Texas Governor Greg Abbott holding a press conference in Kerr County. His remarks came in the wake of the catastrophic flooding that has rightfully been blamed for over 100 tragic deaths. The disaster largely affected six counties. That has left at least 161 people missing — many of those still sheltering in Texas’s Hill Country without checking in to camps or hotels.
Governor Abbott reported that the death toll has exceeded 100, with Kerr County alone recovering 87 bodies, including 56 adults and 30 children. As of Thursday morning, rescue crews are still looking for missing persons. It’s been four days since they last discovered a confirmed survivor, and the outlook is grim. Five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic remain missing. This is heartbreaking, confirmed loss of many campers and counselors, with at least 27 dead among these campers and counselors.
Identification efforts are still ongoing, with authorities still awaiting identification of 19 adults and seven children. One other person who died is still not known, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said.
Sheriff Leitha emphasized the importance of focusing on victim recovery rather than reviewing the circumstances leading up to the floods.
“As I’ve told you several times, that is not my priority this time. There are three priorities, that’s locating the people out there, identifying, notifying the next of kin – that is what I’m taking as my job as sheriff,” – Sheriff Larry Leitha
Lt. Col. Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens reassured all that rescue teams are all in and focused on finding survivors. They are committed to getting each victim home.
“We understand you have many questions. We understand that. But right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home,” – Lt Col Ben Baker
Rescue crews are working around the clock searching the ravaged communities of Texas Hill Country. Sadly, much hope of finding any more survivors is rapidly fading. The need for action has only become more dire. Critics are blaming state officials for evading critical questions about Kerr County’s statewide alert system.
Sheriff Leitha similarly pointed to the complexities at play in making emergency notifications, explaining,
“It’s not that easy as you just push a button, OK, there’s a lot more to that, and we’ve told you several times.” – Sheriff Larry Leitha