Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference following a briefing on Texas’ continued response to the recent severe flooding that impacted communities in San Angelo.
Abbott was joined by Sen. Charles Perry, Rep. Drew Darby, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Tom Green County Judge Lane Carter, San Angelo Mayor Tom Thompson, San Angelo Fire Department Chief Patrick Brody, and other state and local officials.
Recommended Videos
Abbott confirmed that at least 135 people have died in the July 4th flooding, including 116 in Kerrville.
“In a disaster, saving lives is the first and foremost thing that anybody should prioritize,” said Governor Abbott. “Our first responders have stepped up and saved so many lives across the entire region. We will continue the search for everybody that was affected by these devastating floods. At the same time, we are working with local officials and the community to go through the many stages of the recovery process. Texas is going to remain working in Tom Green County and across the state until the recovery is complete.”
Although the focus of the floods has been in Kerr County, Abbott noted that other surrounding counties, such as Tom Green County, also suffered a tremendous amount of damage from the catastrophic floods.
The governor said this was the largest flooding event in the history of Texas and that more lives were lost in this weather event than during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Abbott said a special legislative session will be held on Monday to address every need of residents who were impacted by the floods, including housing needs.
As for search and recovery efforts in Kerr County, officials said more than 1,000 local, state and federal responders, along with thousands of volunteers from across the country, are continuing their efforts to help the Kerr County community. Teams have been working on foot from the headwaters of the Guadalupe River to Canyon Lake and back, focused on bringing loved ones home to their families.
Officials have confirmed 107 deaths in Kerr County, including 70 adults and 37 children.