Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Official: At Least 32 Dead, 27 Missing In Texas Floods; More Rain Ahead For Parts Of Texas Hit By Deadly Flash Flooding; Texas Governor: More Than 850 Flood Victims Evacuated Or Rescued After Flash Flooding. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired July 05, 2025 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:01:12]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Thanks for joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I am Erica Hill in New York. It is 6:00 P.M. here. Jessica Dean is off tonight.

We are following the breaking news out of Texas, where at least 32 people, including 14 children, have now been confirmed dead following the extreme flooding in the central part of that state. There is a massive rescue operation underway at this hour. Hundreds of emergency workers, volunteers all pitching in here.

A short time ago, we heard from state and local officials, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who also signed a disaster declaration, a federal disaster declaration, to request immediate assistance from the federal government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): What I have observed in this community over the past 24 hours is what I call Quintessential Texas. When Texans face a challenge, we come together, we unite, and that's exactly what's happened over the past 24 to 48 hours in this community.

Nothing more than extraordinary devastation and the worst thing that can happen in this community fell upon it. They could have fallen apart. They could have fought against each other, but instead they understand the importance of unity. That's what Texans do. That's what we will continue to do.

Along those lines, something else to double down on what I said last night. We will be relentless in going after and ensuring that we locate every single person who has been a victim of this flooding event. We are not going to stop today or tomorrow, we will stop when the job is completed.

Between now and whenever that day arrives, when the job is completed, this is a 24/7 operation day and night.

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX): There is going to be a lot of finger pointing and a lot of second guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking, and I just want to pick up on what I think the Governor said about 850 something individuals that were moved quickly in this circumstance in a once in a century flood where you get 12 top 14 inches, where you get a 26 to 30-foot increase in water in the course of an hour-and-a- half at 4:00 to 6:00 in the morning on a holiday and that's what we are dealing with in these circumstances, where those camps are.

There is a lot of people saying why and how, and I understand that, and I understand why parents should be asking those questions and all of the media. But where we are right now in terms of what we've done to be able to protect people, move them, get them out of the camps, and the heroic efforts of people that worked in those camps, directors of the camps, people who own the camps, who not just risked their lives, gave their lives to try to save the lives of those kids. That's who they are as Texans, and I am so proud of that and I am so proud of the work that everyone has done to do that.

And now, we've just got to finish the job and be with the people and importantly, pray for the families who have lost their loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: We do have some new updates as well on the desperate search for more than two dozen people, including a number of children at a summer camp devastated by these floodwaters. At least four campers have now been confirmed dead: Nine-year-old Janie Hunt, who you see here, nine- year-old Lila Bonner, Sarah Marsh, and eight-year-old Renee Smajstrla. Her family telling CNN this news is "truly devastating."

The camp itself sits near the Guadalupe River in the town of Hunt, Texas. That's near Kerrville, northwest of San Antonio. The National Weather Service says the river itself swelled to its second highest level on record, rising more than 20 feet in less than two hours after the torrential rain early Friday.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is there live outside Camp Mystic.

[18:05:07]

Such a difficult couple of days, understandably, for these families. And I know there has been some activity there at the camp as well. A number of vehicles on the ground there, Ed, what are you hearing? What are you seeing?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, we just mentioned right off the top, because there was just a motorcade of about three dozen police cars that came screaming by with sirens and a helicopter. We thought there might be a rescue. It turns out its Governor Greg Abbott, who we can see there between the trees, who is visiting the site here of Camp Mystic.

So that group of people that you might be able to see out there in the distance, that is what is happening there, but this is our first clear view of the campground since the flooding erupted here early Friday morning. And I want to show you, Erica, this area over here, this is what is known as the flats of the campground. And the way it works is that the younger kids stay in these cabins here at the lower level, closest to the river. And then as you get older, you kind of move your way back up higher up into the campgrounds.

But we've also spoken with a number of counselors and some stories of what happened here as the flood waters you can -- the flood water reached as high as we are now, we should point out, you can see the trees that were blown downstream here and there is nowhere to go if you're inside those cabins.

