NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, July 7, 2025

Episode Date: July 8, 2025

Death toll rises to at least 104 in catastrophic Texas flooding; Questions and calls for accountability grow in Texas after deadly floods; White House extends deadline for tougher tariffs; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, on the ground from the Texas Hill Country, as the waters recede and the death toll now exceeds 100 lives lost, rivers all over central Texas rose and rose, so much death and destruction downstream. One river rising 32 feet in just 90 minutes, unleashing a force like a massive dam burst. The sheer force of destruction immense. The new video coming in of rescues off of rooftops as stories of survivors awakened to their homes filled with waters emerge but so many not so lucky. I just remember holding him so he would get swept to the flood. His last words to me

was mama I love you. And asleep along the riverbanks, various camps for kids, hundreds made it out, but dozens did not. Tonight, 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic alone among the dead and missing, two girls found together 15 miles downstream were on the riverbanks as rescues continued,onders seen the unthinkable and combing miles of giant knots of trees, cars and homes. Plus, the urgent rescues as tropical depression, Chantal spins up reported tornadoes and lays waste to North Carolina.

The large immigration operation in LA descending on a popular park there. The president threatens massive tariffs against some of America's closest trading partners including Japan and South Korea and through hell and high water How our correspondents family helped with others of this flood and out of the waters and the flashback to the one day survived? nearly 40 years ago This is NBC nightly news with Tom Yamas reporting tonight from Kerrville, Texas. And good evening. We come on the air tonight from Texas's Hill Country.

Just below us is the Guadalupe River and you can see the destruction it carved out in parts of central Texas. Down there is where the river stands tonight and we wanted to show you how high it rose, more than 30 feet, even higher from where we are broadcasting live tonight, wiping out everything in its way. And today we were with rescuers digging into mangled cars, caked in mud along riverbanks,

crews setting out on air boats and diving into the river, all trying to find signs of life. Survivors trapped, airlifted from their homes to safety. You see it right here. The destruction immense. You can see bridges wiped out completely. And new videos showing the quick rise of the nearby Llano River.

This in under an hour. Look at that water rise. Camp Mystic grieving the loss, and this is hard to say, of 27 campers and counselors. You can see the heartbreaking images, the high water line inside the cabins where children slept. Muddy mattresses, stuffed animals and trunks all left behind. With so many holding out hope, more will be found alive.

Tonight, battling the heat, mud and misery, they're looking for any signs of life. Search and rescue teams on the Guadalupe River furiously combing through massive mountains of debris. We're in the middle of the river right now and just behind me you can see why this search and recovery is so complicated. There are mounds of this mangled steel and tree branches and tree trunks. This team is trying to figure out a way inside to see what, if anything, or anyone is still trapped. An all out search for survivors by water, air, and horseback.

All over this area, you see homes and trailers and RVs with this giant orange X. It means they've been searched. We hope whoever lived in here got out because you can see what the River Water did to this flipping this entire RV over destroying everything inside. Volunteer firefighter Wyatt Kelly has been at this for days. What kind of things you see out here.

Unthinkable things I this things that no one ever thought they've seen in their lifetime. So many people were in their beds fast asleep when the floodwaters began to rapidly rise early on the 4th of July the catastrophic flooding killing at least 104 people in 6 counties, including Julian Ryan who was with his mother kids and wife Christina in their trailer home as the water began to rise.

My husband started panicking has there is no way for us to get out. There was no way for us to get up. And so he tried to bust out the window and slice his arm almost off. Christina says he quickly began to bleed out. What do you remember? I'm so sorry. You had to see your son go through that.

I just remember holding him so he would get swept in the flood. But going everywhere. His last words to me. Was mama, I love you. And you make sure you tell everybody else I love you. Love them. Tragedy also playing

out at Camp Mysticic which has 27 of its campers and counselors are among the dead and missing. Hallie Thompson's 10 year-old daughter somehow managed to escape from her cabin. My daughter grabbed onto a tree. And grabbed the hand of her friend and put it on the tree. And so one by one those girls came out and found anything they could cling to

Hallie and four other family members were nearby. Their cabin was also surrounded by water. She says their neighbors saved their lives. Feels wrong or strange to feel how grateful that I am that we're all alive while we are still waiting for word about friends daughters and while we have received word of friends daughters. And you've died. Lila Bonner Sarah Marsh, Janey hunt

Eloise pack and twins Hannah and Rebecca Lawrence just some of the young campers whose lives were cut tragically short. Kellyanne let all is still missing. Her dad posting this video of her solo at a Christmas pageant asking prayers for a miracle. You can see the floods devastating toll on the century-old all girls camp in these images look at how high the water came into the cabin the flood's devastating toll on this century-old all-girls camp in these images. Look at how high the water came into the cabin.

