After the Texas flash flood was revealed to have killed at least 51 people and left the search for missing girls still underway, video footage demonstrates just how long it took for the river to overrun a family celebrating July 4.
People in and around central Texas had no idea what was going to happen on a day when Americans celebrate their freedom.
The Guadalupe River overflowed into nearby roads, causing a massive flash flood that terrified many as it rushed across Kerr County.
At least 51 people, including 15 children, have been confirmed dead by the flood, which took around 45 minutes to turn into a catastrophic calamity, according to NBC News.
There were 750 girls attending Camp Mystic south of Kerrville, and rescue crews are searching for up to 20 of them around the clock. Because of the flooding, the camp is currently without WiFi, water, or electricity.
However, the Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick noted that the missing children are not necessarily ‘lost’, adding, “They could be out of communication.”
While many people watch in horror as the full scope of the flood’s destruction is revealed, video of the disaster’s start has gone viral on social media.
A timelapse video that was previously shared on Twitter demonstrated the entire extent of the lethal floods as they transformed a clear road into a river in a matter of minutes.
However, after the emergence of a TikTok video showing a family taking part in the outdoor festivities, many people have been criticising President Donald Trump.
The video begins at 5:43 p.m. with a family chatting near a small body of water that resembles a stream. At 6:11 p.m., it shifts to a river that is flowing continuously in the same spot.
The river disappears two minutes later, at 6:13 p.m., and is replaced by a raging torrent that engulfs trees and a large area of land.
The family is on the edge of their seat as the muddy waters engulf more and more land in the 6:31 p.m. clip, which depicts a full-on flood.
A helicopter passed above the family only a minute before the video’s 6:45 p.m. conclusion, leading the woman who was shooting to speculate that they were flying over to capture video of the flooding.
@kelseycrowder_, who took the video, posted it online for all to see and captioned it: “Frio River Flood 2025. NATURE. IS. WILD.”
The discontinuation of the National Weather System’s flash flood warning service was a common grievance expressed in the comments.
One person wrote: “They got rid of the National Weather System so those alerts that say FLASH FLOOD WARNING were not sent out! Some of these occurred like at 4am mind you.”
Another said, “Imagine if there was a way to warn people in advance.”
Someone else commented, “Texas didn’t have a weather advisory because that fool cut the budget of the national weather service.”
Some criticised the family for remaining in the location after the first indications of the water rising, while others were astounded by how quickly it can happen.
Currently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed an extended emergency declaration, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued new flood advisories for individuals in the vicinity.
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