And what we've been hearing from people who were in there is that the counselors were breaking windows on the backside of those buildings as the water was coming up. They couldn't come out the front of it. The water was holding the door closed. They couldn't escape. The only way out was to break windows and to start making their way up in the darkness and the thunder and the lightning and make your way up the hill over there to get to higher ground. That is how many of the kids who were down here in these lower cabins had to escape.

Of course, we know that more than two dozen others perhaps did not manage to escape safely, and the search for those young campers continues. And that is what is so devastating in all of this.

But this is a campground site where, you know, kids come for years and years. They start coming here in elementary school and many of them continue to come out and well into their high school years when they become counselors.

And you can see just all of the destruction that was brought downstream from the flood waters and you look at the other part of the campus, this larger building, obviously a gathering hall, one side of the building there blown off, and we've seen some -- there was a drone team out here a little while ago shooting some video and search and rescue operations, and I was able to see on the backside of those buildings, there are a number of cars stacked on top of each other.

But that back part of the campground is where many of these kids who were here, some 750 or so, had to evacuate toward to get to higher ground so that they could be saved from these flood waters because this way, just off this road, down around the corner is the entrance into the camp. There was nowhere else for these young children to go, and many of the victims have been taken downstream and we've seen rescue teams combing through the wooded area up there on the hillside, making their way, trying to navigate that terrain which is littered with trees, Erica.

So -- and this continues for you. We are about five or six miles from the town of Hunt, which we were reporting from earlier today and we have seen some intense destruction along homes, along the riverside there as well, so just a brutal day.

As the mayor said, and the mayor in Kerrville said earlier today, today is going to be a tough day and that's exactly what's unfolded here -- Erica.

HILL: Yes, absolutely.

We were noting that we know the identities of four of these little girls who were killed, one just coming into us, you know, in the last hour or so. They are eight to nine years old. Do we know much more about them?

LAVANDERA: You know what, if they're that age, then they were very likely in some of these lower cabins down here. And that is what is, you know, so terrifying. I spoke with one counselor who had some older kids, I think like middle school aged kids. They were a little bit further back and those kids were waking up 2:00 in the morning. There was thunder erupting, lightning everywhere. The rainfall was really intense.

And those campers, the middle school campers were waking up telling the counselor how scared they were and how awful everything felt. So those are the middle schoolers. You can imagine -- imagine -- what the younger kids must have been thinking as the floodwaters are coming up. You can see how far back.

I mean, we are probably talking a good at least 50 to 60 yards from the edge of the river, and you go up the slope there on -- the green slope, the grass, and you start getting to a number of cabins. I mean, for the water to reach that height and then not being able to, you know, get out that way and to be able to get to higher ground, having to go out the back side of those cabins is just terrifying for them.

[18:10:13]

HILL: Yes, it really is and we can see that debris field there just to the side of it, too, as you're pointing out to the side of that cabin.

Ed, really appreciate it. It is good to have you there on the ground. Thank you.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez is in Ingram, Texas, also right next to the Guadalupe River. And you're at an area that was serving as a reunification point, of course.

Are there still people coming for it to be a reunification point, or has it become more of an information center at this point?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi, Erica.

Well, I can tell you that right now, it is only a donation center. This is where so many people we've seen throughout the day are coming to drop off supplies. In fact, I think there was just somebody there that came to drop off some water.

But this center now is serving also a place where they're redirecting folks to the correct location. When I spoke to you earlier, if you recall, Erica, we were talking about a woman who was just here. I asked her, you know, what she was doing here. She said she was hoping to find her loved one. She got some sort of notification that her loved one who had been missing has now been found, but she didn't know where to go.

She came here because she had heard this was where so many families yesterday were being reunited with their children and their missing loved ones, but she just didn't know where to go and I think that speaks to the lack of communication that is ongoing right now and this is due to spotty service. We've seen this happen in disaster zones. We saw it during Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, where the cell phone service was just not working and the internet service.

So even if people's missing loved ones were okay, there was just no way of knowing that. So as you can imagine, it is days just filled with so much anxiety, just not knowing if you're missing loved one is okay.

