Britt Jones
Video footage shows exactly how long it took for the Texas flash flood to overwhelm a family celebrating July 4, after it was confirmed to have resulted in at least 51 deaths and an ongoing search for missing girls.
On a day where Americans celebrate their independence, little did those in and around central Texas know what was about to happen.
A giant flash flood sparked terror as it swept through Kerr County after the Guadalupe River spilled over into neighboring paths.
It has been confirmed that the flood, which took around 45 minutes to become a devastating disaster, has killed at least 51 people, including 15 children, NBC News reports.
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Rescue teams are working around the clock to find up to more than 20 children, who were among 750 girls attending Camp Mystic outside of Kerrville. The camp is currently without power, water or WiFi due to the floods.
However, the Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick noted that the missing children are not necessarily 'lost', adding: "They could be out of communication."
As many watch in horror as the true extent of the devastation caused by the flood is uncovered, footage of the beginning of the disaster has circulated on social media for the world to see.
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Previously, a timelapse video posted on Twitter showed the full magnitude of the deadly waters as it turned a clear road into a river within minutes.
But now, a TikTok video of a family enjoying the outdoor celebrations has been released, and it has left a lot of people criticizing President Donald Trump in the process.
Starting at 5:43pm, the video shows a small body of water, akin to a stream as the family chatters around it, before it cuts to 6:11pm, showing a steadily flowing river in the same area.
Then, just two minutes later at 6:13pm, gone is the river as it’s replaced with a crashing flood, absorbing trees and a lot of land in its path.
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6:31pm’s clip showcases a full-on flood, leaving the family on the edge, watching the ordeal unfold as more and more land is taken over by the murky waters.
Just at the video ends at 6:45pm, a helicopter flew above the family just one minute prior, with the woman filming speculating that they are flying over to take video footage of the floods.
@kelseycrowder_, who took the video, posted it online for all to see and captioned it: “Frio River Flood 2025. NATURE. IS. WILD.”
In the comments, many people had the same complaint - the National Weather System flash floods warning service being discontinued.
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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.”
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Others were shocked at how fast it can happen, while some were criticizing the family for staying in the area after the initial signs of water rising.
As of right now, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued new flood warnings for those in the area, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott signing an extended emergency declaration.