Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk signed a disaster declaration Friday for Kendall County, as the county recorded its first death attributed to the storm and raginng waters that swept through the Comfort area.
A press release this morning from Stolarczyk and the Kendall County Emergency Management Coordinator Brady Constantine confirmed one death in Kendall County attributed to the storm, details of which are unavailable at this time.
“We are saddened to report that one fatality has been confirmed at this point in Kendall County," Constantine stated in the release. "Rescue and recovery efforts are still ongoing. As of daybreak today, operations have resumed by air, boat and ground.”
In Boerne, the city activated its emergency operations center at the Boerne Police Department at 6:55 a.m. Friday. A forward command post set up at Comfort Fire. 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.
Today, Boerne Fire Chief Manny Casarez is 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 the 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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