But we know those rescue missions as we heard Ed speaking, are underway. They're still ongoing, and we are hoping that as the day progresses, hopefully we get some good news for those who are unaccounted for.

HILL: Yes, absolutely. Marybel, really appreciate it. Thank you.

With all of these desperate search and rescue operations underway in Texas, there is still rain in the forecast and that understandably has a lot of people concerned.

Meteorologist, Chris Warren is joining us now live from the CNN Weather Center. So, what can folks in these areas expect in terms of rain over the next few hours?

CHRIS WARREN, AIMS METEOROLOGIST: There will be more rain in the next few hours and a lot more again tomorrow. Not expecting these kind of totals, this is something that we hope to never, ever again see in our lifetime here, but unfortunately we have been seeing this. The amount of moisture and the fact that sometimes these systems just kind of stall out and linger too long, it can lead to this kind of devastation.

I want to walk you through with what we are seeing right here. This is the radar estimated rainfall, and this is the past two days. So really, it is late Thursday night into Friday was really when the majority of this rain right here fell. Here is Kerrville and there is also this spot right there where there is more than a foot of rain estimated by radar and the reason this is important, because it is not just a few points on a map, it is widespread areas of two to four yellow; orange is in the four to six, and then that's six to ten. Look at all of that red in here, parts of whole counties seeing that six to ten estimated by radar and just the scary moments for those children hearing all of the lightning and the intensity of the rain is something they probably never, ever experienced, that kind of intense rainfall.

So what that did to the Guadalupe River at Kerrville, and just also think about this, throughout much of last week, the river was below a foot, 0.7, right. So below a foot. A good pair of rain boots, you could walk across the river and your feet would be dry. I mean, that's how low it was. And then a matter of hours, the river shoots up what is being called a wave of water to about two stories. So less than a foot to about two stories in just a few hours, happening in the middle of the night, 2:00 in the morning until 5:45.

So this again, all of that rain leading to this right here, that big jump in the river. And this is how it played out on radar as it happened. This is now 5:30 as that serious flooding was happening here, getting that extra push, all of that rain that fell earlier and this blob right here giving it that extra push, a very heavy rain. And then it kept coming into the mid-morning and then early afternoon.

So that's what we saw with that, and then again this morning, there was more heavy rain, more flash flooding happening as well. And you can see the rain and thunderstorms that we are dealing with today, which left us with what we have right now, which are outside of the search areas, but still life-threatening situation ongoing right now, flash flood warning -- this is a Flash Flood Emergency that white outlined area.

Now this is the forecast, the high resolution future forecast gives you an idea of what the radar is going to look like through time, put this into motion here. This is 5:00 this evening.

[18:15:06]

And around here, we will see a few more showers, possibly some thunderstorms, a bit of a break, and then as early as tomorrow morning, we are going to see this pick up once again with more rain, more thunderstorms right through tomorrow evening, again for the search areas. And then eventually tomorrow night, it will start to calm down.

Now the rainfall totals that are expected, Erica, we are looking at generally just a couple to a few inches, but unfortunately, you know, the way things work, these storms, if they do linger a little bit longer, we could end up with even a little bit more rain than this.

HILL: Yes. All right, well, we know you'll be keeping an eye on it for all of us. Appreciate it. Chris, thank you.

As we continue to follow the breaking news out of Texas, of course, where this desperate search is underway to find victims of the devastating flash floods, we do know at this hour, at least 32 people have been killed, 14 children among them, 27 people still missing, at least 27 people. All of this unfolding, of course, we will continue to follow all of these developments.

Stay with us. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:47]

HILL: We continue to follow the breaking news at this hour out of Central Texas, where rescue efforts are underway following devastating flash flooding. Officials say 32 people, including 14 children have died as a result of this extreme weather.

We are also learning a little bit more about the federal response to the floods. CNN senior White House reporter, Betsy Klein joining us now.

