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() The search for victims continues in central Texas as residents work to dig their way out of the catastrophic wreckage left behind from deadly flash floods that tore through the region one week ago.
The floods, which swept through the state’s Hill Country region during the early hours of July 4, have resulted in at least 120 deaths across six counties, according to affiliate KXAN. As of Friday, more than 160 people remain missing.
Kerr County, located northwest of San Antonio, was one of the hardest hit areas after the Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet, decimating nearby homes and the town of Kerrville. Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp where more than two dozen people were killed, has taken center stage in flood coverage as emergency officials continue to search for missing campers.
Where recovery efforts stand after Texas flooding
Joe Herring Jr., mayor of Kerrville, spoke to about his community’s ongoing efforts to bring missing victims home.
“It breaks my heart. It breaks the heart of everybody here. We’re doing everything we can to find them,” Herring said. “Please pray for those who wait, wait for news about their loved one.”
As vigils begin across much of the region, emergency officials tell they are now in the “full recovery phase” of their efforts on the ground.
“What we are doing is we are into the large debris piles, we’re picking them apart layer by layer, we’re using dogs, we’re using drones with ground-penetrating radar, hand crews and heavy machinery,” Larry Littrell, Center Point Volunteer Fire Department assistant fire chief, said.
Thousands of volunteers have been working alongside emergency officials, combing through piles of debris in search of any signs of life. Among those searching are survivors like Bud Bolton and Kadee Saunders, who had only moments to escape to higher ground before the floodwaters tore through their RV park in Kerrville.
Bolton told many of their neighbors were unable to respond in time, leaving the pair to watch helplessly as families with children were swept away.
“That’s the hardest part of everything. Even though we lost everything, the hardest part of it all is hearing those children screaming and you can’t help them,” Saunders said. “You feel hopeless, you know there is nothing you can do.”
Using equipment from Bolton’s job, he and Saunders are now working to help their neighbors search for their missing loved ones.
“We’re just going to keep digging,” he said. “We’ve got to keep this stuff going. We’ve got to find closure for these hurting families.
Trump to tour Texas flooding damage amid FEMA cuts controversy
On Friday, President Donald Trump will visit Kerr County to survey the flood damage. He’s expected to meet with local officials, first responders and families affected by the flooding.
Trump’s visit comes amid mounting criticism over his administration’s efforts to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency is responsible for coordinating the federal response to disasters that receive a presidential disaster declaration.
Trump has previously said he wanted to begin “phasing out” the agency after this hurricane season to “wean off of FEMA” and “bring it down to the state level.”
Trump has declared the Texas floods a major disaster, making federal funding available to support emergency operations. The administration has rejected criticism that its past budget cuts contributed to a slower response.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will join Trump in Texas and has echoed calls for FEMA to be eliminated, reiterating this week that states, not the federal government, should lead emergency management.
“Texas is strong,” she said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “We, as a federal government, don’t manage these disasters. The state does. We come in and support them, and that’s exactly what we did here in this situation.”