The flood water's tossing muddy mattresses from bunk beds. This pink trunk with the name L flipped on its side. A stuffed animal left behind. You want to pass it on. A camp nurse posting this haunting video of some of the little girls singing as they evacuated. The 4th of July holiday brought many families to the cabins that dot the river's edge. We don't know everybody who was here. So we don't know everybody who's missing.

Could be even worse you're saying? Yeah, it will be worse. Because we don't know everybody who's missing. this could be the worst thing. Because we don't know everybody who's missing. Joe Herring junior is the mayor of curville. I'm sad to say I didn't know. If there was any way on God's greener that we could have warned people we would have done. 13 year-old Blair Harbor and 11 year-old sister Brooke were there spending the holiday in a cabin with their parents

and grandparents. Their bodies were found 15 miles down the river together. Their school wrote a, quote, powerful symbol of their lasting bond. Their parents survived, but their grandparents are still missing. Amid the heartbreaking loss of life, there are also remarkable stories of survival. After this woman was swept 20 miles down the river,

she clung to a tree for hours until rescuers and boats were able to come and save her. In Hunt, Texas, Diana Smith says she woke up to find her house surrounded by water. Open the front door and it sweeps both my dogs different directions and I'm panicking thinking now what the hell am I going to do? She says she called 911 but no one came.

I said a prayer when I was standing on my porch. Both my parents are deceased and I said mom, dad, God, help. She managed to jump into a kayak with her dogs paddling to safety. 11 year old Kaylin Kubina was at Camp Lahunta six miles from Camp Mystic. We looked outside and we just saw like an ocean out there. It's just like completely destroying everything. There's people in it. There's so many people in it. This cabin appeared to float away in the flood waters. Still, the camp says everyone was able to evacuate to safety. We saw like a whole cabin just floating down and that's when we knew like things were getting

actually real out there. Like we were starting to realize that this was a real natural disaster crisis. We were with the Alvarado family as the reality set in. Their two daughters were in this RV when the river surrounded them. These are the images of what they saw outside of their windows. We couldn't see through the water, but we could see the currents moving and it just kept going. There was no end to it. Their dad came to their rescue along with a neighbor, pulling the girls to safety. Brooke, the oldest of the two, looking down at the river and realizing

how some girls just like her weren't as lucky. When you guys heard about all the people that didn't make it, I mean, what was that like? I mean, to know that you were right here. It hurt. It just sucks that a lot of people just lost their lives, but it's really good to hear about the people that are you now and stuff. So many stories just like that all along this river and as you

heard the mayor say there so many were taken by surprise the question tonight why and what could have been done to prevent so many lives lost Ryan Chandler is also in Kerrville tonight along the Guadalupe River banks and Ryan the river that everybody loved turned deadly so quickly what are you hearing from residents on just how fast this turn for the worst. Yeah, Tom one woman here told me his latest Thursday evening

with flood watches in effect people were getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July at the park along this river. Just hours later, it would be completely underwater. So many people just had no idea what was coming. Kerrville resident Michelle Pittman had no idea that death and destruction was coming downriver. You know, this was something that happened that. That no one, no one was prepared for as the urgent search continues questions and calls for accountability grow

about how many in this community were caught by such surprise. Rest assured no one knew this kind of flood was coming. Many questioning why neighborhoods and camps along the Guadalupe River were not told to evacuate earlier. Very tough to make those calls, but what we also don't want to do is cry wolf. I can't believe questioning why neighborhoods and camps along the Guadalupe River were not told to evacuate earlier.

Very tough to make those calls because what we also don't want to do is cry wolf. At Camp Mystic, the Texas Lieutenant Governor says campers were awakened only by thunder and lightning, phones not allowed by camp rules. He's now pushing for state lawmakers to fund more outdoor warning sirens. We shouldn't have lightning and thunder waking up kids. We should have those sirens. Need to go back step by step, step by step, and look at what happened and why it happened. The National Weather Service says a flood watch at 1.18 p.m. Thursday was elevated on Friday at 1.14 a.m.

to urgent flash flood warnings for Kerr County, sending emergency alerts to cell phones and weather radios. Then at 4.03 a.m., an upgrade to a flash flood emergency. But for so many, those warnings went unheard. Obviously, most people at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. are asleep. And so I think we will have a reasonable conversation about, A, are there any ways to have earlier detection? Senator Ted Cruz defending the National Weather Service amid concerns of staffing shortages,

saying Congress will act. We did see a lot of people heroically taking kids out of harm's way, but it should have happened earlier. How we make that happen I think is a very reasonable discussion as so many still grieve many questioning how

to prevent the next disaster. Ryan Chandler NBC News, Kerrville, TX. I want to bring in Bill Ker. Ryan Chandler, NBC News, Kerrville, Texas. I want to bring in Bill Kerins now. Bill, it has been nonstop rain here for a lot of the day since the 4th of July. Explain to our viewers how this river rose so fast. Yeah, this was wild.