So, Betsy, what do we know at this hour about the Trump administration? We know that Governor Abbott, of course, signed that Federal Disaster Declaration asking for the help. Secretary Noem said they would get it. What does that actually mean?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, it is a very critical hour for search and rescue as well as search and recovery efforts and so, it is really an all-hands on deck moment for state, local and the federal response here. So from the federal side, we know that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is engaged. We also know that the U.S. Coast Guard is activated and helping with those search and rescue efforts.

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security says that she has requested additional fixed wing aircraft with thermal imaging. What that means is that those are planes that can see with thermal imaging once it becomes dark outside, which is going to become very important in the hours ahead as they continue those search and rescue efforts. She is also requesting additional helicopters.

The Army Corps of Engineers is also assisting with this, as well as Customs and Border Protection, which has sent Border Patrol agents to actually bolster these response efforts. They have some critical expertise that can come in handy here.

Now, as you mentioned, Governor Abbott of Texas has requested federal disaster aid. Kristi Noem said that the President planned to sign and approve all of that aid. She said she has spoken with President Trump several times today, and that she is planning to go herself to Camp Mystic. We know that Governor Abbott is also on site there.

We also just received some interesting news. There is a congressman, August Pfluger of Texas. He represents the San Antonio area and he said in a post to social media a few moments ago that two of his daughters who were at Camp Mystic have just been reunited with his family. They are safe and secure. He said the last day has brought unimaginable grief to many families and we mourn with them as well as holding out hope for survivors. Of course, a really stunning moment there.

The President says that the federal government is working closely with state and local officials, and that the First Lady and he are praying for all of those involved with this.

Two additional points on this, the President has been deeply critical of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and he plans to phase out that agency at the conclusion of this year's hurricane season. So we started to see how Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem messaged about that, really deferring to the state in a lot of ways. Separately going forward, the President's budget for fiscal year 2026, which it already is abiding by, has cuts to the National Weather Service that closes or cuts funding for some research labs that are really critical to forecasting weather events like this. We need better data for better forecasts, and those tools right now are currently experiencing cuts.

Now, Noem was pressed on a lack of alerts from the National Weather Service by a reporter during that news conference. She defended the administration. She says they are currently upgrading what she referred to as an ancient system. There were also DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency cuts to the National Weather Service and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency. But it is really too soon to know whether that had any sort of impact.

Of course, people asking questions in the immediate aftermath of how something like this could happen, but this storm was so incredibly unpredictable, truly unprecedented. Senator John Cornyn of Texas noted that the river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, 32 people are dead, including 14 children; 27 children still unaccounted for, campers at Camp Mystic.

[18:25:05]

What we don't know yet, Erica, is the extent of the federal response that is going to be needed, whether Congress is going to need to pass additional aid as they try to recover and rebuild this community, whether the President plans to visit once it is safe. The President is here in Bedminster at his golf club where there is a lid, which means we do not expect to see him for the rest of the day -- Erica.

HILL: Betsy, really appreciate it. Thank you.

As Betsy noted, of course, as we continue to follow this breaking news that desperate search for survivors is underway following the catastrophic flooding. More stories for you from on the ground, how people were able to survive and what these rescue efforts look like today. That's all ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:14]

HILL: As the search continues in Central Texas, we are also hearing some truly remarkable stories of survival, including one man luckily enough to be on higher ground. He spoke with Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Jerry, just walk me through what the - what this was like - this experience like for you.

JERRY ADAMS, FLOOD SURVIVOR: It was just unbelievable. Like I said, I got up at 3.30 and started just to come see what was going on. And as far as I got - I was right up there about probably a hundred yards up there and this whole thing was just water and trash and everything going down the road. And I stopped and I just got, you know, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was still awake, I guess. I just couldn't believe the destruction. And we ran around here for a while trying to see what needed to be done.

And there was a girl that worked here at the hunt store that lived upstairs. And she said that she heard something and she walked over there and opened her door upstairs. And there was the water.

LAVANDERA: Wow. ADAMS: And so she got out, her, her daughter and her dog and got on the roof. And she was up here on the roof. And I was down here and I guess it was nearly daylight. And somebody asked me - somebody else had showed up and said, do you have a ladder. And I said, yes. So, I ran and got a ladder and got her off the roof.

