more fatalities than there were in Hurricane Harvey—that’s how catastrophic this is,” Abbott said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

According to Governor Abbott, new reports gathered through local law enforcement have identified a total of 161 missing persons in Kerr County alone. Additionally, up to 10 people have been reported missing in Travis County.

Among the missing are five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic, along with another child not associated with the camp in Kerr County.

“We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,” Abbott said, noting that the number could still rise as more family members report loved ones missing.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman F. Martin confirmed that the broader missing persons list had initially grown to several hundred before investigators worked to deconflict duplicate reports and identify victims and survivors.

“We are still down to 161 missing,” Martin said. “We are not turning down one resource until we recover every last person.”

Martin said federal partners—including the FBI, DEA, HSI, U.S. Coast Guard, and Border Patrol—are working in unified command with state and local agencies.

Major General Thomas Suelzer of the Texas National Guard said he toured the disaster area by helicopter alongside Governor Abbott on Tuesday. “What I saw was miles and miles of massive devastation,” Suelzer said.

According to Abbott, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to declare a Public Health Emergency for the region. Emergency aid and personnel have also been sent from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

Authorities are urging the public to report missing persons by calling 830-258-1111 or emailing [email protected].