It has been four days since catastrophic floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country, leaving more than 100 people dead and destroying homes and businesses across multiple counties.
At a press conference Tuesday morning at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, emotions ran high as reporters pressed local officials about the flood response timeline. Several asked about the critical hours between the first flash flood emergency alert at 1:14 a.m. and when the river began rising rapidly.
One reporter asked, “What specific discussions and actions were taken between the time the first flood emergency alert came in at 1:14 a.m. and when the river first started flooding?”
Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha responded that his first notification came between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.
“One of my sergeants was in dispatch when the first 911 calls started coming in,” he said. “We are in the process of trying to put a timeline together. That is going to take a little bit of time. As I’ve told you several times, that is not my priority at this time. There are three priorities: locating the people out there, identifying them, and notifying next of kin. That is my job as sheriff.”
Multiple reporters followed up, asking whether an emergency manager was on duty and if an emergency alert was issued in those early hours.
“With respect, sir, the community is asking these questions,” a reporter said. “What happened? When did it happen? Was the emergency manager awake at the time? Did they push the button to issue an emergency alert?”
Sheriff Leitha responded, “Sir, it’s not that easy where you just push a button. There’s a lot more to that. And we’ve told you several times, I can’t tell you at this time.”
When asked directly if the county’s emergency manager had issued an alert, the sheriff replied, “I’ll come back to you. I’m going nowhere.”
Another reporter asked who was in charge of the Emergency Operations Center during those early hours.
“We have a communication center, a dispatch,” the sheriff explained. “That’s where the calls go to the police department, then they’re forwarded to us.”
The back-and-forth reflected growing frustration from residents and reporters, many of whom want to know whether earlier warnings or evacuations could have made a difference.
Officials said their immediate focus remains on recovery efforts.
“All those questions will be answered,” Lt. Colonel Ben Baker with Texas Game Wardens said. “But the priority right now is bringing people home.”
As of Tuesday morning, 87 people have been confirmed dead, including 56 adults and 30 children. Authorities are still working to identify 19 adults and 7 children. One person remains unidentified. Five campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still missing.
The operation along the Guadalupe River remains massive and dangerous. So far, 300 game wardens have searched 26 miles of river, conducting 440 rescues and 30 recoveries. Resources on scene include two helicopters, 12 drone teams, 10 K9 units, nine boats, 15 airboats, 16 UTVs, and 169 four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Lt. Colonel Baker described the difficult conditions first responders are facing.
“It’s very hazardous, and those specialized teams have to go in there layer by layer, because the safety of our first responders is also a concern,” he said. “It’s extremely treacherous, time-consuming, dirty work. The water is still there, so we’re having to go layer by layer to make those recoveries.”
Mental health teams are also on-site to support crews coping with the traumatic task of recovering flood victims.
“It’s very tragic whenever you see human life, but to see a child with a loss of life is extremely tragic,” Baker added.
More rain is expected in the area, and rising water remains a concern for ongoing recovery operations. Some of the recovered bodies have been released to families, but officials have not yet provided an update on how many people remain missing.
The next scheduled press briefing is expected at 5 p.m.