LAVANDERA: When you got down here and you saw what was happening, did you know that this was going to be as deadly and as horrific as we've learned?

ADAMS: I kind of - probably had a pretty good idea, because like I said, I've seen water up to the road right there, but I've never seen it 36 feet, you know.

LAVANDERA: So, we would have been well under water here.

ADAMS: Oh, yes. Yes, we'd have been - the water level was right at the roof right there.

LAVANDERA: Wow.

ADAMS: It's where the water level was.

LAVANDERA: And it's hard as we stand here, it's really hard to have people understand just - if the water is this high, we were what, about a hundred yards from the river?

ADAMS: Oh, yes. That's a lot of water.

LAVANDERA: It's a devastating amount of water.

ADAMS: It is. And it just - like I said, it's just unbelievable and I feel so very sorry for the people that have lost houses and - well, especially family members and kids at camp and whatnot, you know. It just - it's pretty much shut down the whole community. And, you know, this was the lifeblood of this community with the camps and crowders and all that, you know, during the summer months, you know. And, I mean, that was everybody's bread and butter. And it's just - now it's just nothing. And it's going to be - I'm going to guess it's going to take two or three years before this thing ever gets back to where it kind of was, you know. It's never going to be the way it really was. It's going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of praying to get this thing back.

LAVANDERA: Yes, yes. You were telling me that you came down here to the river and you actually saw a young boy sitting in a tree?

ADAMS: Yes, he was down there hunkering on the root of a tree down there and had a pair of shorts on and that's about it. You could tell he was freezing to death. But, pardon me, and everybody was saying, let's get him out. And I kept telling them, I said, no, just leave him alone. Because if you try to go out there and get him, you're going to get somebody else in a bind to get hurt or drown or - I said, just leave him alone. The water will go down eventually and you can walk away and get him or safely go get him, you know?

LAVANDERA: Do you think he had been swept away in the water and grabbed onto the tree or what ...

ADAMS: He came from up in Mary Mead (ph), which is about six miles up here.

LAVANDERA: Wait a second. The boy that you saw in the tree ...

ADAMS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: ... lives six miles away.

ADAMS: Mm-hmm.

LAVANDERA: So, he got blown down through the floodwaters?

ADAMS: (INAUDIBLE) he stayed above water and got here alive. God - you know, only God can tell you that. Pardon me.

LAVANDERA: Yes.

ADAMS: But he - and I saw him yesterday afternoon. I went up in - to the guy's house and sure enough, that kid was there.

LAVANDERA: How old was he?

ADAMS: He was probably 12, 14 maybe.

LAVANDERA: Okay.

ADAMS: Fifteen, something like that, but ...

LAVANDERA: What was his demeanor like?

ADAMS: He was fine. I mean, he was kind of scratched up and whatnot, but he was - otherwise he was in good shape, you know? But he ...

LAVANDERA: I can't even wrap my head around that.

ADAMS: Uh-uh. I mean, like I say, just to sit there for hours, you know, to, you know, safely could go get him, you know?

LAVANDERA: Right.

ADAMS: Everybody, like I say, everybody wanted to do something. I said, no, don't, because I've seen that happen. I've seen them - somebody ...

LAVANDERA: Was he high in a tree?

ADAMS: No, he was down just right - probably right about - where the water line was at that time.

[18:35:06]

LAVANDERA: Okay. Do you think he'd made his way down from the ...

ADAMS: He was down, you know, down there. LAVANDERA: Got it. But was way out there in the river.

ADAMS: Yes. I can take you where - show you where he was, but ...

LAVANDERA: Yes. We'll do it that in a second. But you've also seen some, the tragic side of all of this. You've seen some of the victims who've - washed away up here.

ADAMS: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) I'm not sure what the county is, but there's going to be some fatalities. I know they found one little girl here behind the store that came from, I think somewhere up there. I'm not exactly sure where, but it was several miles.

LAVANDERA: Possibly Camp Mystic?

ADAMS: I don't know - I don't think you - I think it was a family that was at a - there's a (INAUDIBLE) up here called Casa Bonita (ph).

