AG真人百家乐

has been reeling for most of the last two weeks from and from the loss of life that accompanied it. People from across the state and the nation poured their support into the region's communities.

Kerrville musician plans to offer his own contribution to the healing process.

He was slated for a concert in the city鈥檚 on July 4, but the torrential rains and record flooding made that impossible.

Now he鈥檚 decided to put on that concert, but only bigger. It will benefit the .

Keen selected the between Canyon Lake and New Braunfels for the benefit concert. And he won't be the only star on the stage: 鈥淢iranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Jack Ingram, Tyler Childers, Cross-Canadian Ragweed, Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, Terry Allen, Ray Wiley Hubbard, Hayes Carl, and on and on,鈥� he said.

It all starts at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28. Find more information on his .

In a state where hurricanes, tornadoes and flash floods are a constant threat, the shrill tone of an emergency alert is supposed to cut through the noise. But for many Texans, those urgent warnings now compete with countless other pings and buzzes from their phones 鈥� and too often get ignored, experts say.

When heavy rain sent a wall of water rushing down the Guadalupe River on July Fourth, many people slept through the alerts buzzing on their phones.

These warnings all sound the same, even if it鈥檚 related to missing children, injured police officers or severe storms.

Crisis communication expert Jeannette Sutton said too many warnings get lost in the daily noise: "It's a real problem that we haven't quite sorted out, especially as so many different kinds of warnings come through the same channel."

Sutton said people should sign up for local community alert systems, like , which serves more than 10,000 communities throughout the U.S. In areas with poor cell service, backup options like can help people stay informed.

"Because," she warned, "there will be a time when the message actually is meaningful to you."

Read more about this .

James Hartley, a reporter with KERA in Dallas, visited Hunt, Texas, an unincorporated community of about 1,300 in western Kerr County, on Tuesday. He sent this first person perspective:

It's been raining off and on here, complicating recovery efforts for the third day in a row.

The risk of flooding is still high in the Texas Hill Country. Standing here next to the Guadalupe River, I see the murky brown water capped with white as it picks up speed.

Hunt was one of the areas more heavily hit by the July 4th flooding.
 
Debris is piled up almost everywhere I look, a mixture of chopped up trees, drywall, and twisted, deformed metal.

The soggy ground is also stopping crews from getting dumpsters into these areas to remove that debris they've collected. Recovery workers have told me that the mud is slowing down their efforts pretty much everywhere. It prevents them from moving in other equipment that they need to clean up this area.

Authorities are still tightly controlling the flow of traffic along Highway 39, which runs alongside the Guadalupe and through Hunt. There haven't been any reports of rain delaying or halting efforts today like it has in the past two days though, and recovery volunteers continue to converge on central Texas despite these complications from weather.

Many Texans have a connection to , the all-girls Christian camp that was destroyed in the July 4th Guadalupe River floods.

Isabel Howard, a camper there in the late '90s, remembered that "on the drive up here, I was remembering the song that we used to sing in the dining hall that was like complete gibberish. And it just made me smile, because it was so funny. It was called the wiggalo and it just, the song was just about like jumping up and down and turning in a circle and asking our friends to join in and sing it with us ..."

Howard said she was shocked to see the pictures of the Camp Mystic dining room completely inundated: "It was really hard to see the pictures of the dining hall. No one would have ever imagined that water would get up there. I thought when I first found out that someone had had a bad dream or something, I didn't think it was real."

She stopped by the makeshift memorial on Kerrville's Water Street to pay respects to those who lost their lives and to show gratitude to those who rescued children in the July 4th floods.

The search and recovery mission continues 11 days later.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Attorney General Ken Paxton warned people of potential fraud scams following the catastrophic flooding.

FEMA warned of scammers impersonating FEMA officials and approaching people in the Hill Country.

FEMA said all officials carry identification badges with photo IDs and will never ask for payment or personal financial information.

Paxton encouraged anyone making donations to use reputable and verified channels.

He issued a warning letter to Tray Coppola, who organized an unverified GoFundMe fundraiser. Paxton ordered Cappolla to return funds or face legal action.

Survivors who believe they are already the victim of a scam can report it to the Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-621-0508.

San Antonio Sen. Jose Menendez is among nine senators who will serve on the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding.

Charles Perry of Lubbock will lead that committee.

The House will have its own committee, to be chaired by Rep. Ken King.

Also on the House committee is Rep. Drew Darby. In the days immediately after the Hill Country flooding, the San Angelo Republican urged Gov. Greg Abbott to add legislation to the special session agenda that would help communities bolster their emergency communications systems. It failed during the regular session but Darby thinks it鈥檒l have better luck this time around.

The select committees will have 30 days to create legislation that will upgrade flood warning systems and emergency communications and provide relief funding for areas impacted by the floods.

The first hearing is set to take place at the State Capitol in Austin on July 23, two days after the special session opens.

The second hearing will be in Kerrville on July 31 to give residents an opportunity to give input.

Gov. Greg Abbott toured the area affected by the July 4th floods on Monday and spoke to reporters afterwards.

He said officials reduced the number of missing people from more than 160 to 97.

"Those who are missing on this list, most of them, were more difficult to identify because there was no record of them logging in anywhere," he explained. "And it was through information provided by a friend, family member, whatever the case may be that they haven鈥檛 been found.鈥�

The overall death toll from the Texas flooding disasters stood at 132.

