Hundreds gather at high school stadium to honor the many lost to Texas
deadly floods
[July 10, 2025]
By NADIA LATHAN, SEAN MURPHY, and HALLIE GOLDEN
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Several hundred people gathered for a worship
ceremony at a high school stadium in Texas on Wednesday evening to
remember the at least 120 people who died in the catastrophic flash
floods over the July Fourth holiday, as well the many still missing.
“Our communities were struck with tragedy literally in the darkness,”
Wyatt Wentrcek, a local youth minister, told the crowd in the bleachers
of Tivy Antler Stadium in Kerrville. “Middle of the night.”
During a series of prayers for the victims and the more than 160 people
still believed to be missing in hard-hit Kerr County, which includes
Kerrville, people in the crowd clutched one another and brushed away
tears.
Many attendees wore blue shirts with the school’s slogan, “Tivy Fight
Never Die,” or green ribbons for Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls
Christian summer camp in Kerr County where at least 27 campers and
counselors died. Officials said five campers and one counselor have
still not been found.
Ricky Pruitt, with the Kerrville Church of Christ, told the crowd that
they gathered intentionally at a place where they had celebrated
victories and experienced losses on the field.
“Tonight is very different than all of those nights," he said.
The event was held as search crews and volunteers continued to scour
miles along the Guadalupe River for the people still missing.
In air boats, helicopters and on horseback, crews looked in trees and
mounds below their feet, while search dogs sniffed for any sign of
buried bodies. With almost no hope of finding anyone alive, searchers
said they were focused on bringing the families of the missing people
some closure.
The floods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since
1976, when Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flooded, killing 144 people,
said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.
Officials have been seeking more information about those who were in the
Hill Country, a popular tourist destination, during the holiday weekend
but did not register at a camp or a hotel and may have been in the area
without many people knowing, Gov. Greg Abbott has said.
Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid
questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread
warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has said those questions will be
answered, but the focus now is on recovering victims.
[to top of second column]
|
Dan Beazley, of Michigan, left, reacts as he holds a large cross
with Abigail Smithson during a vigil for flooding victims at Tivy
Antler Stadium on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Kerrville, Texas. (AP
Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The governor called on state lawmakers to approve new flood warning
systems and strengthen emergency communications in flood prone areas
throughout the state when the Legislature meets in a special session
that Abbott had already called to address other issues starting July
21. Abbott also called on lawmakers to provide financial relief for
response and recovery efforts from the storms.
“We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,”
Abbott said in a statement.
Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a flood
warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed
opportunities to put up sirens.
President Donald Trump has pledged to provide whatever relief Texas
needs to recover, and is planning to visit the state Friday.
Polls taken before the floods show Americans largely believe the
federal government should play a major role in preparing for and
responding to natural disasters.
Catastrophic flooding is a growing worry. On Tuesday, a deluge in
New Mexico triggered flash floods that killed three people.
Although it’s difficult to attribute a single weather event to
climate change, experts say a warming atmosphere and oceans make
these type of storms more likely.
After the ceremony in Kerrville on Wednesday, children and families
mingled on the field, and some students formed prayer circles.
Licensed counselors and therapists were also on hand to meet with
people.
Andrew Brown, who was at the vigil to honor a Tivy High School
soccer coach who died in the flooding, said he believes a warning
system with a siren would be helpful.
“I’m sure there are things that could have been different, and I’m
sure there will be going forward," he said.
David Garza said he drove an hour and a half to the stadium to
provide support for loved ones affected by the floods.
“I’m from here, and I was here in the ’78 flood and the ’87 flood,”
Garza said. “I just wanted to be a part of this."
___
Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Jim Vertuno in
Austin, Texas, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this
report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
