In brief
In the wake of devastating floods that struck Kerr County, Texas, more than 400 emergency calls unveiled the desperation of families and individuals clinging to life. Pleas for rescue came from rooftops, treetops, and submerged homes, as the flooding claimed over 136 lives statewide, including 117 in Kerr County. This catastrophic event has raised questions about preparedness and response, drawing scrutiny from officials and survivors alike.
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Many of the voices were frantic and desperate. A few were steady and calm amid mounting, frightening danger, and in some cases, inescapable doom.
They came from families huddled on rooftops to escape rising, swirling waters, mothers panicked for the wellbeing of their children, and onlookers who heard people yell for help through the dark as they clung to treetops.
One man, stuck high in a tree as it began to break under the pressure of the floodwaters, asked emergency dispatchers for a helicopter rescue that never came.
Their pleas were among more than 400 calls for help across Kerr County last summer when devastating floods hit during the overnight hours on the July Fourth holiday. The recordings of the 911 calls were released Friday.
“There’s water filling up super fast, we can’t get out of our cabin,” a camp counselor told a dispatcher above the screams of campers in the background. “We can’t get out of our cabin, so how do we get to the boats?”
Amazingly, everyone in the cabin and the rest of the campers at Camp La Junta were rescued.
The flooding killed at least 136 people statewide during the holiday weekend, including at least 117 in Kerr County alone. Most were from Texas, but others came from Alabama, California, and Florida, according to a list released by county officials.
One woman called for help as the water closed in on her house near Camp Mystic, a century-old summer camp for girls, where 25 campers and two teenage counselors died.
Many residents in the hard-hit Texas Hill Country have said they were caught off guard and didn’t receive any warning when the floods overtopped the Guadalupe River. Kerr County leaders have faced scrutiny about whether they did enough right away, with some officials admitting they were asleep during the initial hours of flooding.
The recordings show the chaos of the rescue efforts as dispatchers guided residents to higher ground while comforting those in distress.
In heartbreaking calls, some individuals climbed higher as the waters rose, desperately communicating their worsening situations, leading to an urgent plea for assistance.