LAVANDERA: Okay.

ADAMS: Bunch of little houses.

LAVANDERA: Got it.

ADAMS: And it's completely gone. And I think they may have been in one of those ...

LAVANDERA: Got it. Yes, got it. So, just with family for the weekend or something?

ADAMS: And I think maybe the family was gone too, but I'm not - don't quote me on that.

LAVANDERA: Yes, yes, yes.

ADAMS: I'm not sure.

LAVANDERA: But you've seen several of the victims' bodies?

ADAMS: Well, a couple of them, yes.

LAVANDERA: Yes.

ADAMS: I mean, you know, where they said - like, I didn't see this one, but I saw one down here by the road the other day that they had covered up waiting for the ...

LAVANDERA: Yes.

ADAMS: ... coroner or somebody to come pick it up, you know.

LAVANDERA: I'm sorry you've had to see all that. It's ...

ADAMS: But (INAUDIBLE), you know, it's just sad. It's just really sad for the community. And I'm sorry (INAUDIBLE) I'll try not to do that, but it's tough. LAVANDERA: No, man, it's totally understandable, for real.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: It's quite an account. As rescue teams continue their search for survivors, we know dozens of people remain missing at this hour. CNN Meteorologist, Chris Warren, has a look now at what the forecast is moving forward. Those - I mean, those devastating rains, so much in a short period of time, and now more rain in the forecast.

What does that look like for the area?

WARREN: Well, right now, Erica, the rain that's falling in the area where the search is still ongoing near Kerrville, it's generally light rain, a little bit heavier rain over here as the more impressive or the higher amounts of moisture is shifting off a little bit farther to the east. But earlier this morning, new flash flood warnings and still active flash flood warnings and a flash flood emergency outside of Austin. Flash flood warning does still include Austin, but then that changes that light rain here for the search efforts, so it will be turning into heavy rain at times.

A bit of a break overnight tonight, but tomorrow, that's when we're going to see an increased chance for showers and thunderstorms here. At this point, with the high-resolution future radar, it keeps the rain generally to the north around four o'clock, but this can shift a little bit. So, something to be thinking about and wary of that that could shift a little bit farther to the south. That's just kind of how things can work out with these kind of forecasts here. And then much more spotty going into tomorrow night.

With the overall amount of rain, additional rain, that is expected in the yellow and orange, two to four, maybe a few spots, pockets here and there, around four inches of rain. Again, this is through tomorrow. Compare this to 48 hours that created the catastrophic flooding. Some areas, more than a foot.

And it's not just that you had pockets where there was a foot or six to 10 inches. You had widespread areas. That's a lot of water trying to go to the same place at the same time, which is eventually created with the National Weather Service was calling a flood wave of water.

Throughout much of last week, the river at Kerrville, the Guadalupe River at Kerrville was under a foot. And just a couple to a few hours, it went up to 23 feet, two stories. So, from about down here, down, you know, just above your ankles a little bit to two stories in just a few hours. That's the rain gauge. Now, it has dropped down significantly. And we are, again, still seeing that, you know, rivers - they're still high, but it's considerably down. It was like a flash flood on a river. And it was, again, that wave of water.

Here's the recap, how it played out Friday into Friday morning, just the non-stop rain. We're looking here at overnight Friday, well over 12 hours of rain. And at times, it was intense. You can only imagine, Erica, just how scary it was for the people that were dealing with the rain. Of course, just the sad devastation that happened afterwards. HILL: Yes, absolutely. (INAUDIBLE) paints - pardon me, Chris - quite a picture. Thank you.

Well, as we continue to follow this breaking news out of Texas and the devastation, of course, left behind from the flash flooding, you'll hear from one man who was staying at an Airbnb there with his friends and family, more than a dozen of them. They barely made it out, thanks to the help and kindness of strangers. It's very important help from their dog. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:44:44]

HILL: We are continuing to follow the breaking news at this hour. A massive search effort underway around Central Texas after catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country area. Governor Greg Abbott says more than 850 people have been evacuated or rescued in the last 36 hours. A number of them airlifted to safety. Joining us now is Carl Jeter, who helped to rescue a woman who'd been swept away by floodwaters.

