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Guadalupe River dam failing amid floods? Kerrville officials issue update amid Camp Mystic deaths
Texas officials confirmed that 25 girls at Camp Mystic in Kerr County went missing after the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours.
Texas officials confirmed that over 25 girls at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours, are still unaccounted for. The death toll from the catastrophic floods rose to 27 on Saturday. This included nine children. While rescue efforts were on in southern and central Texas, several locals worried about the impact on the dam on the Guadalupe River.
The Victoria Office of Emergency Management issued a statement to address concerns. “Victoria OEM is closely monitoring flooding along the Guadalupe River. Canyon Lake is helping reduce downstream impact. We’re in contact with Canyon Dam, WGRFC, & partners,” it noted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
This comes as authorities are facing scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in the region received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. There are dozens of camps along the Guadalupe River. “We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
Read More: Camp Mystic update: When will Guadalupe River flood situation end? Weekend forecast here
Did the Guadalupe River dam fail?
Several locals posted about the dam on social media.
“Texas Flood: Two dams on Guadalupe River were opened, Wirtz & Starke dams. Starke dam is closer to Kerrville, Texas - where Christian camp was located - but were not opened until 10pm Friday night. The flood came 1-4am Friday morning. It appears both dams were opened same time...” one person tweeted.
“The Guadalupe river is connected to a lake that has a dam that can open its gates...the Guadalupe is super busy on the 4th...this looks super familiar doesn't it,” another one added.
However, Elon Musk-led xAi's bot, Grok, was quick to fact check these reports.
“No, based on current reports from CBS, NPR, AP, and Houston Chronicle, the Ingram Dam did not fail. The catastrophic flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4-5, 2025, was caused by extreme rainfall, with the Guadalupe River rising rapidly from 3 to over 39 feet. The dam was overtopped but remains intact,” it explained.
