While search crews and volunteers pushed ahead with recovering those unaccounted for, communities in the devastated Hill Country region are just beginning to grieve those lost over the July Fourth holiday.

Those photographs of lost toys, books and, especially, garments may be as close as we can come to bearing witness to those suddenly swept away.

An aerial view of damage along the Guadalupe River near Kerrville on July 5, 2025. Heavy rains in the Hill Country on July 4 caused catastrophic flooding and loss of life. Toppled trees and debris surround a sign offering directions to the Central Texas towns of Ingram and Leakey.

The images from Central Texas have been heartbreaking. Homes are underwater, roads are washed out, and families are left with nothing. Here in North Texas, local volunteers are continuing to do everything they can to help. At Guitars & Growlers in Richardson and Flower Mound, donations are piling up.

Zoom in: If kids have not brought the subject up, parents should consider opening the line of communication, Ana Ugueto of Texas Children's Hospital said in a Facebook Live video. It's important to use simple, straightforward language and speak calmly, Ugueto said.

Bleached coral is visible Sept. 16, 2023, at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Galveston, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. Read through the obituaries published today in Omaha World-Herald.

It's springtime in Texas! So grab your camera and embrace the tradition of all Texans getting their photo taken amid the blue sea of flowers.