Carl, appreciate you joining us this hour.

It is such a remarkable story. If you could walk us through it, you hear some screaming, and ultimately you walked out to see a woman in a tree. Walk us through what happened next.

CARL JETER, RESCUED WOMAN FROM TEXAS FLOOD: We had stepped away from the house a little bit because it was flooding. It almost went in our house. We're high in the air. We're 25 feet above the ground. And we - when I figured out that the floodwaters had quit rising and were beginning to recede, I waded over and went up on my deck, which is behind me.

And, Devin (ph) saw me, and she began to scream. I thought somebody - well, I thought she was in the water. I didn't know that she was in a tree, but as it turned out, I finally spotted her in the tree and I began to yell back across to her that, hi, I see you. I'm going to get help. Hang tight. We're going to make sure we get you out of there.

And - so then it was just a matter of trying to get authorities and what have you here to ...

HILL: Which I understand, it's ...

JETER: ... help get her out of the tree.

HILL: Yes, not easy to get those first responders, the rescue folks, to the area. Although you did manage to do so.

JETER: No, I called - yes, I called 911, and after about 30 minutes, they hadn't responded. I got in my vehicle and went over just down the road a piece where I knew there were going to be authorities there (INAUDIBLE) I flagged down a DPS officer and told him what was going on. And he then got on the radio, and eventually we got some folks over here. And they sent a swift water team. They said they couldn't get the helicopter in the air because it was still raining.

And so, they sent a swift water boat over, and we helped them put the boat in the water. It was difficult to get in there, but we finally got it in. And they were able to go over and secure a life vest on her, and then she had to drop out of the tree into the boat and then brought her back over to dry land and we got blanket and towels ...

HILL: Yes. And you actually brought her - yes, I understand that you and your family, you brought her into your home, you know, where she had little ...

JETER: We did.

HILL: ... time to recover, of course, before you brought her to the hospital. She told you, it's my understanding, a really remarkable and heart wrenching story about how she ended up there in that tree near your house. She had come from some 20 miles away and was separated from her family. Is that correct?

JETER: Yes. We don't know for sure how far she traveled, but I mean it was many miles down the river in debris with, she said there were RVs passing her, you know, in the water. There was trees, debris, refrigerators, just any number of things that were floating, you know, not floating, but raging down the river with her.

They had been camping on the river down in - above Ingram and they'd gotten there the night before, and they said they woke up, got in the car, were kind of resting, and they finally saw the tent going away, and they tried to drive out at that point. It was too late. The floodwaters swept them, so she said they pulled themselves from the - through the sunroof on the car and entered the water. They were all three together to start with, but they soon were separated. And said she went over four dams to get here, and ...

HILL: Wow.

JETER: ... she went under a road in town, Sidney Baker (ph), we call it. It's - sorry, the mosquitoes are bad. And she could see cars going by, and she was hollering and screaming, and, you know, obviously no one saw her, and that was another - that's another 10 miles down the river from that point, so. She's - I mean, somehow she garnered the strength to grab onto that tree and pull herself up into it.

[18:50:03]

I don't know how she did it, because she was in the water at that point for some four hours, treading water and ...

HILL: Yes.

JETER: ... she was beat up, scarred up, you know, and she's still in the hospital right now (INAUDIBLE) ...

HILL: Have you ...

JETER: She was at our house for about three hours before a family member came and got her.

HILL: Mm-hmm. You mentioned she's still in the hospital.

JETER: They took her.

HILL: Have you been in touch with her since she left your home?

JETER: Well, not her. I've spoken with family.

HILL: Okay.

JETER: And ...

HILL: It is ...

JETER: Yes.

HILL: ... nothing short of miraculous, the story, and what a moment that you heard her.

JETER: I mean, it's a true miracle. There's no explanation, but the hand of God had his hand on her to - in order for this to occur. There's no way. It couldn't happen any other way. I'm sorry. I - we've been on the river for a long time, and it's - that's not something that is survivable.

