“You’ll never find them. I’ve already talked to ranchers about what to look for in their areas that were flooded… long term,” he said.
It’s been one week since search-and-rescue efforts began in Kerr County after the devasting Fourth of July floods.
Those efforts have since transitioned into a search-and-recover mission.
One man whose job is to find the missing has come to the Hill Country to help.
Don White is a deputy with the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, near the Rio Grande Valley. When the searches for the missing began, he decided to bring his experience and skills to Kerr County.
“I search almost every day in Brooks County for the missing migrants,” White said.
“I was also a recovery diver for 21 years, so there’s about 150 water recoveries, including after the Wimberly flood,” White said.
White arrived in Kerr County on Saturday and says the devastation he has witnessed has been incredible, with debris piles 30 feet up in the trees, along with rough terrain to search.
“There really is no place to walk on the banks, so you’re sliding up and down, you’re holding branches to keep out of the water, and sometimes you’re walking in the water,” he said.
By his side has been his companion and cadaver dog, Socks. Together, he said they have searched to the point of exhaustion.
“You’re run down—Socks has been at it five days. She’s tired. She doesn’t want to search. All she wants to do is play stick and eat jerky,” White said.
Through their exhaustion, they trek on, hoping to provide closure to families.
“When they find their loved one, it’s a little bit of closure, but it’s only a little bit. The immense hurt and grief is still there,” White said.
White didn’t want to say how many recoveries he and Socks have made, but he says there have been a few, understanding that for some, closure may never come.
“Yeah, there’ll be people that will never be recovered, you’ll never find them. I’ve already talked to ranchers about what to look for in their areas that were flooded… long term,” White said.
As a community, Kerr County is now forced to face that reality. White says many, including search-and-rescuers, are taking a deep breath and letting the emotion and hurt out.
“It’s tough work. Keep your head up. If you need to reach out, reach out,” he said.