The San Antonio-based Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), which coordinates the EMS and hospital response to mass casualty events for a 22-county area, including Kerr County, reported this week that its emergency response to the July 4 floods grew to 130 units, including 61 ambulances.

"We've had over 6,600 patient encounters and 182 patients that have been treated and 109 of those were transported to a hospital somewhere," said Eric Epley, the CEO of STRAC.

Epley said those figures are only for STRAC, a state coordination office for the Texas emergency medical task force, and seven other regional members.

A ninth component oversees the entire statewide task force. Created and funded by the Texas Legislature, the task force has existed since 2010.

He said local EMS transports are not included in the figures, and it's a summary total for the task force since the Fourth of July.

More than 160 people are still missing following the July 4 flooding, and search efforts in the Hill Country were cut short for the second day in a row as rain continued to drench the region.

Search teams and recovery crews were called off again on Monday afternoon when a renewed downpour swelled the Guadalupe River.

The Guadalupe River in at Hunt was up 11 feet and continued to rise throughout the afternoon.

Authorities restricted even emergency vehicle access to Highway 39, one of the places where homes were washed away.

One family returned to their property along that stretch of road Monday to look for anything they could salvage. They said after the rain started that the highway had become impassible.

Survivors of the catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country are honoring the people who died on the July 4 weekend.

As more bodies are recovered, a memorial wall in downtown continues to grow.

Adorned with flowers, photographs and toys, a simple chain-link fence in downtown Kerrville has become a gathering place for people to reflect and support each other.

Geraldine Granado spends her days volunteering at the memorial. She said the wall has become a place to grieve and to find peace, and more people visit every day.

"I see that some people are adding stuff to the wall. So I think it鈥檚 important. I think it鈥檚 very important that we do this. It鈥檚 our way to say goodbye, maybe?"

She said she expects the memorial to keep growing.

Saile Aranda

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TPR

Homeowners, renters and eligible non-residents impacted by the severe storms and flooding in Kerr, Burnet, San Saba, Tom Green, AG真人百家乐, and Williamson counties can apply for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The disaster recovery center will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at First Baptist Church, 625 Washington St. in Kerrville.

FEMA and the State of Texas may be able to help people with "serious disaster-related needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic repair costs, and personal property losses."

Claims should first be filed with insurance companies. Federal funding is available for those whose policies don't cover all damages.

Survivors may also apply for assistance through FEMA's website, , which is the fastest method, or by downloading the for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Help is available in most languages.

For an accessible video on how to apply, visit YouTube and watch: .

Search and recovery efforts continue in Kerr County as crews work around flood watches -- more than a week following the deadly 4th of July flooding.

Kerrville Assistant City Manager Michael Hornes told the Kerrville City Council Monday morning that ongoing rain is causing Nimitz Lake on the Guadalupe River to overtop the dam.

"They have a hard time searching in there because that water is ... the turbidity is what they call it. You can't see through it. In addition to not being able to see through it, there is a lot of debris within there," he added.

Hornes said the city is waiting for a few days of clear weather before officials pump that water out of Nimitz Lake.

Search and recovery teams in areas that were flooded when the Guadalupe River burst from its banks on July 4 struggled to continue their work on Monday as another wave of strong storms darkened the western and southwestern horizons.

Emergency management officials tried to work around the patchwork of flood watches and warnings 鈥� suspending work in some areas and resuming work in others 鈥� as one storm after another drenched different parts of Kerr County, sparking harrowing evacuation orders for an exhausted Hill County community.

For example, at 12:28 p.m., Kerr County officials warned: "All search teams in the river corridor need to move to higher ground now. Only teams working under the direction of Kerr County Emergency Operations Center Unified Command are permitted in the response zone."

A flood watch was in effect for the ravaged region until 9 p.m. Monday. That watch does not include Bexar County.

The National Weather Service (NWS) reported one to two inches of rain was possible to the west and north of the Alamo City, and as much as three to five inches could fall in isolated spots.

Forecasters explained that two mesoscale convection vortexes 鈥� one near Waco, and one near the Rio Grande 鈥� pulled in storm cells and placed them in circling patterns over the same areas, unleashing more dangerous floodwaters.

NWS-San Antonio

Kerr County commissioners met on Monday morning for their first regular session since the devastating 4th of July flooding.

County Judge Rob Kelly said emergency management continued to be an ongoing process in the county.

"Search and rescue remains our top priority," he explained. "And that's what we were doing yesterday. We've moved on to also include recovery -- and that's where we had people out in the river basin doing a lot of work. We're trying to get a handle on things."

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha also updated the community on the timeline moving forward.

"How long is it gonna take? Who knows? I think we'll still go strong for another month or two ... up to maybe six months winding down, as we move on," he said.

Leitha added that the state and federal government have provided the resources and assets needed to continue efforts.

The county also approved overtime pay for exempt and non-exempt county employees who have worked extra since July 4.

Officials with the City of Kerrville and Kerr County are working to remove and manage debris from the July 4th floods.

Debris removal is being conducted in phases, with the first phase already underway with search and operations taking initial priority.

