Search and Rescue Week, as declared in a proclamation by the Hays County Commissioners Court, honors “first responder agencies and search and rescue professionals who support and work tirelessly on finding those who are lost and bringing closure to the families of the missing.”
Read and unanimously approved during the May 12 session, the proclamation establishes the week from May 16-22. The reading included a summary of missing persons in the state, and was followed by comments from Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) representatives, including 2015 Wimberley Memorial Day flood survivor Jonathan McComb.
“In 2025 there were over 40,309 missing persons reports in Texas, with 12,080 of them being adults and 28,229 of those children,” according to the proclamation. “Communities across Hays County and the state of Texas are impacted by missing persons, lost loved ones, and deceased family members due to criminal activity, mental health problems, medical issues or natural causes.”
Mike Jones, Director of the Hays County Office of Emergency Services, introduced members for TEXSAR after a brief overview of the organization and its importance to Hays County. “They stand up ready every time we have an impending weather event coming into this county,” Jones said. “These people are like the iceberg. You see a little bit on the top, it’s the disasters, but there's a lot of them on the backside, getting ready for any disaster in the county.”
Shannon Smith, Director Of Communications and Outreach at TEXSAR, stressed the crucial collaboration between her organization and law officers. “We can't do what we do without them, and we always work alongside them. So thank you guys for all you all do.”
“We feel honored to be here and represent search and rescue workers,” she said. “So many are volunteers, and they do a lot of crazy stuff, and they do leave their loved ones in opportune moments to help others and just to appreciate all that they do and the opportunity to honor them.”
TEXSAR board member and Wimberley resident Jonathan McComb spoke after Smith. His wife and two children passed away in the Memorial Day flood in 2015. They were celebrating his tenth wedding anniversary at a friend's vacation home on the Blanco River, when flood waters swept away the house. McComb was the only survivor.
“As I was laying in the hospital, I can remember saying to my mother, ‘When I get out, I'm gonna join this group [TEXSAR] to give back to those that are hurting,’” McComb said. “And since then, I've been able to be married again and have a little six-year-old. And I can tell you, July 4, I hugged her and left to go to Kerrville to help those folks out there. And she just cried and said, ‘I love you and be safe.’”
After joining TEXSAR McComb became certified in Swiftwater Rescue. In addition to being a board member, he is currently part of TEXSAR’s advisory board.
“I know what it means to help those who can't help themselves, with time,” McComb said. “And these folks behind me, law enforcement, know what it means to put yourself in harm's way for others. So thank you all for recognizing search and rescue, and thank you to all law enforcement, what you all do day in and day out.”
Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer, who represents Wimberley, said “Your testimony is so powerful. Every time I hear it, I get choked up. But thank you so much for stepping into something like what you do, and devoting so much time and effort in your life to it.”
Commissioner Walt Smith, Pct. 4, said that TEXAR also helped out in Dripping Springs during the 2015 Memorial Day floods, recovering the body of a man who was washed off of a low-water crossing in his truck.
“They stayed there to give closure to that family,” Smith said. “When we see the big events like Wimberley or Kerrville, that really brings a focus to what y'all do. But I don't think anybody really understands the day-to-day operations, and how y’all work with those smaller events that happen all throughout Texas.”
