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Texas flooding: a visual guide to one of US state’s worst natural disasters | Texas floods 2025
With more than 100 people dead, many of them children attending a Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, Friday’s extreme flash flooding that overwhelmed a sizeable chunk of central Texas will be recorded as one of the state’s worst ever natural disasters.
The brunt of the tragedy was felt in Kerr county, where at least 27 children and counsellors were killed after a deluge of water described by one witness as a “a pitch-black wall of death” swept through the all-girl Camp Mystic on the river’s south fork. About 750 young campers were celebrating the Fourth of July holiday.
Elsewhere in the county, authorities reported almost 50 more deaths, a number certain to rise in the coming days as the grim task of recovering bodies continues.
Alongside the human toll, torrential rain and catastrophic flooding caused near-unprecedented levels of destruction, affecting homes, businesses and vehicles. A preliminary estimate by the private weather service AccuWeather places the damage and economic loss at $18bn-$22bn (£13.2bn-£16.2bn).
“Everyone in the community is hurting,” said Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, the county seat, at a press conference on Sunday. “We are seeing bodies recovered all over, up and down.”
The first inkling that a disaster was imminent came in a bulletin issued by the Austin-San Antonio office of the National Weather Service at 1.18pm local time on Thursday, warning that “pockets of heavy rain are expected and may result in flooding of low-lying areas, rivers/creeks, and low water crossings”.
The message was amplified in a post to X little more than an hour later.
Shortly after midnight on Friday, the NWS was warning of “significant impacts” from torrential rain dousing counties north of San Antonio, which never let up through the early morning hours and swelled rivers and other waterways at an astonishing pace.
By 5.16am, the City of Kerrville’s police department was warning of a “life-threatening event” and urging anyone living along the Guadalupe River to immediately move to higher ground – warnings that some residents said came too late, or were not received at all.
According to meteorologists, some parts of central Texas had several months’ worth of rain in just a few hours, while gauges in the unincorporated Kerr county community of Hunt, where Camp Mystic is located, recorded 6.5in (16.5cm) of rain in only 180 minutes.
Some areas received up to 15in (38.1cm) through the day on Friday, more than a summer’s worth of rain in a single day, and reports of rainfall up to 8in (20.3cm) were widespread.
The Guadalupe River rose by 26ft (8 metres) in 45 minutes, and 33ft (10 metres) in only two hours, surpassing the level of 31.5ft (9.6 metres) from a July 1987 flood less than 20 miles (32km) east of Kerrville in which 10 teenagers from a Christian summer camp drowned after their bus stalled in flood water.
Search and rescue crews from local, state and federal agencies, using drones, boats and helicopters, were deployed at first light on Friday, as news footage began to convey the scale of the disaster.
At a briefing on Saturday, authorities said about 850 people had been rescued, with more than 400 first responders from almost two dozen agencies covering an area of over 60 miles (97 miles). The number of responders passed 1,000 by the end of the day.
The Texas national guard deployed a MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicle over remote spots, while personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) joined emergency teams from other states in the search for survivors.
Rice, the Kerrville city manager, criticised the operation of unauthorised drones by private citizens and the news media for interfering with the rescue effort, which he said was further hampered by difficult terrain and more heavy rain.
By Sunday morning, 48 hours after the water first started to rise, and after a full day of recovering and identifying bodies while searching for those still missing, it was clear that central Texas had experienced its worst flooding event – and one of its most costly natural disasters – in decades.
The state’s governor, Greg Abbott, appeared at a press conference the day before to insist that crews would continue to consider anyone unaccounted for as alive, and called a statewide day of prayer for Sunday.
“All we know is that prayer does work,” he said, signing a request for a federal emergency declaration that the president, Donald Trump, approved on Sunday, freeing up more money and resources for recovery efforts.
Camp Mystic
The popular private Christian summer camp, which is due to celebrate its centenary in 2026, lost at least 27 campers and counsellors, it said in a post to its website. “Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” it said.
The camp’s longtime owner and director, Richard “Dick” Eastland, was among those lost.