Residents should separate debris into appropriate piles, including large appliances, construction debris, and vegetative debris.

The non-emergency line at the Kerr County Sheriff's office should be contacted if a recovery team should be dispatched to assess large debris piles on a property.

Find more information at .

Congregants from churches across Kerrville, Texas, got back to services on Sunday even as another flood watch brought search and rescue operations to a halt.

Parishioners at St. Peter鈥檚 Episcopal Church in Kerrville huddled together under umbrellas and stepped through puddles on their way inside as another downpour drenched the region.

Just nine days earlier, another storm assaulted the region of Central Texas and led the Guadalupe River to overflow.

Rev. Bert Baetz, the rector at Saint Peter鈥檚, said his parish is here to support the community for the long haul: "We鈥檙e not leaving. We鈥檙e committed to the emotional, spiritual, material, mental needs that will arise. We鈥檙e not leaving."

Baetz added that the people of Kerrville will need support for months to come, and his parish will provide any it can.

Kerr County and much of the Hill Country, the Southern Edwards Plateau, and AG真人百家乐 & Williamson counties are under a until 9 p.m. tonight.

The Guadalupe River is expected to reach moderate flood stage of around 14.6 feet by 11 a.m. Residents along the riverbank are urged to seek higher ground.

NWS

Additional flooding temporarily halted recovery efforts in Kerr County yesterday. Operations are expected to restart today.

The flood watch advisory is issued when conditions are favorable for possible flooding. The National Weather Service says those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

The recovery operation for those missing in the July 4 floods in Kerr County was halted Sunday due to weather conditions.

Sunday鈥檚 heavy rain event in the Hill Country rattled flood survivors and relief workers. Flash Flood warnings were issued for several areas on Sunday morning, including the already rain-swollen Guadalupe River.

Roads across Central Texas continue to be closed as the area is threatened with more rain and flooding. In Kerr County, Highway 39 and FM 1340 are both closed through Hunt and Ingram.

Current closures can be viewed at , a website run by the state transportation department.

Organizers say a planned candlelight vigil scheduled for this evening in Hunt for victims of the flood has been cancelled due to the threat of more rain in the area.

Kerrville city officials have announced that recovery operations have also been suspended. Ground crews working in the river corridor have been advised to evacuate until further notice. The City of Kerrville's Facebook page showed videos of streets flooding.

New flash flood warnings have been issued for Northwestern Gillespie County, Western Llano County and portions of Burnet and Williamson counties.

Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem said on Sunday that FEMA will be "remade" but not eradicated.

In response to media questions, Noem said that that FEMA answered only a fraction of disaster assistance calls regarding the deadly Texas floods were "fake" and said all assets were deployed in a timely manner and in consultation with local and state officials. She also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would not be eradicated and that, despite his statements, President Donald Trump recognizes its value.

"The president recognizes that FEMA should not exist the way that it always has been. It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that's what we did during this response," Noem said. When pressed, she added, "I think he wants it to be remade so that it's an agency that is new in how it deploys and supports states."

The National Weather Service has issued Flood Warnings for Kerrville, Comfort, Ingram, Hunt, Mountain Home, Waltonia, Kerr Wildlife Management Area, Harper, Kerrville-Schreiner Park and Cypress Creek.

Just before 8 a.m., an alert warned about dangerous water at the Guadalupe River.

"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," the alert read.

Meanwhile, a Flood Watch for several additional counties is in place until Sunday at 7 p.m. They included Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Llano, Medina, Real, AG真人百家乐, Uvalde, Val Verde and Williamson counties.

A is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring. A Flood Watch is issued when flash flooding is either already happening or expected to develop soon.

Saile Aranda

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Texas Public Radio

The remains of the last missing counselor from Camp Mystic have been recovered.

Katherine Ferruzzo, 19, died in the July 4th floods along with at least 28 others from the all-girls camp on the Guadalupe River.

Katherine was a recent graduate of Memorial High School in the Houston area, where she was known for her volunteer efforts to help children with disabilities.

She had planned to attend the University of Texas at Austin and eventually become a special education teacher.

In a statement, the Ferruzzo family said Katherine's body was found on Friday.

"We are incredibly grateful to all the search and rescue professionals and volunteers who have remained steadfast in their efforts to locate the victims of this tragedy," the statement said.

Her picture is now a part of a growing makeshift memorial on Kerrville's Water Street, located a few hundred feet away from the river.

The family said it plans to launch a foundation in Katherine's name, dedicated to helping those with special needs and learning differences. It plans to share a link with donation details in the coming days.

"We would like to thank the Houston and Camp Mystic communities for their unwavering support and for allowing us to mourn this tragedy in private," the family wrote.

Organizers of the Kerrville Folk Festival have opened up the festival grounds as a center for flood relief in Kerr County.

Quiet Valley Ranch where the festival is held has been opened up for displaced people from the disaster. Volunteers are also using the space to distribute supplies and serve food.

Deb Rouse, executive director of the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation, explained that 鈥淚 came from Houston where we're used to hurricanes, and we have a very robust [alliance of] government groups, city government that coordinates all that, and they just really don't have it here and there are a whole bunch of different little towns. It's not even just Kerrville.鈥�

John White, a volunteer, said that 鈥淪o like lunch we'll have 400+ tomorrow 鈥� dinner we'll have another 400+ 鈥� and there's no way that just two or three of us would be able to get that all accomplished.鈥�

The Kerrville Folk Festival attracts tens of thousands of music fans every year in the early summer.

