Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 106 deaths, including 36 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there.
As questions swirl surrounding the timeline of who was notified about the flooding when, and if more could have been done, Gov. Greg Abbott punted on reporters’ questions about emergency notifications during a Tuesday news conference.
A baby shoe lays along the Guadalupe River after it was swept up in the flash flooding, July 8, 2025 in Ingram, Texas.
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Debris lays along the Guadalupe River after it was swept up in the flash flooding, July 8, 2025 in Ingram, Texas.
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
When asked who is to blame, Abbott said, "That is the word choice of losers."
The governor then invoked a football analogy.
"Every football team makes mistakes. The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who is to blame," Abbott said, while winning teams "talk about solutions."
Debris lays along the Guadalupe River after it was swept up in the flash flooding, July 8, 2025 in Ingram, Texas.
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Jul 08, 2025, 4:46 PM EDT
110 dead in Texas, 161 missing in Kerr County
There are 161 known people missing in hard-hit Kerr County, Gov. Greg Abbott said.
About 12 are missing in other counties, he said.
An American flag is placed on a stump in Kerrville, Texas on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Ashley Landis/AP
Dan Beazley prays at the bank of the Guadalupe River while holding a large wooden cross, July 8, 2025 in Ingram, Texas.
Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
The death toll in Texas has reached 110, according to officials.
Abbott went on a flyover to view the immense destruction in Kerr County, calling the damage widespread and "catastrophic."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rides in a helicopter as he does a flyover above the Kerrville flood damage, July 8, 2025.
Pool/WLS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott prepares to take off in a helicopter to fly over the the Kerrville flood damage, July 8, 2025.
Pool/WLS
"Texas is in this with the people in the Hill Country," Abbott said at a news conference after the tour. "We are not leaving until this job is finished."
The No. 1 focus now is locating all missing persons, he said.
Jul 08, 2025, 2:55 PM EDT
Death toll climbs to 108
At least 108 people have died in Texas from the devastating flooding.
The vast majority of fatalities -- 87 victims -- are in hard-hit Kerr County.
Campists' belongings lie on the ground following flooding on the Guadalupe River, at Camp Mystic, Hunt, Texas, July 7, 2025.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Chairs lie inside a damaged room following flooding on the Guadalupe River, in Camp Mystic, Hunt, Texas, July 7, 2025.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Deaths were also confirmed in Travis, Williamson, Burnet, Tom Green and Kendall counties.
More than a dozen people are considered missing across several counties.
-ABC News' Matt Claiborne
Jul 08, 2025, 1:39 PM EDT
Man shares his emotional search for his missing parents
Armed with a walking stick, hiking boots and a lot of faith, Robert Brake Jr. is traversing the twisted trees and piles of debris, desperately searching for his parents who have been missing since their cabin washed away on Friday.
A group of search and rescue workers paddle a boat in the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, July 7, 2025.
Sergio Flores/Reuters
A "funeral home was just set up initially as a morgue," he said. "We checked with them hourly, walking up to them, giving my parents information, the pictures. You were hoping not to see anything and hear anything. When you didn't, you had an ounce of ounce of hope. And you know what? That's been reassuring."
Joni Kay Brake and Robert Brake Sr., who have three kids, five grandkids and several great-grandkids, were very active and loved their family tremendously, Brake Jr. said.
Joni Kay Brake and Robert Brake Sr. are missing in the Texas floods.
Robert Brake Jr.
Hope has kept Brake Jr. going as he navigates the difficult terrain around the Guadalupe River, but on Tuesday, he said he woke up and accepted that his parents won’t be coming back.
"The Lord woke me up," he said. He put me on my feet. He said, 'Go make a difference. Go make a difference.' People being kind and for whatever this tragedy has done, it's what people closer together, really has. And I believe that."
Crosses hang on a wall with flood marks at Camp Mystic, in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, July 7, 2025.
Sergio Flores/Reuters
Brake said the support from all over the world has kept him going throughout this terrible time and he will continue searching along the river to help other families find their loved ones.
"The devastation, it’s unbelievable. I can't describe it or put it into words to friends and family," he said. "My heart goes out to the people that were in the river. I can only imagine how much fear they were experiencing and the doubt they were experiencing."
