“It’s going to be a long tedious process, and our heart goes out and our love goes out, to all those family members affected.”
KERR COUNTY, Texas — As search and recovery efforts continue in Kerr County, one dive group is now starting to search the Guadalupe River near Canyon Lake.
The dive team is also using a device KENS 5 told you about earlier this week, which uses sonar and AI to search the waters.
The dive team says the recent rains and new floodwaters have pushed debris downstream, and they anticipate finding more people near Canyon Lake.
With a splash of the water, rescue diver Steven Bishop is on a mission that has led him from Dallas to the Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake.
Bishop is helping in the search and recovery of flood victims from the Fourth of July floods in Kerr County.
“So our job has been from the mouth of the river to the lake where it goes upstream. Our job was to clear as many miles as we could,” said Bishop.
While much of the recovery efforts are still focused in Kerr County, Blue Diver Search and Recovery, in partnership with Search & Support San Antonio, has moved their search efforts to the Guadalupe River and Canyon Lake.
Bishop says recent rain have pushed debris further downstream.
“There is going to be a lot of stuff moved downstream. That’s where, unfortunately, the deceased will start coming up,” said Bishop.
Aiding in their search efforts is the AquaEye device, which uses sonar and AI technology to scan the area of a football field in less than a minute, pinpointing the location of a potential victim.
“It’s one of the best tools I’ve seen for this. It can penetrate most of the debris. Most of the debris is floating logs, branches, twigs, trash, so it can penetrate in there and pick up on body tissue based on density,” said Bishop.
Bishop says, apart from the AquaEye device, cadaver dogs are also playing a key role in search efforts.
“The dogs are going to win this war, the cadaver dogs. They’re finding people 25 feet deep under dirt and silt, so it’s going to be a long, tedious process, and our heart goes out and our love goes out to all those family members affected,” said Bishop.
Bishop and his crew say they anticipate search efforts taking months, so to help with the expense, they have started a GoFundMe to help in their mission.
“We completely run off donations, so those are appreciated,” said Bishop.
The dive group also has a second team operating out of Kerr County.
Search & Support San Antonio says they are in need of flat-bottom jon boats.
If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe, you can click here.