At least 110 people are confirmed dead and more than 160 people remain unaccounted for, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Flash floods surged through in the middle of the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.

The death toll in Kerr County crept up to 87 on Tuesday as search and rescue efforts continued in flood-ravaged central Texas, according to officials in the county worst hit by the disaster, which ha...