River cleanup begins

Work crews from DRC Recovery Services Wednesday began the arduous task of removing tons of debris from along the Guadalupe River.

Kendall County officials addressed the timeline and priorities of cleaning up after the devastating July 4 Guadalupe River flooding during a press conference Tuesday, advising landowners on how to begin removal of debris from their properties.

“Cleanup operations will begin Wednesday and are expected to continue for 8-10 weeks,” County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said.

DRC will begin debris removal in some of the hardest hit areas of the county, nearest the Kerr County line, and start with county right-of-way, which is a priority at this time. Private property cleanup will follow prior to debris in and along the river.

Stolarczyk advised landowners to consider moving debris onto county right- of- way, without blocking roadways and access points, so it can be hauled off by DRC.

“We have received authorization from the Texas Division of Emergency Management to move forward with the cleanup and remediation effort within our community,” the judge said, opening the press conference.

Work crews from DRC, the Metairie, Louisiana firm contracted by TDEM to handle the debris removal, had been in the Boerne area for several days, awaiting word from TDEM to commence their cleanup.

Stolarczyk said the number of bodies found in Kendall County, nine, has not changed in weeks, despite search and recovery crews having completed primary and secondary sweeps of the river in the county.

“At this time, we have no indication that the two missing individuals are located in Kendall County,” he said. Thus, TDEM granted the county the right to proceed with its clean-up.

DRC crews will be working seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. countywide until flood mitigation is complete.

A call center opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday to connect callers with officials who can answer questions about the debris removal process. Property owners with debris on their land can call 830-217-2890 for details.

Landowners seeking debris removal will file ROEs — rights of entry — granting permission to the contractor to access their private property to remove debris, at no cost to the property owner.

The ROE process, Stolarczyk said, is still being finalized; he expects an announcement within 7-10 days that the system is online and ready for use.

Officials said they are not ready to release information about the identification of the nine bodies retrieved, or where they were found, at this time.