So we were expecting a flood watch up to seven inches of rain. You could see some areas got up to 20 inches of rain. So this was a huge overachiever. And it was all because of the moisture that was present You can see some areas got up to 20 inches of rain. So this was a huge overachiever. And it was all because of the moisture that was present because Tropical Storm Barry, back on late last Sunday, that moisture snuck northwards and it was sitting over the top of Texas,

a lot more humid area than normal. Then when we finally had something to trigger that, these thunderstorms, and it just kept raining and pouring in the same exact areas. And there was also a huge drought in this area before. So the ground was really hard. So the water came rushing all the way down these mountains in the hill towns and you saw the results, a three-story high wall of water. Yeah, and that's the way survivors describe it,

a wall of water. All right, Bill Kerins, we thank you for that. We wanna turn to politics now and a high stakes meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It comes as the president today shifted his tariff deadline. Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House and gave the administration moving the goalpost, it seems.

Yes, that's right, Tom. President Trump had paused his tariffs until July 9th. That's two days from now. Instead, the White House now says that deadline will be pushed back until August 1st. While the administration keeps trying to negotiate trade deals. President Trump today posted letters he says he's sending to several countries, laying out what their tariff rates will be. For example, 25% for Japan, 40% for Myanmar.

Amid the uncertainty, the Dow Jones dropped more than 400 points this afternoon. Meanwhile, the president tonight is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since the U.S. bombed Iran. There's now a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The president says he thinks a hostage deal could be reached this week, though Hamas has not signed off. Tom? Gabe Gutierrez for us tonight.

Gabe, we thank you. In North Carolina, floodwaters are receding, but the aftermath of tropical depression, Chantal, has been deadly as well. One woman swept away in her car, the storm unleashing heavy rain and causing severe floods, as you can see here, dumping more than

10 inches of rain. First responders conducting more than 100 water rescues so far. And check out these dramatic scenes in Los Angeles as dozens of federal law enforcement and military gathered in MacArthur Park near a largely immigrant neighborhood. According to a defense official, they were there to protect law enforcement during an immigration enforcement operation. The agents were met with protesters and stayed for about an hour.

Los Angeles' mayor, Karen Bass, calling this a quote, political stunt. And when we come back live from Kerrville, Reporter's Journal, our correspondent Morgan Chesky's deep roots in Texas and why it's not the first time his family has weathered tragedy as the Guadalupe River rises. Stay with us. And finally, back here in the disaster zone, one of our own reporters, Morgan Chesky, grew up right here in Kerrville.

His mother and stepfather waking up to rising floodwaters and emergency alerts. His stepfather actually wading in to help families in their own neighborhood. I'll let Morgan pick up the story from there. Really glad to have both y'all here right now. Growing up in Kerrville, Texas, where the waters of the Guadalupe always offered a cool escape, I was excited when my mom Karen and stepdad Michael retired on its banks. We love this river. We love being on the river. We've had grandkids playing this river and it's just been very shocking. Shocking because in the early hours of Friday morning, our beloved river turned into something

else entirely. My mom waking up to a weather alert at 4 a.m. and pounding rain. We could see that the water was about five feet from the street level. I'm beating on the RV. Michael wading through water to alert families and neighboring RVs. I'm telling the rivers out of the bank. Get up, get up. And fortunately they all woke up and we didn't have a loss of life. They got out. My mom in the kitchen when she heard the river roar.

And by the time we left, it was up right about here. My mom telling me the river rose 30 feet in less than an hour. It was then they were forced to evacuate, not knowing what they would return to for Michael coming home brought relief that the house was still there. But it's what he saw next. That'll stay with them. It became real to me when we found the first body Yeah, a young girl and it was just I Just this is froze me. I can

Wrap my mind around it. The entire community is reeling right now. I think We're all stunned and shocked that this happened here. Tonight, with so much tragedy around these waters, my family knows how lucky we are as friends face an unimaginable loss. We're fine. Glad you guys are okay. Thank you, Dave. Thanks for texting me. You're okay. You came here for the view. Now this. Yeah, it's been altered, but I have faith that it will grow back and be as beautiful as it was.

Morgan joins us now. Morgan, you come from some very brave stock bear. This is where you're from. What does this community need right now from the rest of our country? Yeah, Tom, right now, this is a recovery that's going to take years, and it's been incredibly heartening to see all of the supplies that have poured into this community. We hope that can continue going forward. But as of right now, with so many people still missing loved ones, the thing Kerrville needs

most is hope. All right. Morgan Chesky, our thanks to you and to your family as well. of right now with so many people still missing loved ones, the thing Kerrville needs most is hope. All right, Morgan Chesky, our thanks to you and to your family as well. For more ways to help, please go to NBCNews.com to find out what you can do. That's nightly news for this Monday. I'm Tom Yamas reporting from Kerrville, Texas. Thanks so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you.

Good night.