Officials said officers evacuated over 100 homes and rescued over 200 people in the first hour on Friday.
SAN ANTONIO — Hundreds of people were rescued in the deadly flood that devastated Hill Country on July 4. Many towns were hit by the high waters especially Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt.
In Kerrville the Fourth of July typically brings chaotic excitement as the community prepares for their annual concert and festival, but this year was very different.
Kerrville Police Sergeant Jonathan Lamb described what several of his fellow officers went through, including some of the rescues and evacuations that occurred during the first few hours early Friday morning.
Serving, protecting and helping
Lamb said one of their patrol sergeants, whom lives in Hunt, woke up to the chaos on the Fourth of July. The officer realized he was trapped as he hit the intersection at FM 1340 and Highway 39.
Lamb said Highway 39 and the Guadalupe River crisscross for miles and those low water crossings create islands – trapping people in homes and vehicles, which is exactly what happened to residents.
When the officer turned back around he discovered he was not alone.
“He saw people, dozens of people trapped on roofs, he saw people trapped in swift-moving water. He gave them encouragement over his public address system in his vehicle. He told them to be strong that he would get to them as quickly as he could,” Lamb said.
The patrol sergeant knew he needed help and told another detective to grab their gear because “it was bad.”
For the next 13 hours, those two officers along with some Hunt volunteer firefighters and an emergency room doctor provided care to the Hunt community.
They also waded into high waters to rescue people, bringing them to a local school for safety. Lamb mentioned that a young boy they had rescued had suffered a serious injury to his leg and was treated throughout the day.
The two officer also coordinated helicopter operations for most of their critically injured and communicated the situation back to headquarters.
When the water receded, the duo cleared out the big pieces of debris to make a path for emergency vehicles.
“They were by themselves on that island that was Hunt, Texas doing what they do, serving, protecting and helping,” Lamb said.
The officers continued as a two-man team until around 5 p.m. when other emergency personnel were able to join in the efforts.
Rescued over 200 people
Back in Kerrville, officers realized that areas of town that “traditionally don’t flood” were going to flood, so they quickly jumped into action.
“In that first hour they evacuated over 100 homes and evacuated and rescued over 200 people,” Lamb said.
Many of the officers went door-to-door waking people up and convincing them to leave their homes and personal belongings.
Lamb said the officers found themselves rescuing people from roofs, vehicles, and homes.
Carrying them to safety
Then not that far away, a local trailer park flooded in minutes with only one officer in the area, so he did what he could.
The officer immediately turned on his siren while going up and down the streets, which were beginning to flood. He also called on his PA system and told people they needed to wake up and evacuate the area.
Eventually two other officers were able to join him.
The trio then waded through thigh-deep to chest-deep waters going to each RV and trailer, rescuing people and carrying them to safety.
A few miles out of town on Old FM 689, two people were seen trapped in the water, clinging to a tree.
Two police officers were initially called to the scene when a third officer joined them. The officers had to think on their feet, figuring out how to rescue the duo in the tree.
Their solution: two of the officers wrapped a nearby garden hose around their waists while the other officer acted as an anchor – holding on to them despite the rushing waters.
Lamb said they were able to safely rescue and evacuate the couple.
Texans helping Texans
And since the start of the floods it’s been an all hands-on deck situation with officers working around the clock.
“Our officers have been working without time off, without any downtime. 16, 18, 20 hour shifts without complaint,” Lamb said.
Tuesday, July 8, was the first time Kerrville PD had the extra resources to give a couple of officers some much-needed downtime. Lamb said they sent one of those officers home to rest and instead of using that “well-deserved day off” he joined the ground search party,
“He spent his day up and down the Guadalupe River going over, under, around trees searching for victims to try and reunite the missing with their families,” Lamb said.
“I think that is Texans helping Texans in the greatest sense of the word. That’s what community is and that’s what important right now.”
Could have been so much worse
Six days after the waters of the Guadalupe River rose and overwhelmed much of Kerr Country on July Fourth, search and recovery efforts continue as the community picks up the pieces of one of the state’s worst natural disasters in years.
Crews have recovered 95 bodies so far, at least 36 of whom are children, Kerr County officials said at a news conference Wednesday morning. Officials said 161 people remain missing in the floods.
Kendall County officials also said Wednesday the death toll in that county is up to nine people.
Lamb said it was also important to notify authorities if a previously reported missing person is found safe. Authorities can be contacted at kerrvillemissing.dps.texas.gov or by calling 830-258-1111.
“We are actively looking, actively working to ensure we have an accurate count so we know who to look for,” Lamb said.
Officials also ask the public to steer clear of the area in order to give the first responders space to conduct their searches.
“This operation is ongoing and continuous. Our first responders are trying to get to places to do their jobs and people here from outside the community and people within the community want to go sight-seeing, look at the river, see the flood damage it’s making our job very hard. We ask folks to give us room to work,” Lamb said.
Lamb said despite the tragedy of the Texas floods, the police department did what they could when disaster struck.
“I don’t know how many lives our KPD saved in an hour in Kerrville, but I know this tragedy, as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse.”