1987 Comfort flood
 Photo of the flooding in the Guadalupe river on July 17. | |
| Cause | Training effect of slow-moving thunderstorms triggered by a mid-level low interacting with a cold front and massive amount of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. |
|---|---|
| Meteorological history | |
| Duration | July 16-17, 1987 |
| Flood | |
| Maximum rainfall | 11.50 inches (292.1 mm) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Missing | 33 |
| Areas affected | Texas Hill Country, Central Texas |
The 1987 Comfort flood, known by the National Weather Service as the 1987 Guadalupe River Flood, was a major flood that occurred along the Guadalupe River in the U.S. state of Texas. The flooding, which took place from July 16 to July 17 of that year, killed ten people and left 33 others missing.
Meteorological synopsis
[edit]During the evening hours of July 16 and 17, severe thunderstorms began developing and slowly moved eastward through the Hill Country. Heavy rainfall occurred as a training effect started as a result of storms following one another. This was started by a mid-level low interacting with a weak cold front to the north and tremendous amount of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.[1]
Impacts and casualties
[edit]Before the floods, over 300 children from several churches attended a church camp at the Pot O' Gold Ranch, located about 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Comfort, Texas. On July 17, the camp was planning to conclude on that day when the floods hit.[2]
At around 2 a.m. CDT, officers were notified to the camp and again four hours later of flood wave coming down the Guadalupe River and to not try and cross the river. Around 7:45 a.m., a caravan of buses and a van left the camp.[2] The buses and van encountered a flooded low water crossing on the Guadalupe River just outside the camp gate and decided to turn away and try an alternate route. While the first buses manage to escape, the rapidly rising water from the river caused the water to overflow, and the backwash from the convoy caused the last bus to stall and a van behind it to be left stranded.[2]
An attempt was made to evacuate the children off the bus and van, however as they were wading back to dry ground, a huge flood wave crashed upon the campers, with forward speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).[3] The campers and adults attempted to reach dry ground through a human chain, but the rushing water scattered them. Thirty-nine teenagers and four adults were swept into the flood waters. Ten of the teenagers tragically drowned. The remaining 33 children and adults survived as a result of a series of rescues, including dramatic helicopter rescues of several clinging to tree tops, conducted by Texas Department of Public Safety, the US Army's 507th Medical Division, and a local television news station from San Antonio, Texas.[2][4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "1987 Guadalupe River Flood". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ a b c d US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "1987 Guadalupe River Flood". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ Jones, Erin (2025-07-07). "1987 Texas flood survivors reflect on nearly 40 years of loss, faith and hope amid tragedy - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ Garcia-Buckalew, Bob (2025-07-04). "Remembering the 1987 Guadalupe River flash flood that killed 10 after raging through a Hill Country summer camp". kvue.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2025-07-25.