Frantic searches were underway for people who were missing in Central Texas after heavy rain set off deadly flooding along the Guadalupe River on Friday, authorities said.

A summer camp for girls along the river in Hunt, Texas, told parents on Friday morning that not all of its campers were accounted for after “catastrophic” flooding overnight.

In nearby Kerrville, some people huddled inside a church’s activity center, and others looked distraught, shivering under blankets.

Authorities in Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio, said that people had died in the flooding, though they declined to say how many or disclose further details until the victims’ relatives could be notified.

“The entire county is an extremely active scene,” the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Residents are encouraged to shelter in place and not attempt travel. Those near creeks, streams and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground.”

The scope of the disaster was not immediately clear, but Texans on Friday were bracing for the worst. Camp Mystic, which has multiple campsites along the river, said it was working with search and rescue teams, but was struggling to get more help to campers since the nearby highway had washed away.

Source: National Weather Service Notes:  Values are in inches of water or the equivalent amount of melted snow and ice. By Bea Malsky and Martín González Gómez

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