A Glance At Flood-Related Deaths in Kerr County Before July of 2025

Kerr County is still working to rebuild after a devastating flood on July 4th claimed the lives of at least 135 people. This isn't their first rodeo, though. Kerr County and the Texas Hill Country have a greater risk of flash flooding than the majority of Texas. People in the area knew the threat of flood waters was real, but, unfortunately, nobody could have predicted just how bad it could get until last July.

At least 35 people died in flood-related accidents in the area before July's horrible tragedy, since 1932. Let's take a closer look at the area's past and other casualties caused by flooding.

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Flood-related Deaths in Kerr County Before July 4th, 2025

On July 18th, 1989, 10 children drowned in eastern Kerr County when their church camp bus was swept off a low-water crossing.

On September 15th, 1996, a 63-year-old man drowned while he tried to cross the North Fork of the Guadalupe River that runs along FM 1340. The flood was caused by a mere 2 or 3 inches of rainfall the night before.

On November 3rd, 2000, an elderly woman drowned in her car in the Guadalupe River close to Center Point, early in the morning, after her car was swept off the roadway and she was unable to escape it.

On April 15th, 2010, a resident of Hunt, Texas, was driving home from a local school board meeting. He tried to cross a flooded low-water crossing when his truck was swept off FM 1340. His body was found days later, roughly a mile downstream in another low-water crossing area.

On May 26th, 2016, a vehicle was swept off the roadway and into Cypress Creek in eastern Kerr County. The driver was able to make it to the shore, and another vehicle occupant was rescued from a tree. Unfortunately, the other female passenger in the vehicle was found dead, 8 miles downstream from where the car went into the water. Engineers recommended a flood warning system 8 months after her death, and pointed out that Bexar County already had similar technology, but it never happened, for several reasons.

More Unsettling Details

A month before the flood that claimed 135 people in Kerr County, an agreement had been reached for a centralized dashboard that would support flood monitoring, and a meeting was planned for mid-July, but the flood devastation put that very important meeting on hold.

Here's to hoping we learn from our mistakes and get it right next time. Kerr County depends on it.