Prayers Up For Texas: More than 170 are still missing from flash floods

A crowd gathered at Antler Stadium Wednesday night for a vigil honoring the victims. Attendees prayed and leaned into their faith amid tragedy. (Credit: Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune)

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Shock has turned into grief across Texas where at least 120 people died from flash floods and more were missing as the search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers and rubble Thursday.

Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region.

A toy horse lies by a fallen tree limbs and debris in Kerrville, Texas, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, after flooding. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91-year-old grandmother known for her sharp wit.

More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.

Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for, but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past. Photos and videos captured their ordeal.

The aftermath

More than 2,000 local, state and federal workers were involved in the search for victims. Stifling heat and mounds of trees, hunks of lumber and trash made the task more difficult.

A large tree is uprooted outside of a home near Camp Mystic, the site of where 27 campers and counselors went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas, on 5 July 2025. (Credit: Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP)

At a small shopping center damaged in the floods, people piled debris gathered from the rivers. Officials hope to eventually set aside personal items so residents find their possessions.

A disaster recovery center managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state of Texas and the Small Business Administration opened Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Kerrville, offering survivors a hub to register for federal assistance and other services. Only a few people passed through the quiet church gymnasium in the late afternoon.

Empowering Everyday Women Ministries’ nonprofit disaster response team is actively delivering urgent aid to flood victims by partnering with local, vetted organizations, first responders, and municipal agencies on the ground. We’re sending essential supplies, funding relief operations, and joining volunteer-led search efforts—all with the goal of helping Central Texans survive and recover.

On Wednesday, hundreds prayed, wept and held one another at a prayer service, among the first of many somber gatherings to come in the weeks ahead.

“Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,” said Wyatt Wentrcek, a youth minister.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.