Rain and flooding continue to batter the Hill Country, hindering search efforts
To our Kerr Co. neighbors and beyond:
From the green ribbons on the Wimberley Square and Cypress Creek bridge to the flags flying half mast at VFW Post #6441, Wimberley is telegraphing a message of solidarity to the Hill Country people battered by the deadly July 4 floods.
On July 8, Governor Abbott held a press conference at the Hunt Store in Hunt, Texas, following an aerial tour of flood damage. “The hearts of our fellow Texans are breaking every single day because of what people in this community and the surrounding area are going through,” said the Governor. “There’s nothing more important in our hearts and minds than the people impacted, especially those who are still lost. We have to find every single person who’s missing, and that’s job No. 1. Texas is in this with the people of the Hill Country. We are not leaving until the job is done.”
During the press conference, Governor Abbott urged Texans to continue reporting missing loved ones. He highlighted community organizations offering grief counseling to those affected by the floods.
At that time, the state had deployed over 2,100 personnel and more than 1,100 vehicles and equipment assets to help local officials and communities. More than 20 state agencies are currently responding to flooding threats across the state.
At 8 a.m. last Sunday, July 13, emergency crews postponed their search in Kerr County, as rain threatened to cause more flooding and possible evacuations in the area.
The Kerrville Police Department posted, “There is a high probability of the Guadalupe River at Hunt reaching flood stage today. All persons, equipment and vehicles should be removed from the river immediately.” Just before 1 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Brown, Crockett, Kimble, Mason, Mc-Culloch, Menard, San Saba, Schleicher and Sutton counties.
Later that Sunday, Governor Abbott issued a press release that said “rescue operations were underway in San Saba – where more than nine inches of rain fell – as well as in Lampasas and Schleicher counties. Evacuations were ongoing across Central Texas, with authorities closely monitoring rising waters in Kerrville.”
Rain continued to threaten the region with additional flooding, hampering the efforts of crews and search and rescue volunteers. Just before noon on Monday, Kerrville Police posted a new warning for all first responders and crew. “Due to the incoming threatening weather, all volunteers should vacate the river area, and MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND for their safety.”
Over the weekend, volunteers with the City of Wimberley and Keep Wimberley Beautiful teamed up to tie green ribbons around posts on the square and the Cypress Creek bridge as a signal of hope to friends and neighbors in Kerrville and the Hill Country. By far the hardest hit community, Kerrville is located just 90 minutes northwest of Wimberley.
Green is the color designated for flood victims and is the traditional color of Camp Mystic, where 27 girls and staff members perished.
“The ribbons serve as a tangible way to express sympathy and offer support, making it clear that the Wimberley community is standing with those who are suffering,” said Tourism Director Michele Woods. The use of green ribbons has spread across Texas, demonstrating a statewide response to the tragedy.
Just days after the July 4 flood, Wimberley Cafe’s Jen Bachman, with help from KWVH, made a request to citizens to donate specific items that were delivered to the area last Saturday.
Wimberley Ace Hardware and Gifts is now selling t-shirts to benefit the Kerr County Relief Fund. Along with the Wimberley Cafe, Ace Hardware was one of the first local businesses to respond. As early as July 7, Ace drove a truckload of community-donated supplies to the stricken area. TEXSAR, Wimberley’s Texas Search & Rescue volunteers were early on the scene and are currently employing K9 teams to aid in the search.
Wimberley’s Jay Bachman, with Mercy Chefs, continues to provide hot, restaurant- quality meals to first responders, families and victims at City West Church in Ingram.
As Kerrville also coped with media personnel and spectators, the Kerrville City Council met in an emergency session Monday morning to approve an indefinite extension of the local disaster declaration, to discuss ongoing rescue operations, and to talk about the threats being made against city staff and officials. Council Member Brenda Hughes spoke about the threats that included harassing phone calls to City Hall.
“We’re not only dealing with all of the aftermath from 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,” Hughes said. “I wanted on the record that I would like additional security here, and I’m not leaving here till we get it.”
As of press time on Tuesday, ABC reported that the death count rose to 132. Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood alert “for Rio Grande, Edwards Plateau, Hill Country and the I-35 corridor until 1 p.m., with rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches, with isolated amounts up to six inches possible.” According to Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha, search crews had already lost half to three-quarters of their search day on Sunday due to heavy rains.
Donations for the devastated communities are mounting. KSAT-TV, the ABC affiliate in San Antonio, reported on July 11 that The Hill Country Foundation had received $30M in donations, with large donations coming from HEB and James Avery.
Within a week of the flood, federal, state and county organizations had mobilized immediate and longer term assistance programs to help survivors, including counseling, funeral assistance and help for small businesses.
As the new week dawned, relief efforts are expanding to include private fundraising in the form of benefit concerts and other events. On July 27, a concert headlined by George Strait, will take place at Estancia at Thunder Valley indoor arena in Boerne, with the goal of raising $1M.