HILL: Yes. And what was it like - I mean, just - you know, you mentioned ...

JETER: But she did.

HILL: She did, and thanks to some help from you as well.

JETER: Yes.

HILL: Let's not discount the fact that like - the fact that you heard that scream and turned around and saw her in that tree and were able to get the help out there. Before I let you go, you mentioned that the flooding had receded a little bit where you were. You were able to get your car to go get help. What is the devastation like in your area, in your - to your home, to your neighborhood?

JETER: Well, our house is built up on stilts. It's high in the air. We were very fortunate that we didn't get water interior of the living area, you know, but we had just - I have several inches of mud and muck everywhere, branches. There's trees down all over the place. It's, yes, it's quite a mess.

HILL: Yes. Carl, I so appreciate taking the time to join us and to share your story with us, and I hope that Devin (ph) comes out of this okay. She's very fortunate to have had you there and that you heard her cries. Thank you.

JETER: Okay. Yes. Well, her family's here. They're wanting to talk to me, so I'm going to ...

HILL: Yes.

JETER: ... I'm going to go with them.

HILL: Absolutely. Thank you again for taking the time to join us, Carl.

JETER: Okay, bye.

HILL: As we continue our coverage now of the flooding, Courtney Friedman, with our affiliate KSAT, spoke with local residents evacuating in Kerrville, Texas, for more of their stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COURTNEY FRIEDMAN, KSAT (voiceover): A terrifying 5 A.M. wake-up call for Jonathan Meyer (ph) and his daughter Isla (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MEYER: The upper headwaters were rising. City officials did a great job of letting people know along the river what was coming down the lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (voiceover): Their house is directly across the street from the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, and they said the water made it up three of their front steps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEYER: It was definitely shocking to see it get that high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (voiceover): As for Isla (ph), she was at Vista Camp and Hunt two weeks ago, but never expected to see remnants of that camp 20 miles down the river where she lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (off camera): One of your canoes, it said your camp's name on that.

ISLA: Well, it said our - like our tribe. We have, like, a tribe, and it showed Zeus (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (voiceover): It was just one of many things they've seen in the river.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (on camera): And we're getting a view of how fast that water was moving, taking out massive trees, ripping the bark off, and not even just breaking them in half, but bending over. You can see how fast the water is moving now. It must have been moving so much faster before, and this is how high up it was. Up to this tree, broke this tree, trapped this inner tube, and left debris like a camping chair and a hat behind.

HANNAH JOHNSON: I wanted to cry when we drove over the bridge. I was like, this is horrible, so bad. We've never seen it this bad before. We've had flooding not to this extent. It's a catastrophe and it's horrible.

JARED JOHNSON: And we've heard that this is worse than the flood in, I think, '87 or so.

H JOHNSON: Eight-seven.

J JOHNSON: This is worse than that one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDMAN (voiceover): Jared and Hannah Johnson (ph) were supposed to host a July 4th party, but their house had flooding. Still, they're grateful to have their lives. They and Meyer both have the same thing in mind, helping however they can.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEYER: Help's going to be needed in the coming days, you know, on the cleanup and picking up and recovery and things. So, you know ...

FRIEDMAN (on camera): So, you'll be ready for that part.

MEYER: We're ready for that, and anybody that wants to come and help and volunteer their time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: And our thanks again. We are waiting at this hour from an update. We're expecting an update from Texas officials just a short time from now. So, stay with us. We're going to fit in a quick break here before that happens, we'll bring it to you live. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:24]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

HILL: Thanks for joining me. Let's take you straight now. We are getting an update from local officials in Texas. Let's listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Kerr County sheriff. How we're going to run this, I'm going to talk a little bit, and then the city manager talk, we're going to take very few questions. Starting tomorrow, we're going to do 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. tomorrow for you all. We're doing the best we can to get you as much information as fast as we can.

As I tell you today, and I expect tomorrow and the next couple of days, information is changing rapidly and quickly.

[19:00:01]

Got a few notes here. We continue to have hundreds of first responders on the ground, water, in this search and rescue process. We - rescue process.