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Mourners gather in Kerrville to honor lives lost in floods
Reporting from Kerrville, Texas
Hundreds gathered this evening in Kerrville for a vigil to honor the lives lost in the flood.
Community members scattered across the stands of the football stadium at Tivy High School, some smiling and hugging, others wiping away tears.
Beneath a cloudy sky with patches of sunlight, families prayed and sang Christian worship songs with outstretched arms.
Though mentions of the flood itself were scarce, speakers emphasized the community’s love and support for one another since the tragedy Friday.
When the vigil ended, many families gathered on the football field. Teenagers embraced one another while toddlers ran around the turf.
A more solemn group remained in the stands, speaking in soft tones or taking in the scene in silence.
“I was just born and raised here, and I needed to see Jesus tonight,” said Leah Clemons, who is friends with a camp counselor who is still missing.
“We’re praying for her,” she said through tears, adding: “I feel so protected and safe out here, and then this. But what do you do? It’s a natural disaster.”
Many community members mourned the loss of Reece Zunker, a beloved high school soccer coach who died in the flood along with his wife, Paula. Their two children are still missing.
“He really taught the boys how to be bright young men,” said Luke Harper, a Kerrville resident for the last 25 years.
“It’s sad more than anything else — really good people that you knew, and then lives too young lost,” Harper said. “I doubt there are very many people in town that didn’t know somebody that was killed in the flood.”
Texas Gov. Abbott announces special session agenda
Abbott today announced a special legislative session that will begin July 21 and include 18 agenda items, many of which appear to be aimed at strengthening the state's disaster response in the event of future flooding.
“There is more work to be done, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country," Abbott said. "We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future.”
The agenda will focus on flood warning systems and communications, natural disaster preparedness and recovery, and it will also look to provide relief funding for communities affected by the floods, Abbott said.
Volunteer fire chief tried to run toward rising flood but had to turn around
Lee Pool, the volunteer fire chief in Hunt, drove toward the danger early Friday but then had to run from it.
He jumped out of bed and into his clothes before he got into his truck and drove west on Texas Highway 39. He hit a crossing and called back to the sheriff’s dispatcher, confirming that the river was indeed flooding, and in a big way.
He tried to get back home but got cut off because the water was rising so fast. He said he called his wife and told her he was trapped.
“I didn’t think it was going to be my last call to [my wife]. There was a house on a hill behind me, and I said, ‘Worst case, I’m going to abandon my truck and I’m going to this house to be safe,’” Pool said.
He ended up having to use that plan.
Despite the rising waters, which he said he thinks peaked while he was out, his truck was not taken by the floods.
Pool works as an assistant principal and has been coordinating volunteers, donations and searches since the flood. He said so many donations have come in that he has had to search for places to store everything but that by today, more people affected by the storm were arriving to pick up the things they need.
Longtime Camp Mystic counselor says no one is to blame
A seasoned Camp Mystic counselor said no one is to blame for the 27 deaths at the beloved all-girls summer camp amid growing questions about whether local officials were prepared and whether the emergency response was adequate.
“That was an incredible act of nature, an act of God, and there’s nothing anybody could have done,” said Dr. Holly Lacour, 30, who has been involved with the camp for 15 years.
Lacour, who was not working at the camp during last week’s flood, was a counselor for six years, most recently last summer.
During those years, she said, counselors underwent emergency training at the start of the summer, before the young campers arrived. Cellphones are not allowed because participants are encouraged to detach from screens and be present, Lacour said, so counselors are taught to listen to the PA speaker systems.
“We learned pretty much to stay calm and all of the instructions will be coming from the front office,” she said.
Lacour said flooding had never been a fear of hers, because the cabins are tall and “very far away from the water.”
“It rains there plenty,” she said, “but no one could have possibly predicted the surge.”
Lacour said her job as an emergency room resident prevented her from being a counselor this summer, but she said she wished she had been there to help.
“Mystic is my happy place. It’s my favorite place in the world. If you say close your eyes and go to your happy place, that’s it,” she said. “I don’t think there are any words to describe how terrible it feels and how hard you pray afterward.”