The sprawling campsite on the bank of south fork features dormitories on lower ground that were completely overwhelmed by water. Photographs from inside one of the buildings show metal beds thrown around, as well as pink and purple sleeping bags and bedding, lunchboxes and mud-covered luggage that was abandoned as campers and staff evacuated.
About 750 girls were attending the camp, which offers more than 30 activities during three month-long terms over the summer “to provide young girls with a wholesome Christian atmosphere in which they can develop outstanding personal qualities and self-esteem”.
By Monday night, 10 campers and one counsellor were still unaccounted for. Families with ties to Camp Mystic gathered in Dallas for a vigil at the George W Bush Presidential Center.
Recovery so far
Drier weather forecasts for the area from Tuesday and beyond, allied to falling river levels, offered hope that clean-up and recovery efforts can gather pace.
Some residents returned to their flood-ravaged properties on Monday to salvage what they could. Others found they had no homes to go back to, some taking refuge in a Red Cross centre in Kerrville.
Kathy Perkins told the Guardian that her trailer home was damaged by water, but some of her neighbours’ homes were swept away or moved around in the flood.
The White House announced that Trump would visit, probably on Friday, to look at the damage and announce more federal aid in terms of money and resources for Kerr county and neighbouring areas.
Another Hunt resident, Lesa Baird, 65, rode out the flood in a tree, then walked to her local Baptist church for help. “There’s no home to go to. It’s done,” she said.
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Novartis receives approval for first malaria medicine for newborn babies and young infants
- Coartem® (artemether-lumefantrine) Baby becomes first malaria treatment approved for newborn babies and young infants
- Rapid approvals in eight African countries now expected under a special global health scheme run by Swiss agency for therapeutic products (Swissmedic)
- Novartis plans to introduce infant-friendly Coartem Baby on largely not-for-profit basis to increase access in areas where malaria is endemic
Basel, July 8, 2025 – Novartis today announced Coartem® (artemether-lumefantrine) Baby has been approved by Swissmedic as the first malaria medicine for newborns and young infants. The new treatment, also known as Riamet® Baby in some countries, was developed in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) to treat the potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease.
Eight African countries also participated in the assessment and are now expected to issue rapid approvals under the Swiss agency’s Marketing Authorization for Global Health Products procedure.1 Novartis plans to introduce the infant-friendly treatment on a largely not-for-profit basis to increase access in areas where malaria is endemic.
“For more than three decades, we have stayed the course in the fight against malaria, working relentlessly to deliver scientific breakthroughs where they are needed most,” said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. “Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve.”
Until now, there has been no approved malaria treatment for infants weighing less than 4.5 kilograms, leaving a treatment gap. They have instead been treated with formulations intended for use in older children, which may increase the risk of overdose and toxicity. Malaria vaccines are also not approved for the youngest babies.2
Some 30 million babies are born in areas of malaria risk in Africa every year,3 with one large survey across West Africa reporting infections ranging between 3.4% and 18.4% in infants younger than 6 months old.4 However, current data on malaria in young babies is extremely limited as they are rarely included in clinical trials of antimalarial agents.5,6
“The available malaria treatments have only been properly tested in children aged at least 6 months because smaller infants are usually excluded from treatment trials,” said Professor Umberto D’Alessandro, Director of the MRC Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “That matters because neonates and young infants have immature liver function and metabolize some medicines differently, so the dose for older children may not be appropriate for small babies.”
The new dose strength designed for young infants was developed by Novartis with the scientific and financial support of MMV, and as part of the PAMAfrica consortium, which is co-funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The treatment is dissolvable, including in breast milk, and has a sweet cherry flavor to make it easier to administer.
“Malaria is one of the world’s deadliest diseases, particularly among children. But with the right resources and focus, it can be eliminated,” said Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV. “The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimized dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox.”