Visit to make a direct donation.

A San Antonio man has been arrested for allegedly threatening President Trump.

Robert Herrera, 52, was accused of making online threats to the president during his visit to Texas on Friday. In one post on Facebook authorities say Herrera posted a picture of an assault rifle, along with a threat to 鈥渃ome after鈥� the president.

Another post allegedly made by Herrera on a news outlet website contained similar threats.

The charges could lead to a 5-year prison sentence.

The investigation was carried out by the local FBI office, the Secret Service, San Antonio Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The City of Kerrville said it anticipates a large number of "spontaneous" volunteers to assist with flood recovery this weekend.

So, the Texas Department of Emergency Management will be set up at Tivy Antler Stadium at 1310 Sydney Baker St. in Kerrville to register and check in volunteers.

All volunteers must register in advance at . When they arrive at the auditorium, they'll undergo a safety briefing and sign waivers before they're assigned to do anything.

Officials say this organized effort will ensure a safe and effective response to the disaster.

More information is available at the city of Kerrville website at and the City of Kerrville Facebook page.

County music legend George Strait has announced plans for a benefit concert for Hill Country flood victims.

The "King of Country" plans at Estancia at Thunder Valley, which is west of Boerne. Ticket and tables at the indoor arena event start at $1,000. To get tickets or make a donation send an email to [email protected].

Complimentary tickets will be offered to local first responders.

The concert will also include Strait's Vaqueros del Mar partner, Tom Cusick, and special guests William Beckman, Ray Benson, Wade Bowen, Dean Dillon, Riley Green, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Kyle Park, Hudson Westbrook and members of Strait's Ace in the Hole Band.

The pavilion in the Comfort Community Park looks like an oversized convenience store without a cash register. That's because it's a distribution center for relief supplies.

Margaret Stone and April McDonald, both with the Comfort Chamber of Commerce, run the spot. They offer a variety of items provided by the Salvation Army for people who experienced the floods.

Stone said people who come here don鈥檛 just get diapers, canned goods, and clean-up supplies.

鈥淲e give them a hug, we spend time with them, and we let them talk," she explained. "They need to know that we are listening, and we are passing on the appropriate counseling services information.鈥�

More information on how to assist the Comfort community is available .

FEMA and the State of Texas may provide up to $9,000 to cover funeral or burial expenses resulting from the severe storms and flooding.

FEMA said people are eligible for the assistance if they are a U.S. citizen or lawful resident and if FEMA can confirm their identity, the death or disinterment was caused by the disasters, and the expenses are not covered by other sources of financial assistance.

People can apply for assistance online , on the FEMA mobile app, or the FEMA Helpline. An in-person assistance site is at First Baptist Church at 625 Washington Street in Kerrville.

The Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue and Recovery Team offers aid to non-domesticated animals during emergencies.

Its services include veterinary care, temporary holding facilities and emergency relocation for animals, and habitat restoration.

The team has been deployed to natural disasters including hurricanes Harvey, Ian and Laura.

The new, 24/7 statewide crisis support line is for Texans impacted by the floods.

Survivors, families, first responders and others affected by the disaster are eligible for free professional crisis counseling by calling 833-812-2480.

All calls are confidential and monitored by counselors trained to work with disaster survivors.

Clouds will hang over Kerr County this weekend and the area could see rain and thunderstorms starting early Sunday morning.

There's a 40% chance of rain Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country said it would distribute $5 million in initial grants to 20 nonprofit organizations doing on-the-ground relief and recovery work.

The money will go to individuals, families, local businesses and first-responding agencies that need relief.

The fund was organized soon after the flooding and has been promoted by Kerr County.

Learn more at .

Psychology lecturer Katheryn Eads, architecture student Reese Manchaca and management student Ella Cahill all died in the flooding.

Eric Brey is dean of the College of Engineering and Integrated Design, where Manchaca was a student.

鈥淪he left a mark on our peers and our college through her creative creativity, kindness and energy," he said during a vigil Wednesday. "She had just completed her junior year, was very excited about the next steps in her journey as an architect.鈥�

At the vigil Wednesday Damaris Ibarra, from UTSA鈥檚 Wellbeing Services, read aloud comments left by those who knew Cahill.

鈥淓lla was a kind-hearted and warm soul who was hard working and just a beautiful person," Ibarra said. "She impacted us greatly and was part of our campus rec family for three years.鈥�

Ibarra also read comments from those who knew Eads.

鈥淒r. Sandra Morrissette is also sharing that Dr. Eads was a kind, compassionate and dedicated teacher, and saying that we will miss her greatly.鈥�

UTSA will hold an in-person vigil on the main campus Friday at noon.

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country will host a press conference this morning at 9 a.m. to announce a major milestone in the established a week ago.

The announcement will include an update on financial contributions and details about the first round of grant recipients.

The first round of grants is expected to immediately be dispersed to more than 20 nonprofit organizations helping local people, businesses and first responders.

The president and First Lady are expected to survey the damage from the deadly flooding that hit the Hill Country one week ago today.

