The rivers etching the terrain are a beloved feature of the rapidly growing region. But last week’s flooding was an agonizing reminder of the dangers they pose.

In what experts call "Flash Flood Alley," the terrain reacts quickly to rainfall steep slopes, rocky ground, and narrow riverbeds leave little time for warning.

At Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp in Hunt, Texas, where officials are grieving the loss of 27 children and counselors, belongings of the young campers were strewn about the flooded floors of a dormitory, while other items, including a pink backpack and a Camp Mystic T-shirt, were found along the bloated Guadalupe River, photos show.

Dozens of people have died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, leading to deadly and "catastrophic" flooding.

Several girls who went missing after the floods were in the low-lying cabins on the “Flats,” where junior and intermediate campers live, less than 500 feet from the river bank. Senior campers stay in the nine cabins farther from the river, in a section of the camp called “Senior Hill.”

Conspiracies and questions are growing over the role of cloud seeding in the deadly Texas flash floods. We break down the science behind its use in the state. NBC News Coast Guard air crews hoisted people from flooded RV rooftops to escape fast-rising floodwaters in Kerrville.

The deadly floods that struck Texas on the Fourth of July caught local officials off guard as the torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to overflow in minutes.

Ten children remain missing from Camp Mystic, a Christian girl’s camp on the Guadalupe River, which rose more than eight metres in less than an hour on Thursday. Several towns have been devastated by the severe floods, with 850 people evacuated from the area.