(KERRVILLE, Texas) – Hundreds of 911 calls during the July 4 Texas flood that devastated the Hill Country have been released from hard-hit Kerr County.
The Kerrville Police Department released the calls late Thursday following Freedom of Information Act requests from eight media outlets.
“We want to caution the public that what you will hear on these calls is distressing. Some callers did not survive,” Kerrville Police Chief Chris McCall said in a video message on Thursday ahead of the release.
ABC News is currently reviewing the 911 calls.
The first call related to flooding in western Kerr County came in to the police department’s 911 center at 2:52 a.m. on July 4, according to McCall.
Over the next six hours, the center, which receives all 911 calls for Kerr County, answered 435 calls, he said.
Two people were working at the time, the police chief said while commending the operators for their handling of “extraordinary call volumes.”
“I’m immensely proud of our telecommunications operators,” he said. “These public safety team members showed incredible perseverance as they faced high call volumes and did their best to provide assistance and comfort to every caller.”
Some calls were transferred to neighboring dispatch centers based on the protocols regarding high volume, he said. Once they obtained critical information from callers, the operators “were faced with the difficult decision to disconnect and move on to the next call,” McCall said.
The 911 calls are being released in their entirety, without redaction.
“The recordings contain disturbing content, which our community, employees, and family and friends of loved ones lost may find highly distressing,” the police department said in a statement. “Listener and audience discretion is advised.”
Over 130 people were killed in flash flooding across the Hill Country region, including at least 117 in Kerr County, officials said. At Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls sleepaway camp located along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, 28 people — including 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s director — died as rapidly rising floodwaters inundated the camp.
Thursday’s release follows the release of 911 from other counties in the Hill Country, including Gillespie and Kendall counties.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