He will also participate in a roundtable discussion with first responders and local officials.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn said he will join the president during his visit.

Bill Blackburn has lived in Kerrville for 40 years, even serving as mayor from 2018 to 2022.

"Yes, we've seen floods on the Guadalupe River over the years," he said. "But that level of flooding, that amount of water is just hard to believe."

Blackburn said his daughter-in-law up and two granddaughters were staying just west of Camp Mystic when someone woke them up around 3 a.m. Friday as the Guadalupe River spilled over its banks faster than a longtime resident like Blackburn had ever seen.

The mother collected her daughters and what belongings she could and got in her car, driving toward Hunt. On the way they hit floodwaters that quickly climbed halfway up their car doors.

"[She] used very good judgment, was able to get the car to the higher ground and then she and the girls up on a hill, to wait out the storm," he said.

Blackburn said she almost didn't make it.

"When I think about their experience and what could have happened, of course ... it just, it does you in," he said.

While they survived, Blackburn acknowledged the many people who didn't.

"I feel like there's a blanket of grief and sadness just over this community," he said. "When you think about the lives lost, the numbers missing, the structural damage and structures that are damaged and destroyed, the natural beauty.

"It is so hard. It is just almost too much."

The committees will have 30 days, starting July 21, to draft legislation that will upgrade flood warning systems and emergency communications and provide relief funding for areas impacted by the floods.

Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a hydrometeorologist and senior researcher at Columbia University's Climate School, said lawmakers should work through how residents in Kerr County were notified of the flooding that has claimed 120 lives.

"What were the discussions? How were different areas prioritized or deprioritized?" he said. "These are questions that must be included in the post-event analysis."

Dozens of emergency response teams from across the country are in Central Texas to help victims of the recent flooding.

Among them is Americares, which helps with health-related issues during disasters.

Mariel Fonteyn, the group鈥檚 director of emergency response, said that Americares has deployed a response team to Kerrville and are on the ground working with local partners to restore health services and deliver critical medical supplies.

鈥淧eople are running from their homes, and they forget medicine. They forget those health needs that they have or their daily medicines they need to stay healthy and need to get those replaced as soon as possible.鈥�

In the aftermath of catastrophic flooding in the Hill Country, the performance of local National Weather Service offices has become the focus of intense scrutiny. Could NWS offices have better alerted the public to flood dangers? Did federal staffing cuts hinder the service鈥檚 ability to do its job?

Democratic legislators in D.C. have already called for investigations, and Texas state lawmakers are planning a special legislative session that will focus, in part, on answering those questions.

But as politicians and outside experts weigh in, the voices of NWS meteorologists themselves typically have been absent from the conversation, possibly because current weather service employees may not feel free to speak publicly.

To fill that void, KUT News reached out to recently retired career NWS meteorologists to learn how they think staffing cuts and hiring freezes have impacted the service鈥檚 mission to forecast and warn the public about extreme weather.

Here's what they said.

Texas lawmakers will head back to the Capitol beginning Monday, July 21, for a special legislative session.

While regulating THC was Abbott's original priority for the special session, the focus has shifted to addressing historic flooding in the Hill Country.

Abbott is calling on lawmakers to introduce legislation that would improve early warning systems, strengthen emergency communications and speed up recovery efforts in flood-prone areas.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to address every aspect of this storm to make sure we have in place the systems that are needed to prevent deadly flooding events like this in the future,鈥� Abbott said Tuesday at a press conference in Kerr County.

Other topics on the agenda include , reducing property taxes, tweaking abortion laws and eliminating the STARR standardized test for public school students.

Read more from The Texas Newsroom.

Courtesy of Danny McDonald

Alexis Moriarty wanted to help.

The teenager and her mom, Michelle, dropped off underwear, towels and toothpaste to donation centers in Kerr County on Sunday, following the devastating floods nearby that have killed more than 100 people. Dozens are still missing.

The two then pulled off the highway near Comfort to join a search team.

鈥淲e were walking up the Guadalupe River, up and down, seeing if we could find anything that belonged to anybody,鈥� Alexis said. 鈥淥r, anybody.鈥�

The mother and daughter, who are from San Antonio, picked through brush and muck for nearly two hours. Disasters like floods, tornadoes and hurricanes have a habit of picking up people鈥檚 belongings and shaking them like a snow globe 鈥� and then breaking the snow globe. Alexis and her mom saw detached door frames, a koozie, even a badge from a school band stuck in a tree.

Read more from KUT.

Josiah Neely of R Street Institute, a Texas-based organization that focuses on public policy issues including climate change, says conspiracy theories swirling about cloud seeding causing flooding in Kerr County are unfounded.

Cloud seeding increases the volume of rain by less than 20%.

"That鈥檚 not going to turn even an ordinary cloud into the flash flood that you saw in Kerrville and other places in Texas," Neely said. "When you talk to meteorologists, they鈥檒l say [the storm came from] the moisture that was coming up from tropical storm Barry.鈥�

Neely says proposed laws to ban cloud seeding could restrict access to a valuable tool used to help the agriculture industry, especially in times of drought.

Learn more about cloud seeding and flooding on The Source podcast at .

New dangers are emerging as the floodwaters recede and recovery efforts begin across the Hill Country.

