Kerrville mayor snaps at reporters covering Texas floods as death toll climbs: Live updates

On Wednesday, Kerrville, Texas, Mayor Joe Herring told reporters that Tuesday’s press conference was a ‘disaster.’

He suggested they should be embarrassed for shouting questions at officials providing updates on the deadly floods.

‘I’m married to a retired first-grade teacher, and I learned a little bit about classroom management from her. If you yell questions at us, we’re probably going to pick someone else to answer, OK? If you feel the need to yell your questions, I won’t feel the need to answer your questions,’ he said.

‘In first grade, they raise their hands. That might be a good start. Yesterday was a disaster. And I was embarrassed. Our town was embarrassed. Your viewers were embarrassed. And I don’t want that to happen again.’

Officials in Texas are facing growing questions over their preparedness for a disaster and if enough was done to save lives as the death toll continues to rise.

NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky interviewed his mother and stepfather after they survived the deadly Texas floods.

Chesky grew up in Kerrville, one of the hardest-hit parts of the state, where his parents reside.

His mother, Karen, described waking up at 4am to the sounds of pouring rain that caused the Guadalupe River to flood on July 4.

‘We could see that the water was about five feet from the street,’ she said.

His stepfather Michael recounted trying to alert his neighbors. ‘I’m telling them, ‘The river is out of the bank. Get up. Get up!’ And fortunately, they all woke up, and we didn’t have a loss of life. They got out,’ he said.

While Chesky parents survived, they made horrific discoveries as they surveyed the damage.

‘It became real to me when we found the first body — a young girl — and it just froze me,’ Michael said. ‘I can’t wrap my head around it.’

Karen said, ‘The entire community is reeling right now. I think we’re all stunned and shocked that just happened here.

‘We love being on the river. We’ve had grandkids play in this river, and it’s just been very shocking. But I have faith that it will grow back and be as beautiful as it was.’

Virgnia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s wife, Suzanne, and other family members were left stranded at the $6.7 million Hunt property on Friday when the nearby Guadalupe River surged to more than 30 feet higher than its usual level.

A report obtained by the Daily Mail, published just nine months ago in October 2024, shows officials knew of the dangers but dragged their feet when it came to doing anything about them.

Bill Venus, a 33-year Army veteran, died in the Texas flood.

‘He was a great man. I can’t hold a candle to his accomplishments, but his primary goal was helping others, and I’ll do that every opportunity I have,’ his son told CNN.

On Monday, Venus Jr. said in a Facebook post that his father’s car was found flipped over in Burnet, Texas, but he was not inside.

Heavy rainfall over a large area in south-central Texas from September 8 to September 10, 1921, caused the deadliest flood in state history, according to the USGS.

At least 224 people were killed and a whopping $10 million in property damage was caused by the Central Texas floods of 1921.

Water as deep as 10 feet in the downtown area flooded buildings and homes, reported KSAT.

The flood lead to the creation of the famous San Antonio River Walk.

Houston mayoral appointee Sade Perkins went viral over her ballistic TikTok rant that saw her criticize Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counselors were killed last Friday by the raging Guadalupe River.

A crowdfunding campaign set up to defend Perkins has been bombarded by critics who contributed minimum donations so they could leave insulting comments directed at the former city employee.

Authorities are searching for over 160 people still missing from the deadly Texas flood.

Pope Leo offered up prayers for victims of the flash flooding in Texas and said the world needed to change its mindset about the planet and what is causing ‘the world to burn.’

‘We live in a world that is burning, both because of global warming and armed conflicts,’ the American-born pontiff said Wednesday.

The Holy Father added that the Catholic church was committed to speaking about the issue, ‘even when it requires the courage to oppose the destructive power of the princes of this world.’

Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s emergency planning just two days before raging floodwaters killed at least 27 little girls and their counselors from the century-old, all-girls Christian camp.

The Department of State Health Services released records on Tuesday showing that the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding ‘procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster.’

The state inspected Camp Mystic on July 2, the same day the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated emergency response resources in anticipation of the impending flooding.

The camp had 557 campers and more than 100 staff members at the time between its Guadalupe and Cypress Lake locations.

The inspection found no deficiencies or violations in a comprehensive list of health and safety criteria at the camp.

The death toll has reached 119 Wednesday morning as authorities continue their search for at least 173 people still unaccounted for.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha announced that 95 deaths have been reported in the county, including 36 children.

The death toll and missing persons can be broken down by county:

• Kerr: 95 fatalities, 161 missing
• Travis: 7 fatalities, 10 missing
• Kendall: 8 fatalities, 0 missing
• Burnet: 5 fatalities, 1 missing
• Williamson: 3 fatalities, 1 missing
• Tom Green: 1 fatality, 0 missing

Sen. Ted Cruz was on vacation as the devastating Texas floods unfolded over the weekend and was forced to cut his trip short.

