Search for over 100 people missing after Texas floods could take months

Samara Gerstle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jul 14, 2025

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Gov. Greg Abbott and other state and local officials held a news conference in Travis County on Monday to update the public on the response to the flooding that has devastated Central Texas.

The number of missing people statewide is 101 as of July 14, and 97 of those missing are from in or around Kerrville, near the Guadalupe River, Abbott said.

A total of 131 people have been pronounced dead, officials said, and it could take months to recover everyone who is missing. During a commissioners court meeting on Monday, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said that the search could take up to six months but that it’s difficult to estimate the time frame, the Texas Tribune reported.

Abbott toured the damage near Leander and met with first responders and volunteers before the news conference Monday afternoon at Donald Lewis Hisle Elementary School.

The aid for affected counties and the state has increased: 25 states have provided or are providing resources for Texas, Abbott said.

“They are fellow Americans, and when times get tough, Americans come together,” Abbott said.

The federal government has added Burnet, Llano, Mason, McCulloch and Tom Green counties to the disaster declaration, approving them for Federal Emergency Management Agency public assistance, the governor said.

FEMA individual assistance is also available to those in Burnet, Kerr, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis and Williamson counties. To apply for FEMA individual assistance, go to disasterassistance.gov or call 800-621-3362.

Local and state officials are working on rebuilding the Sandy Creek Bridge in Leander, which is expected to take 40 to 60 days, according to Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Marc Williams.

Texas Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Nim Kidd said safety is still the number one priority as recovery efforts continue.

The National Weather Service expects rain to continue through Tuesday morning in Central Texas, with a flood watch in place through 7 a.m. in the Hill Country. Officials at the news conference reminded people to not drive in flooded areas.