Floodwater could contain bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. It鈥檚 also a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes, which may begin to swarm areas that have been flooded.

Chris van Deusen, a spokesman with the Texas Department of State Health Services, said standing water may also hide sharp objects or displaced wildlife. He said homes that have been inundated should be gutted.

"Mold can really grow in ... what is still a warm, wet environment," he said.

Crates full of dogs and cats from Kerr and Williamson counties lined the tarmac outside Texas Jet in Fort Worth on Wednesday. Some will stay with emergency foster families in the area, and others will continue heading north to Kanab, Utah.

Nelda Corbell with the nonprofit Wings of Rescue said the transport helps free up kennels for pets displaced by last week鈥檚 devastating floods.

"There's such a great need right now and truly this is just a small part of what we can do to make things better, getting pets out," Corbell said.

The organization partnered with SPCA of Texas and the Humane Society of North Texas to find foster families.

More pets are set to arrive in Fort Worth on Thursday.

Now that the water鈥檚 receded, Kerrville is slowly coming back. But it鈥檚 not quite the same.

Becky Etzler is executive director of the Riverside Nature Center.

鈥淭hese giant historic cypress trees, bald cypress that line the Guadalupe all through Kerrville, you know, are either gone or damaged," Etzler said. "People are right now, rightfully so, very concerned about the loss of life, but we're going to be environmentally impacted by this for years.鈥�

The nature center has a strong volunteer base that has been there for days. But strangers have dropped by as well.

鈥淭he rugby team from Texas State, they contacted me Sunday night, said, 鈥榃e're in town. Can we come?鈥� So we had the whole rugby team here yesterday," Etzler said. "We had some nice, young, strong backs to do some heavy lifting for us.鈥�

Also there: the Shim鈥檚 Be Blessed food truck, which delivered free lunches, and Mir鈥檚 Landscaping, which supplied a crew with chainsaws. On the other side of the Guadalupe was a sign that read "Free Sandwiches and Prayer."

鈥淗am sandwiches, turkey sandwiches or peanut butter and jelly? Which one do you want?鈥� asked Jamie Stanford, who drove the five hours from Fort Worth to help.

"We're here to pray with people. Give them a free sandwich if they're hungry, and just to show emotional and spiritual support as much as possible,鈥� she said.

Her friend Brigid Tripp came too.

鈥淚 think one of the things that stands out too is yesterday, a canine first responder unit came, and he just had tears in his eyes the whole time," Tripp said. "And you know, my heart just knows what they saw."

Homeowners, renters and eligible non-residents impacted by the severe storms and flooding in Kerr County can apply for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration starting Thursday, July 10.

The disaster recovery center will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at First Baptist Church, 625 Washington St. in Kerrville.

Claim should first be filed with insurance companies. Federal funding is available for those whose policies don't cover all damages.

FEMA staff can help in several ways, including:

• Checking the status of an application already in the system and making minor changes to applications.
• Contacting faith-based organizations, community groups, private sector businesses and public libraries that may have the capability to distribute disaster-related information to residents in the impacted counties.
• Identifying organizations providing disaster-related services and/or resources to the public for long-term recovery.
• Gathering information about impacts to communities.
• Providing flyers explaining how to apply for disaster assistance.

For information and to apply online visit the Small Business Association's website at Applicants may also call the SBA at (800) 659-2955 or email [email protected] for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Survivors may also apply for assistance through FEMA's website, , which is the fastest method, or by downloading the for mobile devices or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Help is available in most languages.

Courtesy of HEB

Two of the state's best-known brands, both born in Kerrville, are showing their support for Hill Country flood victims in a big way.

Grocery giant H-E-B started as a tiny family-owned store in Kerrville in 1905. H-E-B, a household name to most Texans that's headquartered in San Antonio, now has 435 stores in Texas and Mexico.

Volunteers from H-E-B have been on the ground serving up meals, distributing gift cards, handing out bottled water and clean-up products, and pitching in with the clean-up themselves.

What is now James Avery Artisan Jewelry started in 1954 by James Avery in his mother-in-law's garage in Kerrville, according to the company's website. The self-taught jewelry-maker fell in love with Kerrville as he underwent training at Lackland Air Force to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corp.

Avery died in 2018, and his son Chris has served as CEO and chairs the company's board.

The company's manufacturing facility is based in Kerrville on property purchased by James Avery. It temporarily closed this week due to the flood. The company today has 1,000 associates and 30 retail stores and is selling its famous charms to raise money for flood victims.

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Cpt. Jason Waldrip with the Kerr County Sheriff's Office says the department has coordinated with a local construction company, the Texas Department of Public Safety and a team from Acu帽a, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, to locate the missing.

"We have spotters on the ground, so as materials are being removed, we are looking for anything of a sign of a person that may be within this material," Waldrip said.

Heavy equipment is being used to remove debris build up.

He asks anyone in Kerrville to avoid areas where excavators are working.

Katie Hayes Luke

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For NPR

Hours after , an army of volunteers was already en route.

"We had seen the alerts overnight when we started getting reports about mass casualties. We had a feeling we were going to get a call," says Brian Trascher, vice president of the Louisiana-based group of volunteers called the United Cajun Navy.

And within a couple of hours they did.

By Friday afternoon, a group from a chapter in San Antonio arrived with airboats. Trascher and others from Louisiana soon joined them.