He addressed the tragedy on Wednesday as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology kicked off a confirmation hearing on nominees to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.)

‘Texas will rebuild. We’re strong, but there’s also a process of engaging in a retrospective and saying, what is the exact timeline of what transpired, and what could we have done better look every one of us looking at the flooding in Texas,’ he said.

‘If we could step into a time machine and go back to two or three in the morning on July 4, we would rush into those little girls’ cabins and get them the hell out of there.’

The daughter of Tim Walker confirmed he passed away in the Texas flood.

‘My father’s body was recovered,’ his daughter, Bronwyn Walker, said on Facebook.

‘I’m sharing a brief update here to thank the masses for getting the word out through my earlier post. My family and I are deeply moved by your support.’

Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, lost 27 campers and counselors after the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level.

Five girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic as of Tuesday night.

Counselors at the youth camp told CNN they did not have access to walkie-talkies in the event of a disaster.

One counselor claimed that while the owners and few leaders had communication devices, most of them did not.

She also indicated that they had not received evacuation training.

Earlier this week, counselor Caroline Cutrona explained to the outlet that Camp Mystic has a no-screen policy, and staffers are required to turn off their phones when they are working.

She said that because of this policy, she did not receive the weather emergency alerts sent out.

The death toll has risen to 111, but there are fears that could more than double in the coming days with at least 173 people still unaccounted for.

The death toll and missing persons can be broken down by county:

• Kerr: 87 fatalities, 161 missing
• Travis: 7 fatalities, 10 missing
• Kendall: 8 fatalities, 0 missing
• Burnet: 5 fatalities, 1 missing
• Williamson: 3 fatalities, 1 missing
• Tom Green: 1 fatality, 0 missing

Homeowners like Kyle Hammock from Kerrville told Daily Mail he has been on alert after he noticed strangers ‘snooping’ around his riverfront home.

‘There’s just been a handful of people that are up to no good, just checking stuff out,’ Hammock said. ‘We had to run a couple of people out.’

Deadly floods swept through Central Texas on the Fourth of July.

The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Kerr County, home to many youth camps, including Camp Mystic, and the surrounding areas, such as Kerrville and Hunt, were hit the hardest by the flood.

Searchers have found the bodies of 87 people, including 30 children, in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Tuesday.

The other affected counties include Travis, Kendall, Burnet, Williamson, and Tom Green Counties.

One of the tragic stories to emerge from the floods on Tuesday was the death of 64-year-old Sherry Richardson.

She reportedly spent 30 minutes on the phone to a first responder while climbing to the loft of her two-story cabin before the line finally cut out.

Jeff Ramesy, 61, left devastating voicemails for his children seconds before the raging Texas floodwaters swept him and his wife away.

Ramesy and his wife, Tanya, 46, were camping at HTR RV Park in Kerrville with their whippet dog, Chloe, when the Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on July 4.

His children, Jake, 24, and Rachel, 23, awoke to find a harrowing message from their father with the sounds of the raging floodwater in the background.

‘Once they realized there was nothing they could do, my stepmom was on the phone with her mom while my dad made a call to me and my sister. We were asleep. He left us a message saying he was not going to make it and that he loved us so much, telling us goodbye,’ Jake told the New York Post.

‘He called me once he realized there was no hope. It was a short voicemail. He just left me a voicemail. He said, “Buddy. I love you so much. It doesn’t look like we are going to make it. Tell Rachey I love her.”‘

Jake noted it was out of character for his dad to sound afraid, and his stepmom was screaming in the background, ‘We’re dying, we’re dying!’

‘You never heard this guy panic but we heard panic and fear in his voice,’ he said.

Tanya was killed in the flood, but Jeff has not been found as of Wednesday morning, according to the family.

A local animal rescue found their beloved pup and will reunite her with the family.

A man, a four-year-old girl and seven-year-old boy were swept away Tuesday night by floodwaters in southern New Mexico.

‘Our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible tragedy,’ Village of Rudioso Mayor Lynn Crawford said.

‘We are united in our sorrow and our commitment to supporting one another as we face this devastating loss together.’

Emergency crews carried out at least 85 swift water rescues in the Ruidoso area, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars, said Danielle Silva of the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The water had receded by Tuesday night and search and rescue and swift water rescue teams were scouring the town for the missing people, while public works crews cleared debris from the roadways. Some cars were left stranded in the mud.

Lisa Miller’s three daughters, 14-year-old Eliza, 12-year-old Genevieve and nine-year-old Birdie, all miraculously survived the deadly flood.