About the CALINA study
The Swissmedic approval is based on the Phase II/III CALINA study, which investigated a new ratio and dose of Coartem (artemether-lumefantrine) to account for metabolic differences in babies under 5 kilograms. It is indicated for the treatment of infants and neonates weighing between 2 and less than 5 kilograms with acute, uncomplicated infections due to Plasmodium falciparum or mixed infections including P. falciparum. Coartem is known by the brand name Riamet in Switzerland and some other countries.
About malaria
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite and spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. According to the most recent WHO data, there were 263 million cases of malaria and 597,000 deaths in 2023, almost all of them in Africa. Children under 5 years old accounted for about three in four malaria deaths in the region.7
About Novartis in malaria innovation
Novartis finds breakthroughs for diseases neglected by science and brings innovative medicines to communities on the margins of healthcare, building on 85 years of innovation in global health. Novartis has built the industry’s largest pipeline of treatments to control or eliminate malaria and neglected tropical diseases, backed by nearly USD 490 million in funding for global health R&D since 2021. This includes four new antimalarial compounds with the potential to combat rising drug resistance, one of which is just completing Phase III trials, and another which is a potential single-dose cure. Since 1999, Novartis has delivered more than 1.1 billion treatment courses of antimalarials, mostly at no profit, including 500 million treatments of a child-friendly formulation for babies weighing at least 5 kilograms.
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” “pipeline,” “launch,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide.
Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.
About MMV
MMV is a Swiss not-for-profit working to deliver a portfolio of accessible medicines with the power to treat, prevent and eliminate malaria. Born in 1999 to drive health equity, MMV closes critical gaps in research, development and access – to expand the use of existing antimalarials and innovate new compounds. This starts with women and children. As of 2024, MMV-supported products have effectively treated more than 711 million patients.
For more information, visit www.mmv.org Follow MMV on social media: X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook
References
- Eight African countries participated in Swissmedic’s Marketing Authorization for Global Health Products (MAGHP) procedure for Coartem Baby – Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda — and are expected to approve the medicine following approval by Swissmedic. These eight countries account for 47% of estimated cases in 2023, according to the WHO’s Global Health Observatory
- WHO. Malaria vaccines (RTS,S and R21)
- Reddy, Valentina et al. Global estimates of the number of pregnancies at risk of malaria from 2007 to 2020: a demographic study. The Lancet Global Health, Volume 11, Issue 1, e40 – e47
- Ceesay SJ et al. Malaria Prevalence among Young Infants in Different Transmission Settings, Africa. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Jul;21(7):1114-21. doi: 10.3201/eid2107.142036. PMID: 26079062; PMCID: PMC4480393.
- D’Alessandro U, et al. Malaria in infants aged less than six months – is it an area of unmet medical need? Malar J. 2012 Dec 2;11:400. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-11-400. PMID: 23198986; PMCID: PMC3529680.
- Dobbs, et al. Plasmodium malaria and antimalarial antibodies in the first year of life. Parasitology. 2016;143(2):129-138. doi:10.1017/S0031182015001626
- WHO. Malaria.
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Measles cases in the United States are the highest they’ve been since the country eliminated the disease in 2000. The U.S. has reported 1,277 cases since the start of the year, according to NBC News’ tally of state health department data.
Earlier this year, the U.S. also recorded its first measles deaths in a decade: those of two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico. All were unvaccinated.
For the past 25 years, measles has been considered eliminated in the U.S. because it has not continuously spread over a yearlong period.
There are still periodic outbreaks, however, including one that took off in in a Mennonite community in West Texas earlier this year. Vaccination rates in Gaines County, the center of the outbreak, are particularly low: As of the 2023-24 school year, 82% of kindergarteners in the county had received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) vaccine, far below the 95% rate needed to curb spread.
Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee in April that measles would have to keep spreading through January 20 of next year for the U.S. to lose its elimination status.
Most of the cases so far this year are linked to the Southwest outbreak — there have been more than 700 cases in Texas alone — though a number of smaller outbreaks, resulting from international travel, have been detected across the U.S.
The resurgence of measles can be attributed, in part, to declining vaccination rates both globally and nationally. During the 2023-24 school year, less than 93% of kindergartners in the U.S. received the recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine, down from 95% during the 2019-20 school year.