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Tom Moser, who served as Kerr County commissioner from 2012 to 2021, told NPR he advocated for a flood warning system with sirens in 2016 after a deadly flood in nearby Wimberley.

That system was never built because commissioners were denied funding from state grants and there was public pushback.

Locals were concerned about the more than $1 million price tag. "People did not like the idea of sirens throughout the county," he added.

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The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service has teamed up with the Texas Well Owners Network, its well owner education program, to begin testing private water wells for contaminants in the next few weeks.

鈥淥ur biggest concern with a situation like this is that we generally see elevated levels of E. coli," said John W. Smith, an AgriLife Extension program specialist. "And basically, what we're saying when that hits is the possibility of some kind of feces-borne contaminant may be in your well."

Private well owners are being asked to bring water samples into the AgriLife Extension offices in Burnet, Lampasas, Llano and San Saba counties Thursday morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Visit the Resources tab at for more information.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Wednesday that the county will look at the initial response to the flooding at a later time.

Volunteer firefighters requested that the county deploy an emergency alert system known as CodeRED in the early morning hours of Friday as the Guadalupe River rose. . County officials have insisted that an emergency alert system doesn't exist.

"As with other significant events that our emergency services encounter, this incident will be reviewed," Leitha said. "You have my word. When if necessary, if improvements need to be made, improvements will be made. "

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said the state will provide resources to fund alert systems currently used in other Texas communities.

Gov. Greg Abbott said flood assistance would be a priority in the upcoming special legislative session.

Officials say rescue efforts began when two Kerrville Police officers rescued people in Hunt as the flood waters began to rise. 

Kerrville Police Sgt. Jonathan Lamb said at a press conference Wednesday that other officers joined in the rescue efforts in the hours that followed.

"They rescued people out of vehicles. They rescued people out of homes that were already flooding, pulling them out of windows."

Lamb says officers evacuated over 100 homes and evacuated and rescued over 200 people in the initial hours of the flooding.

In the wake of the deadly floods in Central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott for quickly approving a major disaster declaration for Kerr County, the hardest-hit area.

"The swift and very robust action by President Trump is an extraordinary help to our response," Abbott said.

The declaration unlocked federal money to assist with the disaster response. That includes paying for debris removal, for search and rescue experts who are working around the clock, and for housing, food and other immediate necessities for those who lost homes in the floods.

But such assistance may not be available in the future.

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Greg Allen

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NPR

For a large group of volunteers, the search for victims of begins every morning 鈥� before sunrise 鈥� in the parking lot of a Walmart in Kerrville.

It's an effort led by Thad Heartfield.

Standing in the center, ringed by volunteers, they start with a prayer. Then he says, "Let's gather in close and I'll give you a briefing." Heartfield isn't normally an emergency worker. He's an attorney from Beaumont, Texas. His family had a house in Hunt, an unincorporated community on the Guadalupe River.

On the , Heartfield's son was staying there with three friends.

"I was on the phone with him at 4 a.m. when they were washed away from the home," he says. "The water just overwhelmed them. We're still missing my son, Aidan Heartfield, and Ella Cahill."

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Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic鈥檚 emergency planning just two days before killed more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children.

The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding 鈥減rocedures to be implemented in case of a disaster.鈥� Among them: instructing campers what to do if they need to evacuate and assigning specific duties to each staff member and counselor.

Five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press do not offer any details of those plans at Mystic, raising new questions about the camp鈥檚 preparedness ahead of the torrential July 4 rainfall in flood-prone Texas Hill Country.

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Kerrville held its first city council meeting Tuesday evening since the devastating Fourth of July floods. The city renewed its disaster declaration and began discussing how the cleanup will work.

The city plans to use 28 acres of soccer fields to pile up tree debris.

"We need a massive amount of space,鈥� said assistant city manager Michael Hornes. 鈥淚'm not sure exactly the numbers of debris, but it's in the millions of cubic yards, and it's kind of an unimaginable concept."

Kerr County officials are asking residents to delay cleaning their properties until debris drop-off sites are established. .

Kerr County enacted a burn ban earlier this week after debris fires were interfering with search efforts.

The city must also repair a water plant, as well as bridges and sidewalks.

The search operation continues to find all who went missing during the flood.

"I wish to God there was a way we could have warned them,鈥� said Mayor Joe Herring Jr.

In his first press conference after the deadly floods last weekend, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said unequivocally that the area did not have an emergency alert system.

鈥淲e have no warning system,鈥� he said on the morning of July 4, just hours after the Guadalupe River topped its banks. When pushed about why evacuations did not occur earlier, Kelly doubled down. 鈥淲e didn't know this flood was coming. Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming. 鈥�This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.鈥�

And when asked Tuesday at what time warnings were issued, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he was focused on search and rescue.

鈥淚t's not that easy, and you just push a button. Okay? There's a lot more to that, and we've told you several times,鈥� he said. A reporter then asked, 鈥淒id it happen?鈥� to which Leitha responded, 鈥淚 can't tell you at this time.鈥�

But The Texas Newsroom has learned that not only does the county have a mass-alert system for public emergencies, first responders asked that it be triggered early Friday morning.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced during a press conference on Tuesday that 161 people remain unaccounted for throughout the Hill Country.

