“I couldn’t see, I had little to no visibility at all, so essentially I was just feeling all around throughout the river with my hands,” said one diver.
KERR COUNTY, Texas — As search and recovery operations continue in Kerr County, divers are playing an important role in operations.
But rescue teams say more are needed.
Eric Herr, vice president with Search & Support San Antonio, has been utilizing his skills as a diver to search the Guadalupe River for those who got caught in the floods when it rose to historic levels the morning of July Fourth.
“We do need divers to come out. I was diving in the river today for about two hours,” said Herr.
He said divers are playing an increasingly pivotal role in search efforts, as more than 160 individuals remain unaccounted for.
But unfortunately, he adds, because of the amount of debris in the waters, some may become trapped in those hazards.
“People actually have to dive down into the water to go down to look for them.”
Herr says divers follow the lead of cadaver dogs, who can pick up on the scent of human remains in the waters and alert searchers.
Another rescue team we spoke with explained how their dive team searches the waters once cadaver dogs alert them of a scent.
“He’ll drop a block with a rope tied to it, and just start doing a circular pattern, until he finds anything,” said Brian Chrisenberry, crisis response operator with Heroes for Humanity.
While Herr says Thursday’s dive didn’t yield any discoveries, Herr says they still have to look, because it will take some time for the water levels to recede where debris can be visible.
Adding to the challenges of water searches is the amount of debris that remains in the rivers.
“I couldn’t see, I had little to no visibility at all,” Herr said. “Essentially I was just feeling all around throughout the river with my hands.”
As search crews comb through piles of debris and search the river, finding bodies of the missing, Herr says the emotional stress for those helping can be overwhelming.
Herr has a military background as a fatality manager with the U.S. Army and has been through similar missions. But he says others may not recover mentally as easily.
“For somebody that doesn’t have those types of experiences, they could get PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, so it’s one of those things that could very well effect them for years to come.”
If you have diving experience and would like to help, you can contact Search & Support San Antonio, and they will connect you with the proper resources.