Texas’ governor signed a disaster declaration and state authorities said more resources would be coming to Kerr County to assist in search efforts.
KERRVILLE, Texas — Texas officials are mounting an expansive search and rescue operation in the wake of sudden, deadly flooding that struck the Hill Country early Friday, leaving at least 24 dead and more than 20 others missing from a children’s camp.
Governor Greg Abbott signed a state disaster declaration for 15 counties, including Kerr, Bandera, Comal and Llano, and vowed to deploy “every tool, strategy and asset” to aid local communities. Texas law enforcement leaders said search and rescue teams, helicopters, boats and high-water vehicles would operate around the clock in the desperate effort to locate the missing.
“We remain in a search-and-rescue posture right now,” Abbott said during a Friday night press conference in Kerrville. “We will stop at nothing to ensure… that everybody involved in this is going to be fully accounted for.”
Floodwaters rose with astonishing speed before dawn Friday, catching campers, residents and holiday visitors off guard. Officials said the Guadalupe River surged more than 26 feet in under an hour. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed 24 fatalities, but said the total number of missing remains unclear due to the influx of campers and Fourth of July visitors.
Search efforts are focusing west of Kerrville, spanning roughly 30 miles along the Guadalupe River, Leitha said. An urgent priority remains a group of 23 to 25 kids from Camp Mystic who have not yet been located.
Officials emphasized that most other area camps have been accounted for in regards to their campers.
“This was a catastrophic event, a mass casualty event,” said Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin. “Every resource the DPS has is being used here today.”
Martin said that amounted to more than 100 DPS troopers that were in Kerr County by Friday morning and seven rescue helicopters, in addition to the hundreds of other personnel and vehicles deployed to the Hill Country.
PHOTOS: ‘Catastrophic’ flooding in Kerrville, surrounding Hill Country area
Texas National Guard crews, equipped with hoist helicopters and military vehicles, have rescued or evacuated at least 237 people, including 167 by air, according to Major Gen. Thomas Suelzer. Rescue swimmers from Texas Task Force 1 were paired with the National Guard for aerial extractions. Boats from Texas Parks and Wildlife and emergency management teams were also active in the flood zone.
Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick praised the rapid response from city and county officials, recounting how floodwaters overwhelmed the region in less than an hour.
“We will not stop until we find everybody,” Patrick said. “This is not a thoughts and prayers message—this is (a time to) get down on your knees and pray for all these families.”
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the state had pre-positioned resources in the area after receiving initial forecasts of 3 to 6 inches of rain. However, he noted that actual rainfall far exceeded those predictions.
“The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of the forecasts,” Kidd said. “Nonetheless, we have resources that have been surrounding this area since yesterday.”
Campers and residents in low-lying areas were caught off guard in the early morning hours. City officials defended the lack of evacuation orders, noting that the sudden nature of the flood made mass evacuations potentially more dangerous.
“There’s a balance between, do you evacuate and then put chaos onto the road, and potentially risk people getting stuck on a road?” said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. “This is the Hill Country, there’s a lot of low-water crossings. If you spark an evacuation at the wrong time or create an evacuation, you can create a mass panic, get people on the road which could be even more deadly by having vehicles be swept away.”
The public is being urged to avoid traveling to the area unless directly involved in emergency operations or reuniting with a loved one. Officials reported issues with traffic congestion hampering rescue efforts Friday.
Disaster relief information and damage reporting are being coordinated through disaster.texas.gov, where affected residents can report damages and begin the recovery process.
“We will not stop,” said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. “We will rescue those in peril. We will find those who are missing. And we will not stop.”
While local and state leaders continue to coordinate efforts, the federal government has also stepped in. Abbott said officials from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of the Interior, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz, have offered support.
“So many people have been swept up into an extraordinary catastrophe,” Abbott said. “It needs God. But it also needs a robust response by the state and local governments, and by people who live in these communities impacted by this.”