Heartbreaking 911 Calls From Texas Hill Country Floods Reveal Chaos and Desperate Pleas

Newly Released 911 Recordings Expose Panic During Devastating Hill Country Floods

Five months after catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country, newly released 911 recordings reveal frantic voices, repeated pleas for help and scenes of chaos as floodwaters rose rapidly across the region.

Dispatchers Were Overwhelmed: Two emergency dispatchers received more than 400 calls as residents scrambled to survive. Callers described being trapped in homes, on roofs, in camp cabins and clinging to trees. Many phoned repeatedly to update rescuers on their locations and the worsening of their situations.

“We're okay, but we live about a mile down the road from Camp Mystic, and we've already got two little girls who have come down the river... I'm not sure how many else are out there,” one caller said.

Camp Mystic: Heavy Losses

Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp on the Guadalupe River, suffered devastating losses when floodwaters struck: 25 campers and two teenage counselors were killed. The camp's longtime director and co-owner, Dick Eastland, died while attempting to rescue campers. His son and co-director, Britt Eastland, placed a 911 call urging authorities to call in the National Guard after reporting that as many as 40 people were missing, The Associated Press reported.

Other Frantic Calls and Rescues

A counselor at Camp La Junta called as water rushed into a cabin “super fast,” with screams from campers audible in the background; according to the AP, everyone at Camp La Junta was ultimately rescued. Another recording captured a woman pleading for help for herself and two elderly people trapped inside their home: “I'm scared,” she told a dispatcher.

Several callers told dispatchers they saw people floating by screaming for help while others climbed into attics or onto roofs to escape the rising water. One caller begged, “If there's anybody that can get to us with a helicopter or something?” The dispatcher answered that help was on the way but warned that the floodwaters were slowing rescue operations.

Personal Tragedy: Firefighter Bradley Perry

Firefighter Bradley Perry made a calm but dire call from a leaning tree as his family's RV washed away: “The tree I’m in is starting to lean, and it’s going to fall. Is there a helicopter close?” Perry told dispatchers he had seen his wife, Tina, swept away. He did not survive; he was among more than 130 people who lost their lives in the July 4 floods. The AP later reported that Tina Perry was found alive, clinging to a tree.

Aftermath and Memorials

Communities across the region continue to mourn and remember the victims. Local memorials and recovery efforts are underway as officials and volunteers piece together the scope of the disaster and work to support survivors and families of the deceased.

Reporting Note: The Associated Press contributed to the reporting on these released 911 calls.