鈥淲e will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,鈥� Abbott said.

Among them are five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor, Abbott said.

It was a miraculous story: two girls rescued alive, nearly 30 feet up in a tree, two days after a devastating flood hit the Texas Hill Country and claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

The story was reported in local media and shared hundreds of times across several social media platforms. It was an inspiring tale, giving people a glimmer of hope during a tumultuous time.

But just as quickly as it spread, the story was debunked by state and local officials as an all-too-common case of misinformation during a disaster.

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Dominic Anthony Walsh

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Houston Public Media

Across the Texas Hill Country, flood survivors are returning to homes filled with mud, debris and sewage 鈥� some with wildlife still swimming through hallways. In Ingram and other hard-hit areas, families are sorting through waterlogged furniture, ruined keepsakes and collapsed walls.

Despite the devastation, many are focused on what they still have: their lives, their loved ones and support from neighbors.

"We lost everything inside the home, but we have our lives," Lilia Herrera said.

Austin Pets Alive! has been working in Kerrville and surrounding areas, focusing on:

• Emergency sheltering and vet care for rescued animals
• Reuniting pets with their families whenever possible
• Transporting adoptable pets to safer areas to free up space in local shelter.

Courtesy of Austin Pets Alive!

APA! is urging the public to donate only through official channels to avoid scams. Monetary support is most needed.

David Beebe and his family narrowly escaped the flood鈥檚 wrath thanks to their intimate knowledge of the land. Staying at a riverfront home built on high stilts, they spotted risk early 鈥� about 3:45 a.m. 鈥� when relentless rain intensified.

The state has mobilized a slew of resources to support flood recovery efforts, including more than 1,700 personnel and nearly 1,000 vehicles.

More than 20 state agencies are now active across the affected region. Texas remains at a Level II escalated emergency response 鈥� one step below the highest alert level 鈥� as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a press conference today at 3 p.m. to update the public on the state鈥檚 response to the deadly floods. He鈥檚 expected to speak on emergency operations, aid efforts and ongoing recovery.

Check back here for coverage following the governor鈥檚 remarks.

Members of Pat Green鈥檚 family are among those unaccounted for following the floods that ravaged Texas over the weekend.

The Fort Worth-based country singer鈥檚 younger brother, sister-in-law and two of their children are missing, according to an Instagram post from Green鈥檚 wife.

Lt. Col. Ben Baker with the Texas Game Wardens gave an update on search efforts at a press conference on Tuesday.

"It's extremely treacherous, time consuming. It's dirty work," he said. "The water's still there. So we're having to go layer by layer, peeling these off to make those recoveries."

Baker said the game wardens have conducted more than 400 rescues and 30 recoveries.

He says additional rain this week could potentially alter, but not deter, search and recovery efforts.

Officials say a private drone collided with a rescue helicopter in Kerr County on Monday, forcing it to make an emergency landing and rendering it out of service.

Airspace is restricted over the search zone.

Kerr County Commissioners also approved a burn ban on Monday after burning debris was interfering with search and rescue efforts along the Guadalupe River.

"We already have enough obstacles we're going through in the search and rescue," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. "This could hamper [it] in several ways. We're worried about our aircraft, we're worried about drones, we're worried about it putting off heat. What do we look for at night? We look for a heat source."

Heat put off by fires interferes with heat-detecting equipment being used in the search process.

Homeowners and renters impacted by the floods may qualify for federal assistance, including temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss, or other disaster-caused needs.

Priscilla Rice

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KERA News

A North Texas man from Mesquite who has made it his life鈥檚 mission to find missing people is helping others search for their loved ones following this weekend鈥檚 flooding along the Guadalupe River.

鈥淚鈥檓 exhausted,鈥� said Alfonso Solis, who spent the weekend offering support to first responders. He came back to his residence in Mesquite on Monday for some respite and to see his family 鈥� but plans to return to Kerr County on Tuesday to continue the work.

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Michael Minasi

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KUT News

Flash floods struck Austin-area counties over the holiday weekend. Homes were swamped, bridges washed out and at least 14 people were killed across AG真人百家乐, Williamson and Burnet counties, with many still missing. Read more from KUT News.

The Texas Hill Country 鈥� spanning Kerrville and Central Texas 鈥� is part of what meteorologists call 鈥渇lash flood alley,鈥� a landscape marked by steep limestone hills and winding rivers that unleash sudden, destructive floods when heavy rain hits.

Camp Mystic, the 99-year-old Christian girls' summer retreat nestled on the banks of the Guadalupe River, was more than a camp 鈥� it was 鈥渕y favorite place in the entire world,鈥� recalled former camper Lauren Garcia. Now, the popular all-girls camp set among limestone hills 80 miles northwest of San Antonio is the site of an unfolding tragedy.

Survivors need to find out how to rebuild their lives. People from throughout the region, the state and the nation are eager to assist them in some way.

Pickup trucks lie half-submerged in fields of debris. Family photo albums, mud-caked and torn, are scattered where homes once stood. The aftermath of catastrophic flash floods has left the Texas Hill Country reeling.

Among the dead are 27 children who were attending Camp Mystic, a Christian girls鈥� summer camp that became the heart of one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history.