Eight-year-old girls at sleep-away camp, some for the first time. Out-of-town families spanning generations, crammed into recreational vehicles to relax by a river in the Hill Country of Texas. Local residents, traveling to or from work, or simply sleeping at home.

In the predawn inkiness of Independence Day, the rains came, and the waters rose. And rose. And rose. As of Wednesday, at least 136 people had died from the Guadalupe River pouring over its banks. Many perished in the dark, in raging floodwaters, as they were swept out of cars, cabins, houses and trailers. The disaster ranks as one of the deadliest for children in the United States in recent decades.

Among the dead: at least two dozen girls and staff members at a storied Christian summer camp, a 23-year-old police officer and his parents camping in their R.V., a 62-year-old woman driving to her job at Walmart.

A handful of people also still remained missing as of Saturday, officials said.

Stories are emerging about some of the victims, as identified by The New York Times through interviews with families, school officials, church leaders and official statements and obituaries.

The Times will continue to update this page with glimpses into the lives of the victims of the Texas floods.

People have long come to the Hill Country to boat and fly fish in tranquil waters teeming with largemouth bass and catfish, and hike rugged terrain with views of limestone canyons that are surrounded by wildflowers and cypress and pecan trees. Visitors browse antique shops and wineries, or check out a century-old rodeo, and look for gray foxes, armadillos and white-tailed deer. This bucolic region is also known as Flash Flood Alley.

Dr. Scott was a chiropractor who owned a clinic in Andrews, Texas, and provided outstanding care for his community, the Texas Chiropractic Association said in a statement. He loved his work and his patients and considered most of them family, his obituary said. Dr. Scott was also involved in his church with men’s Bible study, Sunday school and mission trips to Mexico. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping, too. “There was nothing he would not do for the people he loved,” his family said.

The Jeffreys’ granddaughter Madelyn, called Emmy by the family, was staying with the Jeffreys in their cabin in Hunt. “She was a firecracker filled with tons of love and passion,” her mother, Alicia Jeffrey Baker, said in a statement posted on a GoFundMe site for the family.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey, Vanderbilt alums, spent years volunteering as court-appointed special advocates on behalf of child victims of abuse and neglect, said Yolanda Valenzuela, their supervisor at CASA San Antonio. “They were the voice for the voiceless,” she said, noting that the Jeffreys took the hardest cases that no one else wanted.

Cody and Michelle Crossland were camping by the Guadalupe River with the Ramos family when the floodwaters swept the six-person group away, said Travis Reynolds, Mr. Crossland’s brother. Known as Shellie, Ms. Crossland was “always so, so encouraging and kind and loving, and just a fun, loud personality to be around,” Mr. Reynolds said. Mr. Crossland, a musician who played in a band with Joel Ramos, was his hero. “He was the person that I looked to for everything in my life, music-wise and elsewhere,” Mr. Reynolds said.

Robert Brake, Sr. and Joni Brake should be “remembered for their love, faith, and service to others,” Robert Brake, Jr., their son, said in a statement. He added that his father “taught us to love people, to help when we could, and to never take one another for granted.” The senior Mr. Brake was an Air Force veteran and Ms. Brake was a registered nurse who worked on an Air Force base. The Fourth of July had been one of their favorite holidays, their grandson, Ryen, said.

The Burgesses were camping with their young sons, while their daughter was at a nearby camp. Mr. Burgess was a financial adviser, Ms. Burgess an elementary school teacher. In a statement, the Liberty ISD Education Foundation, where Ms. Burgess had worked since 2019, saluted “her bubbly personality, radiant smile and deep love for her students.” Their daughter is safe.

Ms. Ramsey, who was from Lewisville, northwest of Dallas, was camping in her R.V. Her younger brother, Eric Steele, said that as a teenager, she would take him to work with her to keep an eye on him. “She was always there for me, whether I was a brat or not.” He added that she had survived a bout with breast cancer about a year ago.

Ms. Crawford was outgoing, quirky and entertaining, her husband, Dan Crawford, said. She was a devoted mother to her son and daughter, often volunteering for their school events. “She was larger than life and involved in everything,” Mr. Crawford said. “Her not being there anymore still hasn’t sunk in.”

Mr. and Ms.