Doctor says search-and-rescue efforts have shifted to recovery
Search-and-rescue operations along the Guadalupe River are shifting to a recovery phase, meaning hope of locating survivors has dwindled, said Dr. Rajeev Fernando, chief medical officer of Heal-Corp, a nonprofit organization providing emergency aid in Kerr County.
“The first 72 hours, we were here on the scene right away to save lives,” he said. “But as time goes on, the recovery takes precedence, unfortunately.”
Among the survivors, Fernando said, the most common injuries he has seen include cuts and lacerations, which may get infected by contaminated water. He has also seen fractures and spine injuries — including some that resulted in paralysis — from contact with cars or trees floating downstream, he said.
Heal-Corp’s search-and-rescue operations, which assist the state’s emergency response effort, stretch miles and miles along the river, Fernando said.
“It just keeps expanding all the time ... because of the debris, which keeps pulling all the bodies down,” he said. “We keep getting updates all the time: Can you go farther downstream?”
Former Kerr County commissioner warned flood warning system was ‘antiquated’ in 2016
Former Kerr County Commissioner Tom Moser described the county’s flood warning system as “simply pretty antiquated” and “marginal at the best” back in 2016.
“It serves some purposes, but it’s not what we should have,” Moser said, according to a transcript of the May 9, 2016, county commissioners meeting.
“I think the fact that we are probably the highest risk area in the state for flooding, and this is not to say we need to do it,” he said. “The indications are that we could improve it.”
At the time, he suggested having a workshop with the county and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, noting that “we both have full responsibility for the entire county for this type of system.”
Moser also said he and others viewed Comal County’s system, which included sensors in the river at major crossings that monitored water levels and set off alarms if it reached a certain level to notify the correct people.
8-year-old Camp Mystic camper confirmed dead
Mary Kate Jacobe, 8, of Houston, died in the floods, her family said in a statement.
"Our precious angel baby has entered the gates of Heaven. Mary Kate Jacobe was the light of our lives. She was tiny but mighty, full of love and joy with a smile that melted your heart. Mary Kate, our Sissy, was the baby of our large family and was most certainly our angel on earth. We are utterly shattered and forever changed by the loss of our girl," the Jacobe family said.
"Our family extends our deepest sympathy to all those affected by the tragic flooding. We stand united by loss but rooted in love. May God be with you now and always," the statement added.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's family was rescued in Texas floods
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said his family was rescued in the floodwaters that killed more than 100 people in central Texas.
Youngkin said the floods that struck Hunt early Friday stranded his wife, Suzanne Youngkin, and other family members at a property near the Guadalupe River, according to NBC affiliate WWBT of Richmond.
“My family was there, along with friends, and by the grace of God, my family was safe,” he said. “I have to say there was moments when they weren’t. They ended up being safe during the day.”
Public access to recreation on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers reopens
Recreation access to the Comal and Guadalupe rivers in New Braunfels reopened at 11 a.m. CT today, according to the city.
"Debris has been cleaned up by city staff; however, river-goers should be very cautious about debris that may not be visible under the water’s surface. And, as always, the City of New Braunfels encourages the use of life vests while participating in any water-related activity," city Communications Manager David Ferguson said.
Leander student confirmed dead by high school; his stepmother and sister remain missing
Braxton Jarmon, a student at Glenn High School in Leander, died in the floods, his school said in a statement.
"Braxton was entering his sophomore year. At this time, his sister Felicity, also a Glenn student, and their step-mom are still missing. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, and our thoughts remain with her and the entire Jarmon family and their friends during this incredibly difficult time," Principal Josh Haug said in a statement.
The school said the district’s counseling services team will support any student or family in need and will have counselors and social workers available in person at the school on Tuesday.
"This unimaginable loss leaves us with heavy hearts," Haug said. "Thank you for keeping Braxton and the Jarmon family in your hearts. We will continue to honor his memory together, as a Grizzly family."
Couple recall being saved by gap in between fences
Rena Bailey of Hunt said she and her husband owe their lives to a narrow gap between their wire fence and their neighbor’s concrete wall.
Bailey said she saw the floodwater rise up the stairs leading to the porch of their home, which stands about 6 feet above the ground. The river is across the street from their home, behind the town’s landmark Hunt Store. The water continued rising and rushed into a side bedroom they’d moved into to get away. They quickly slipped out a window, but Bailey is slightly disabled with painful back problems and wears a brace. Climbing her neighbor’s concrete wall or their wire fence wasn’t an option. They slipped through a gap where the two fences meet.
