Warnings predicted both Texas floods and Hurricane Helene. But in both disasters, people were left in harm’s way.

The family of Dick and Tweety Eastland, the owners of Camp Mystic, where at least 27 died during the devastating Texas floods, is focusing on helping the families of campers and counselors while trying to process their own grief.

Heavy rains spurred deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas on the Fourth of July, leaving at least 120 people dead, including 27 children and counselors at Camp Mystic, a girls' Christian camp that sits along the river. More than 160 people remain missing as of July 11.

Scholars and designers of early warning systems say that there are still huge gaps in our ability to predict flash floods and warn those at risk.

The deadly Texas floods have brought the state's approach to land approvals, especially in flood-prone areas, under more scrutiny.

The record of frequent, often deadly floods in Central Texas goes back more than 200 years to July 1819, when floodwaters spilled into the major plazas of San Antonio. That city on the edge of the Hill Country was hit by major floods again in 1913, 1921, 1998 and 2025, to cite a few examples.

Kerr County failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.

More than 100 people are dead and 150 known to be missing in Texas Wednesday from flooding but questions remain about how the effects of the deadly disaster could have been mitigated.