Distressing 911 Calls Released from Deadly July 4 Texas Hill Country Floods

Kerrville Police Release Flood Emergency Calls

The Kerrville Police Department has released hundreds of distressing 911 calls made during the deadly July 4, 2025, flash floods that devastated parts of the Texas Hill Country. The recordings, made public on December 4-5, 2025, offer a harrowing glimpse into the chaos and desperation experienced by victims as floodwaters rapidly engulfed homes and camps. The release follows Freedom of Information Act requests from eight media outlets.

Catastrophic Impact and Desperate Pleas

The floods on July 4, 2025, resulted in a tragic loss of life, with over 130 people killed across the Hill Country region, and at least 117 fatalities reported in Kerr County alone. Among the hardest hit was Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River, where 25 campers, two counselors, and the camp's director perished.

The newly released 911 calls reveal frantic attempts by individuals to seek help. Callers described terrifying scenarios, including:

• 'Water everywhere, we cannot move. We are upstairs in a room and the water is rising.'
• 'Our cabin is up on stilts, and there are cabins floating and knocking into our cabin. There is no higher ground. We are on the second level right now, but we're also on stilts and if they collapse, we're down.'
• 'We are currently trapped in our house. We are actively breaking out through the back.'
• 'We are stuck on a roof off Highway 39. We need a boat or a helicopter. The water is rising.'

Kerrville Police Chief Chris McCall warned the public that the content of the calls is 'distressing' and that 'Some callers did not survive.' The department advised 'listener and audience discretion' due to the disturbing nature of the recordings.

Emergency Response Under Extreme Pressure

On the morning of July 4, 2025, the Kerrville Police Department's 911 center, staffed by only two dispatchers, began receiving emergency calls at 2:52 a.m. Over the next six hours, dispatchers answered a total of 435 emergency calls, with 106 calls received between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. alone. Chief McCall commended the dispatchers for their 'incredible perseverance' in handling the 'extraordinary call volumes' and providing assistance and comfort to callers.

Aftermath and Ongoing Recovery

The July 4, 2025, floods were caused by a mesoscale convective vortex with enhanced tropical moisture, leading to significant rainfall, with some areas receiving over 20 inches. The Guadalupe River rose approximately 26 feet in 45 minutes in some areas. Five months after the disaster, the release of these calls serves as a stark reminder of the event's severity and the ongoing impact on the affected communities in the Texas Hill Country.