“If that gap hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have lived,” she said.
Yesterday several members of the Dripping Springs High School football team helped move her heavy antiques and other belongings out of the home and scrape up dried muck from inside. She proudly showed off a painting she’d bought from an artist in San Antonio that still hung on the wall and wasn’t damaged. It depicted a single tree on a rock cliff, bending slightly in the rain.
Its title, she said, is “The Survivor.”
Community is 'coming together to help each other' after flood, Kerrville resident says
Jennifer Dickson moved to Kerrville 41 years ago and lives in the southern part of town, away from the riverbanks where tragedy has shaken this small community. Her first place of residence in Kerrville, though, was the Blue Oaks RV Park.
"That’s, that’s where I caught my first fish and learned to swim," she said. "So I have a connection to it, and I’m just crushed by what has happened there."
Dickson works at Blue Oak Trading Co. for Lorena Guillen, who is also the owner of the RV park that was wiped out. Therefore, the connection to the devastation is considerable.
"You can feel the pain in the town, but you can also really feel how people are coming together to help each other,” Dickson said. “We do feel the great loss. But it’s also everybody’s pulling together. It’s more of a sense of community more than you can ever imagine.”
She added that, so far, she didn’t know anyone who was lost in the floods, "but there are still 160 people unaccounted for, so I don’t know yet."
Former NWS director: We feared Trump cuts would possibly lead to the loss of lives. 'I am afraid that is now playing out.'
Joe Friday, the former director of the National Weather Service, said he believes the weather agency did a “good job with the warnings and forecast for the Texas floods.”
“But the loss of senior, experienced people may have made it more difficult to get the information to the ‘last mile’ to the individuals in danger,” he wrote on Facebook today. Such senior positions include the meteorologist in charge and the warning coordination meteorologist, who have close professional relationships with local emergency managers and officials.
In the spring, the Trump administration announced layoffs and buyouts that affected hundreds of employees at the National Weather Service.
In his post, Friday referred to a May 2 letter, after Trump’s cuts, in which retired directors of the NWS warned that "long hours of overtime tires people out and reduces their sharpness" and that the loss of senior, experienced staffers "will have a negative impact on overall service."
"We said we feared that these reductions would possibly lead to the loss of lives. I am afraid that is now playing out," he wrote.
Volunteer describes search for flood victims
Volunteer Huntley Dantlzer is helping lead search-and-rescue teams along the banks of the Guadalupe River, where dozens of victims of the July 4 flood are still missing. New areas are opening to search crews as the water recedes.
Texas flags at half-staff until Monday
In a Wednesday letter to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the "flags of the State of Texas shall be lowered statewide immediately to half-staff in mourning for those who lost their lives in the floods" until Monday morning.
"Texas has sustained a devastating and heartbreaking loss as a result of the recent flooding events across the state. Countless lives have been lost during this horrific event, and an unbelievable amount of physical and emotional damage has been sustained throughout the state," Abbott wrote. "It is therefore fitting that flags be lowered to half-staff to assist in mourning, remembrance, and recovery from this terrible disaster."
Abbott wrote that the flags will return to full-staff at sunrise on Monday. "Individuals, businesses, and other political subdivisions and entities are encouraged to fly their flags at half-staff for the same length of time as a mark of respect and remembrance," he added.
Trump’s NOAA pick addresses Texas floods
Trump's pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Neil Jacobs, addressed the Texas floods at a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.
"Coming from a background of numerical weather prediction, I always thought naively that if I could improve the forecast skill, I would save more lives, and it turns out it’s really the last mile," Jacobs said. "Even if you have a perfect forecast, if you can’t get the information to the people, it’s totally useless."
Jacobs added that if confirmed, he would look into modernizing NOAA weather radios and utilizing satellite technology to transmit warnings to areas with poor cell service.
"Modernizing the way to distribute these watches and warnings is something that’s going to be a top priority of mine," he said.
Since the floods hit five days ago, killing more than 100 people, the Trump administration has been criticized for its warnings issued in the run-up to the devastation.
