Kerr County disaster widens as county, city both declare emergencies; power restoration underway

Flood Warning extended to Hunt as rescues continue across the county; Community Foundation launches new relief fund

Kerr County and the City of Kerrville have both declared local disasters as catastrophic flooding stretched from Hunt to Center Point on Thursday, even as utility crews made progress restoring power to thousands of residents.

Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. declared a local state of disaster for the city and formally requested state and federal assistance from Gov. Greg Abbott, saying in a letter routed through Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd that damage to the city is “of such severity and magnitude that an effective response is beyond the City’s capabilities to recover without supplementary state and/or federal assistance.” City officials confirmed Thursday morning that the declaration had been signed and submitted to the governor’s office. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly has separately declared a disaster for the county. 

Hunt under warning again

The National Weather Service extended its Flood Warning Thursday morning to the Guadalupe River at Hunt, forecasting a crest of 21.3 feet — moderate flood stage, well below last year’s catastrophic flooding at the same location. The river at Hunt crested at 37.52 feet on July 4, 2025, an all-time record for the gauge that surpassed the previous record of 36.60 feet set in 1932. The river had already reached a maximum stage of 20.5 feet in the 24 hours ending at 7:50 a.m. Thursday, well above the 10-foot flood stage.

Blackhawk helicopters were searching near Schumacher Crossing in Hunt Thursday morning, according to radio traffic monitored by The Lead.

Several area camps reported themselves safe via social media Thursday, including Camp Waldemar as of 5:10 a.m., Camp Camp, Camp Honey Creek, Camp Hermanson and Mo-Ranch. Kickapoo reported it was sheltering in place. The Lead has not independently confirmed these reports with camp administrators or Kerr County officials.

8 a.m. city briefing

The City of Kerrville said it remains at Readiness Level 2, with its Emergency Operations Center partially activated. Key points from Thursday’s briefing: 

• Most evacuations in the Quinlan Creek area have been completed
• Police are assisting with evacuations in the Lytle area and responding to a spike in alarm calls caused by widespread power outages
• Kerrville Fire Department is coordinating with a regional task force handling all boat rescue operations
• The city’s water treatment plant is offline; water pressure is being maintained through the groundwater network
• A major water main break on Arcadia has been isolated
• Significant wastewater system damage is anticipated once floodwaters recede
• All city parks remain closed and evacuated; flood damage has been reported at Arcadia Loop and other park facilities
• The city is seeking an additional shelter location beyond Calvary Temple

The city’s briefing listed the Flood Warning as in effect until 3 p.m.; the most recent National Weather Service statement for the Guadalupe River at Kerrville listed the warning as in effect until late this evening. The Lead is working to confirm which is current.

Power restoration underway

Kerrville Public Utility Board reported significant progress Thursday: 39 active outages affecting 2,181 customers, down from 98 outages and more than 2,500 customers earlier in the morning, out of KPUB’s approximately 24,587 total customers.

Shelter and reunification

Calvary Temple Church, at 3000 TX-534 Loop in Kerrville, remains the active shelter, with capacity for approximately 500 people; about 14 people were there as of the 8 a.m. briefing. City West Church, at 3139 Junction Highway in Ingram, is serving as a reunification center. 

Demographics

Bridges washed out

• Anderson Ranch Bridge, on Junction Highway, washed out, forcing long detours via Harper Road
• Ingram Hills Road Bridge washed out
• Henderson Branch Bridge, on Bandera Highway (Texas 173), washed out
• The Highway 39 bridge in the 900 block suffered a severe washout; TxDOT deployed metal plates as a temporary repair
• The Sidney Baker Street bridge at Louise Hays Park is closed, after a barge — part of the ongoing recovery effort to locate the remains of Cile Steward and Jeff Ramsey on Nimitz Lake — became wedged underneath it
• Town Creek overtopped the Main Street and Water Street bridges, depositing large trees and two propane tanks onto the bridge decks
• The Francisco Lemos Street and G Street bridges are closed until further notice

With numerous connector bridges impassable, east-west travel in and out of Kerrville and Ingram is effectively cut off.

Roads

• Highway 27 is closed between Ingram and Mountain Home, and separately flooded and impassable at Silver Creek and near Boardwalk in the 6200 block
• Highway 39 is blocked in the 600 block by a floating storage container and by a mudslide and debris near the 700-800 blocks
• Medina Highway is closed from Upper Turtle Creek through Medina
• Interstate 10 is closed west of Kerrville
• In Center Point, the Spur 100 low-water crossing is impassable, water is over both the bridge on Texas 480 and the downtown bridge, and River Road, Sutherland Road, Rancho Road, Indian Creek Road and Old Harper Highway are all flooded or impassable
• Arcadia is completely blocked after buildings floated into the roadway; 5th Street has washed away entirely

Damage reports

Gibson’s Discount Center, located next to Town Creek, has closed after sustaining damage.

Flooding at the Center Point post office — a location that stayed dry during last year’s flood — remains one of the clearest signs that Thursday’s event may be exceeding July 4, 2025 in that community. The Center Point Fire Department building itself flooded, and a family living next door was evacuated. 

River levels

• Guadalupe River at Hunt: 12.2 feet as of 7:50 a.m.; 24-hour max of 20.5 feet; forecast to crest at 21.3 feet
• Guadalupe River at Kerrville: 16.8 feet as of 5:05 a.m., forecast to crest at 22.5 feet
• Guadalupe River at Center Point: 37 feet; the gauge rose 32 feet in four hours
• Bear Creek gauge, Kerrville: 27 feet

How to help

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has launched the Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund to support recovery from Thursday’s flooding. “Our hearts break that the Texas Hill Country is once again facing catastrophic flooding. Just one year after the devastating July 2025 floods, many of our neighbors are again in harm’s way,” said Austin Dickson, the foundation’s CEO. Donations can be made at cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com.

Closures today

Kerrville City Hall, Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library, Development Services offices, the 216th District Court (per District Attorney Lucy Wilke), MHDD outpatient centers, the Dietert Center, Art Camp at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, KPUB’s lobby and drive-thru, and Peterson Health clinics and urgent care locations are all closed Thursday. Ingram ISD is not holding classes, though activities are continuing.

More rain expected

The National Weather Service says another round of heavy rainfall is likely overnight into Friday morning, with 10 to 15 inches possible in the heaviest bands. The area remains under a Moderate Risk — level 3 of 4 — for excessive rainfall through Friday morning.