At least 59 people were killed by the flooding in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said. At least 11 additional deaths were confirmed in surrounding counties, pushing the storm's overall toll to at least 70. That surpassed the estimated 68 deaths directly caused by Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas in 2017.

Catastrophic flooding in Central Texas has prompted rescue and recovery efforts for an unknown number of people, including families in the Houston area.

Rescuers are combing through a ravaged Texas Hill Country terrain, marked by toppled trees, overturned vehicles and debris, to find survivors in Friday’s flood. Kerr County officials are expected to give an update at 10 a.