Camp Director, 9 Children Among 29 Dead In Texas Floods: 'Today Is Going To Be A Hard Day'

HUNT, TEXAS —The death toll has climbed to 29 Saturday as catastrophic flooding in central Texas swept dozens downstream and sent search and rescue teams clambering to find many more who are missing. Among those confirmed dead are a camp director and nine children.

Meanwhile, 27 campers from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, remain missing.

The death toll is expected to rise as search teams work around the clock to make sure everyone who is missing is accounted for, state and local officials said.

"Today is going to be a hard day. Please pray for our community," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said during a press conference Saturday morning.

Authorities have not released the identities of those killed in the floods. But most of the individuals have been identified, according to the New York Times.

"We are unable to release any further information on the deceased at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased and their loved ones. We are working hard to locate anyone who is still missing and ensure they are safe," according to a statement from the Kerr County Sheriff's Office.

Jane Ragsdale, director of the Heart O' the Hills Camp for Girls, was among those killed in the floods, according to a statement from the camp.

"We are mourning the loss of a woman who influenced countless lives and was the definition of strong and powerful," according to the statement. There were no campers on the grounds of the camp when the flood hit.

Among those missing is Michael Phillips, the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire chief, who was driving an emergency vehicle to a call and was swept away in Cow Creek, Mike Sorenson of the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office told the New York Times.

Local officials do not know the exact number of people who remain missing from the flooded areas, which mainly includes areas along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas.

"At this time we do not have an estimate (on the total number missing)," Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said during a press conference late on Friday night. "The problem is it's a holiday weekend here. We have a lot of campers here. And we do not know that number."

Saturday is expected to be "a very important day" as search teams continue to comb the flooded areas. As of 9 a.m., the Kerr County Sheriff's Office helped evacuate 850 uninjured people and eight injured people.

The catastrophic floodwaters were unexpected, officials said. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, said he was out for a jog along the river at 3:30 a.m. Friday and left at 4 a.m. when there was light rain and no signs of flooding. His office began receiving phone calls around 5 a.m. regarding flooding.

Rice went downtown to Louise Hays Park, where Fourth of July festivities had been planned that day at the river level of the park and where a city truck was parked, to check the river levels. He said the river waters rose 20 to 25 feet in just 1.5 hours.

"When we got back to the truck we could not get it out and we almost got stuck on the top level (of the park)," Rice said.

The floodwaters also quickly inundated campsites along the river early Friday.

Camp Mystic, where more than 700 campers were staying, was the only overnight camp where there continues to be reports of missing children, officials said during the Friday press conference.

It's believed cabins may have flooded and washed away amid torrential rainfall and floods, according to media reports. The camp earlier on Friday issued a statement letting parents know that if their daughter was not accounted for they had been notified, according to NBC News.

The mother of a missing camper, Janie Hunt, said she has not yet heard anything about her where her daughter is.

“We are just praying,” the mother told CNN on Friday. Children who remain missing are reportedly from as far away as the San Antonio, Austin and Beaumont area, according to reports.

Impact Of Rain, Floodwaters Unexpected

The National Weather Service predicted three to six inches of rains during the overnight storms Friday. The downpours and catastrophic flooding that ended up happening were not predicted, state officials said.

Abbott said the state did deploy resources, including swift water boat teams, to the area after seeing models that indicated flooding could be possible for the holiday weekend. Helicopters were also on standby.

"We got the same forecast from the National Weather Service as everyone else. We activated additional resources in case," he said.

When floodwaters rushed onto land, emergency rescue teams leapt into action early Friday, he said. One of the response teams even "got swept away" in the flood waters, but no one on that team was injured, Abbott said.

As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service reported that more than a foot of rain has fallen overnight. The floodwaters are beginning to move downstream in Burnet, Williamson and Northwest Travis counties, and numerous water rescues are ongoing.

As of late Friday night, the Texas National Guard helped evacuated 237 people, which included 167 helicopter rescues, said Major General Thomas M. Suelzer during the late Friday press conference. The National Guard also used high-profile military vehicles to get evacuees out.

Search and rescue teams will continue to work around the clock, state officials said.

Torrential rainfall remained in the forecast Saturday.

"Torrential rainstorms are slowly growing towards the I-35 corridor near Lockhart, Seguin, New Braunfels and San Marcos," according to a Saturday morning update from the National Weather Service. "Extremely heavy rain rates as high as 4 to 6 inches per hour are possible. Rain this heavy can overwhelm streams quickly. Turn around, don't drown."

A state disaster declaration has been issued for 15 counties affected by flooding in Hill Country.

Weather officials are urged residents Friday to "know where they are relative to streams, rivers or creeks," and are telling campers and hikers to avoid streams or creeks in the flooded areas.

"I am working in coordination with the state's emergency response team on the significant flooding that occurred in the Hill Country and Concho Valley regions in the early hours of this morning," Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said in a statement. "The Kerr County Sheriff's Office has reported catastrophic flooding in the area, with several people missing and confirmed loss of life. Additional rain is forecast in those areas. Even if the rain is light, more flooding can occur in those areas. There is an ongoing threat for possible flash flooding from San Antonio to Waco for the next 24 to 48

Patrick said Texans are urged "to heed the guidance of their local officials."

"The Texas Division of Emergency Management and other state emergency response assets are on the ground assisting Texas communities with response operations and any unmet needs," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.