'We're not going to hide,' Kerr County sheriff says after question about code red timeline
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha responded to a question about the timeline for activating the Code Red Alert System during the July 4 overnight flooding.
"I believe those questions need to be answered, to the family of the missed loved ones, to the public, you know, to the people that put me in this office," Leitha said. "I want that answer, and we’re going to get that answer."
He added: "We’re not running, we’re not going to hide from anything that’s going to be checked into at a later time. I wish I could tell you that time. I don’t know that time."
Death toll did not rise in aftermath of New Mexico floods
The death toll from historic flash floods in Ruidoso, New Mexico, has not changed, officials said at a news conference today. Four people remain missing, according to officials.
Three people — a 4-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy and a man age 40 to 50 — were killed by the floods that struck the New Mexico mountain community yesterday.
Officials did not reveal the identities of the three people killed. It is still unclear if the trio were related to one another or how they died.
Kerrville mayor snaps at reporters asking questions at news conference
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring scolded reporters during the Q&A portion of this afternoon’s flood briefing when he was drilled again on the flood disaster response.
"Listen, people are yelling," he said when multiple reporters started speaking at the same time.
"If you offer only three questions, then you’re gonna have …" one reporter responded. "Guess what, you’re in Kerrville, and we’re going to do it my way," Herring snipped back.
NBC News’ Morgan Chesky then asked the mayor about why better alert systems aren’t in place, as records show the concept of flood warnings had been discussed at least two dozen times by the county in the past.
"Morgan, you and I grew up here, and I wasn’t in office during those discussions, and frankly, I’m more focused on the future than the past," Herring responded.
Kerrville mayor chokes up at news conference
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. choked up at a news conference during which officials gave an updated death count in Kerr County.
"The recent numbers reported break my heart, and they break the heart of everyone up here, everyone who has been working since July the Fourth," he said, visibly shaken.
When the floods first hit, two officers raced against time to evacuate locals in Hunt
Kerrville Police Community Services Officer Chief Jonathan Lamb painted a somber picture of how the morning of July 4 unfolded as floods took over Hunt, when most residents were asleep.
He noted that Highway 39 crisscrosses the Guadalupe over and over again. When it floods, it essentially creates little islands, trapping people.
A patrol sergeant who lives in Hunt woke up early July 4 and realized "he was trapped on an island," Lamb said.
“He saw dozens of people trapped on roofs. He saw people trapped in swift-moving water,” Lamb explained. That officer raced to the home of a Kerrville police detective and woke him up.
"For 13 hours, those two officers, along with some Hunt volunteer fire department firefighters and an emergency room doctor, provided care to that Hunt community," Lamb said. "They waded into the water and they rescued people. They got people down off of roofs. They collected them there at the Hunt school … many of them were injured. They provided first aid. They coordinated helicopter evacuations for the most critically injured."
Once the water receded, they went back and forth clearing debris to make a path for vehicles.
"They saw helicopters flying back and forth, making recoveries upriver, evacuating those summer camps, and they were by themselves on that island that was Hunt, Texas, doing what they do, serving, protecting and helping, until about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, when other emergency workers, high profile vehicles, were able to get out there," Lamb continued.
Elsewhere in the early morning hours, while it was still dark, other police officers in the city spent hours going "door to door, waking people up, convincing them that, yes, the floodwaters are coming and you need to leave now."
They evacuated over 100 homes and rescued more than 200 people, including those who were pulled out of cars and windows, Lamb said.
Kerr County officials urge residents to shelter in place
Kerr County officials urged residents to shelter in place and to avoid areas of destruction.
"Our first responders are trying to get to places to do their jobs, and people coming here from outside the community and people within the community who want to go sightsee and look at the river, see the flood damage, making our job very hard," Jonathan Lamb, a community services officer of the Kerrville Police Department, said at a news conference. "We ask folks to give us room to work."
Officials also asked residents to refrain from sifting through large debris piles without first contacting the authorities.
"We asked them not to use heavy equipment to take down those debris piles until they’ve been checked by a search party, because it’s possible there are victims in that debris pile," said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.
At least 161 people are still missing in Kerr County
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 161 people are missing in the Kerr County area, including five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor.
