Kerr County officials have confirmed the deaths of 94 people there after the swollen Guadalupe River rolled through the area Friday, sweeping away homes, cars, trailers, cabins, trash dumpsters, storage sheds -- anything in its raging path.
The toll is certain to rise after reports Tuesday placed the number of "confirmed missing" at 161 during a press conference in Hun t, Texas with Gov. Greg Abbott. Thousands of first responders and National Guardsmen continue a search-and-rescue mission that has continued non-stop since the disaster began in the predawn hours Friday.
“It’s a very tough day in Texas,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Saturday in a televised news conference. “We have 14 helicopters, 12 drones nine rescue teams divers in the water, rescuing adults and children out of trees. We have 400 to 500 people on the ground.”
As many as 27 young girls and camp counselors from Camp Mystic in nearby Hunt, Texas, have died, with another 10 unaccounted for, as the search for survivors slowly shifts to recovery mode.
Between nine and 12 inches of rain deluged the area early Friday morning, overloading tributaries that feed into the Guadalupe.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said floodwaters began rising between 4 and 5 a.m., as much as 26 feet in 40 minutes, as the Guadalupe went from a docile 5-foot flow to a raging, violent torrent, exceeding a powerful 166,000 cubic feet per second.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer Christian camp located along the Guadalupe, played host to 750 campers this holiday weekend. The Guadalupe devastated the camp, about 35 miles upstream from Kerrville.
A release read by Patrick came from the camp itself: “We have sustained a catastrophic level of flooding. We have no power, water or Wi-Fi,” he read.
The Guadalupe reached a peak of 34 feet later in the day, an enormous climb from the 4-5 feet seen even just the day before.
“This is an active, evolving emergency and our teams are working around the clock to rescue survivors, reunite families and collect reliable information,” said Clint Morris, Kerr County Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
In a Friday evening press conference, Gov. Greg Abbott committed as many as 1,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of trucks, dozers and other pieces of equipment that were said to be arriving in the Kerrville area on Friday.
Locally, Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk signed a disaster declaration for Kendall County, enabling any and all resources to be put to use in the rescue and aid for people in the flood zones.
A press release Monday from Stolarczyk and the Kendall County Emergency Management Coordinator Brady Constantine confirmed the first of now eight deaths in Kendall County attributed to the storm, details of which are unavailable at this time.
“Rescue and recovery efforts are still ongoing,” Constantine stated in the release.
In Boerne, the city activated its emergency operations center at the Boerne Police Department at 6:37 a.m. Friday. A forward command post set up at theComfort Fire Station. Captain Lyle Mattick and Fire Chief Adam Hawkins assisted as field ops chiefs for the Comfort response zone.
The Boerne Fire Department deployed two swift water rescue teams to Comfort Friday that arrived by 9 a.m., staying until sundown, according to Chris Shadrock, Boerne director of communications.
“These crews successfully rescued nine individuals and assisted with numerous calls to help residents reach higher ground,” Shadrock said.
The Boerne crews were joined by Kendall County EMS, Boerne Fire, Kendall County Sheriff's Office, Boerne Police Department, Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas Game Wardens, Texas DPS and Texas Rangers, all activated to assist.
Two state boat teams from Seguin and Schertz Fire were assigned to Comfort and remained there on Saturday. Additionally, Boerne has two boats teams staged at Boerne Fire and Bergheim Fire, Shadrock said.
He said the Guadalupe River in Comfort reached a maximum height of 34.76 feet, with a flow rate of approximately 166,000 cubic feet per second.
The Boerne Police Department sent six officers to Kerrville to assist the Kerrville Police Department with public safety coverage Friday night, into Saturday morning, he said.
Boerne Fire Chief Manny Casarez was in Kerrville assisting with continued rescue and recovery efforts. Kendall County EMS deployed one EMS unit to assist Kerrville on Friday and they remained there on Saturday.
“At this time, we have not received any reports of Boerne or Kendall County residents with children at Camp Mystic, nor have we been contacted by local families attempting to locate individuals in Kerrville,” Shadrock added.
Boerne City Manager Ben Thatcher has been in direct contact with Kerrville City Manager Rice and has offered resources and assistance as needed. Fire Chief Casarez and Boerne Police Chief Steve Perez have been in contact with the chiefs of Kerrville Police and Fire as well.
In Boerne, several low-water crossings experienced minor flooding and were temporarily closed, including Rosewood, Theissen and James Street crossings.
“We continue to monitor the forecast and are prepared to respond if additional closures are needed due to overnight rain,” he said.
Additionally, Boerne City Lake was closed Friday afternoon and Saturday. “With more rain in the forecast this weekend, the safety of our residents and visitors remains our top priority,” he added.
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