The West Texas outbreak parallels one in 2019 among Orthodox Jewish communities in New York with low vaccination rates. The U.S. recorded 1,274 cases that year. A vaccination campaign, which included a vaccine mandate in New York City and officials administering 60,000 doses in affected communities, helped contain the spread.
New York’s response was “an incredible feat and something we’re obviously trying to emulate,” Sugerman said. But he noted that the loss of Covid grant money has created “funding limitations” in Texas. The CDC slashed $11.4 billion in Covid funding last month, some of which helped state health departments respond to disease outbreaks. Each measles case may cost $30,000 to $50,000 to address, which “adds up quite quickly,” Sugerman said.
Many disease experts have also expressed concern that the federal messaging around vaccines could make the outbreak harder to contain. While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for people to get the measles vaccine, he has also framed vaccination as a personal choice, emphasized unproven treatments such as steroids or antibiotics and falsely claimed that immunity from measles vaccines wanes quickly.
An HHS spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that the agency “continues to support community efforts in dealing with the measles outbreaks. CDC continues to provide technical assistance, laboratory support, and vaccines as requested.”
The statement said that the CDC recommends MMR vaccines as the best way to protect against measles, but added, “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.”
Dr. Ana Montanez, a pediatrician who treats patients in Lubbock and Gaines County, said at a press conference in April that misinformation was the “biggest nemesis” for health care providers. She was aware of some patients taking vitamin A instead of getting vaccinated, she said. Kennedy has played up the role of vitamin A in helping measles patients, though it’s unclear how beneficial it is. The CDC says vitamin A can be administered under the supervision of a health care provider, but it’s not a treatment for the disease.
“Countering the misinformation put out there about using vitamin A for treatment of measles has been a struggle, an upward struggle,” Montanez said.
By contrast, two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and offer lifelong protection. The virus is particularly dangerous for babies and young children, whose immune systems aren’t always developed enough to fight an infection. In Texas, officials recommended an early dose for babies ages 6 to 11 months. Unvaccinated children older than 12 months old should get one dose, according to the state, then a second dose 28 days later.
Measles often starts with a high fever, cough, runny nose and pink or watery eyes. From there, patients may develop white spots on the insides of the cheeks near the molars and a blotchy rash of flat, red spots. Severe cases can progress to pneumonia or swelling of the brain.
Roughly 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children with measles die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to the CDC.
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Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Gain Despite Trump Trade Fears; Nvidia Market Cap; Tariffs Deadline Delayed; Dollar Rises; Treasury Yields Fall; Tesla, Wolfspeed, T-Mobile and More Movers
Banks are set to mark the unofficial start to earnings season next week, and the reports come with the major indexes all within striking distance of their highest levels on record.
The S&P 500 was up 0.3% on Wednesday. The Nasdaq Composite was up 0.6%. The Dow was up 103 points, or 0.2%.
The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, is down to its lowest levels since February at 16.
John Higgins, chief markets economist at Capital Economics, argues the coming earnings reports could shine some initial light on corporate America’s role in shouldering the impact of tariffs already in place—whether that’s foreign firms exporting, U.S. firms importing, or through higher consumer prices.
Though the Bureau of Economic Analysis won’t release its preliminary estimate of corporate profits for the second quarter until late August, Higgins thinks higher tariffs may become apparent in micro data this earnings season.
“Higher tariffs ought to show up in a firm’s cost of goods sold (COGS),” he writes. “So a key metric to watch is gross profit margin, which is gross profit (the difference between sales and COGS) divided by sales.”
He argues analysts don’t seem to expect corporations to shoulder much of the future tariff burden.
“There is some evidence at the firm level of analysts paring back their forward twelve month (FTM) expectations for gross profit margin around the time of Liberation Day,’” Higgins writes. “But for the US stock market as a whole, there hasn’t been a big downgrading. … A glass-half-empty view would be that there is plenty of (pun-pardoning) margin for error.”
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