'Catastrophic flooding' turns deadly in Texas' Kerr County, some forced to evacuate

Heavy rain has pounded Kerr County, Texas, leading to deadly and "catastrophic" flooding that's forced people to flee their camp sites, officials said.

Up to 10 inches of rain was recorded Friday morning in Kerr County, about 60 miles north of San Antonio, with rainfall rates at one point reaching up to 4 inches per hour. The flooding struck quickly, officials said, and a flash flood emergency has been issued.

The Kerr County Sheriff's Office confirmed fatalities but did not disclose how many. The city of Kerrville also said there are missing persons.

"This came at night, when people were asleep in bed," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said at a news conference, overcome with emotion. "Please pray for our community.”

The Guadalupe River in Kerr County is rising rapidly and has reached its second-highest height on record, surpassing the 1987 flood, the National Weather Service said.

While most residents should avoid traveling, "those near creeks, streams, and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground," the sheriff's office warned.

There are several major camps in the impacted area. Letters obtained by ABC News from multiple campsites report that their campers are safe and accounted for.

At one campground along the Guadalupe River, people filmed videos of themselves evacuating in the middle of the night as they noticed flood water encroaching under their vehicle. Other videos showed cars and cabins submerged.

"I was up all night keeping an eye on weather alerts. 2am there was a river flood warning. The river was a good distance from our site, so we thought we would be fine," one camper, Katie, told ABC News via Instagram. "At about 5:30am, we heard banging on our RV door, yelling for us to get out now. The Guadalupe River had risen rapidly. We got the kids in the truck and were prepared to leave our camper behind if need be. We were able to hook up our camper and get it out too."

"The river was up to the back of our campsite when we left. The river was raging and you could hear trees and objects breaking," she said. "It was a very scary situation, but we are very blessed by the workers at the park for waking people up and getting us out of there. Praying for everyone affected by the flooding."

Dozens of people were rescued Friday morning, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said.

Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, city officials said.