The search for those missing in catastrophic Texas floods resumes in some areas after pause for rain

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — With rain in the forecast Monday, officials kept a wary eye on river levels as some crews resumed the search for people still missing after catastrophic flooding pummeled Texas this month, killing at least 132 people.

Search and rescue operations along the Guadalupe River were halted Sunday after a new round of heavy rain led to more high water rescues and prompted fears that waterways could surge again above their banks.

That was the first time search efforts for victims were paused since the July Fourth floods. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County alone, and 10 more in neighboring areas.

‘Trailer after trailer after trailer’ swept away

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Monday during a commissioners’ meeting that it is difficult to determine exactly how many tourists were in the area when the flooding occurred.

“We’ve heard accounts of trailer after trailer after trailer being swept into the river with families in the them. Can’t find the trailers,” Kelly said. “It’s what we don’t know. We don’t know how many of them there are.”

Kelly said he’d been told of one trailer that was found “completely covered in gravel” 27 feet (8.2 meters) below the surface of the river. He said sonar crews have been searching the river and local lakes and more are expected to arrive.

Commissioner Don Harris said officials plan to drain two reservoir lakes on the river.

“Who knows how many out there are completely covered,” Harris said

FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams fully resumed operations on Monday, said Obed Frometa, FEMA Blue Incident Support Team information officer.

Levi Bizzell with Ingram Fire Department said their operations and everything up the river were still suspended as of about noon Monday but they would be reconvening shortly to discuss next steps.

“Everybody here wants to be out there working,” Bizzell said. “They literally come in in the morning whether they are tired or not, and they just want to get out there and work because they want to find closure for these families.”

‘Playing a blame game’

In Kerrville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Austin, local officials have come under scrutiny over whether residents were adequately warned about the rising water on July 4.

Authorities in Kerrville went door-to-door to some homes early Sunday to warn that flooding was again possible, and pushed phone alerts to area residents.

Kerr County commissioners asked the public for their patience as the search and cleanup continues. Commissioner Rich Paces said during the meeting Monday morning that he has received death threats.

“They’re just playing a blame game," Paces said.

During a special Kerrville City Council meeting Monday, council member Brenda Hughes also complained of threats to city officials and staff, which she did not detail, and called for increased security at City Hall.

“We’re not only dealing with all of the aftermath of this tragic event, but now we have to worry about threats that are coming to staff, targeted threats that are specific to individual staff members,” she said.

Bad weather forces a halt to search efforts

During the pause in search efforts, Ingram Fire Department officials ordered crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County, warning the potential for another flash flood was high.

The soil is still primed for enhanced water runoff across Texas Hill Country, and a flood watch covering the region is in effect until 9 p.m. Monday, with up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain possible in some spots, the National Weather Service said.

Gov. Greg Abbott said on X on Sunday that the state had rescued dozens of people in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties, and that people evacuated their homes in a handful of others.

The latest flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association, a San Saba-based nonprofit.

“Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,” she said. “Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.”

County officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate and relocate to the San Saba Civic Center, Johnson said.

A wide-ranging weather system brings heavy rains

The weather system brought widespread slow-moving storms and multiple rounds of heavy rain Sunday, pushing rivers and streams over their banks.

The rains caused waterways to swell further north in Texas, where emergency crews rescued one motorist who was left stranded in waist-high rapids on a submerged bridge over the Bosque River.

“He drove into it and didn’t realize how deep it was,” said Jeff Douglas, president of the McGregor Volunteer Fire Department.

Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims.

The floods laid waste to the Hill Country region. The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old, all-girls Christian summer camp.

Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors.

The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system.

___ Associated Press reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; Juan Lozano in Houston, Michael Weissenstein in Dobbs Ferry, New York; and Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia, contributed to this report.