KERR COUNTY, Texas – Five days after catastrophic flooding swept through the Hill Country, the search for survivors has essentially turned into a grim mission of recovery.
With at least 173 people still unaccounted for in Texas, volunteers and retired military members are combing through debris-strewn riverbanks in a desperate effort to provide families with closure.
Near Center Point Lake, along the Guadalupe River, the devastation is clear. Trees remain twisted and snapped in half. Excavators, temporarily parked, have spent days pulling apart massive piles of debris in hopes of locating the missing.
“Many of them are caught up in branches and trees underneath the water, and it’s going to require time,” retired Green Beret Pete “Doc” Chambers said. “That’s what makes it hard.”
Chambers said he has personally recovered four bodies since joining the search. He and other retired special forces members, first responders and volunteers have been working around the clock.
“There’s not one guy out there — knuckle-dragging, 250-pound guy — who won’t be balling tonight when he’s alone in his room,” Chambers said.
As of Wednesday, the confirmed death toll from the flooding was at 119 in Texas. Officials fear it could climb beyond 200 in the coming days.
“Yeah, I believe it will,” Chambers said when asked if he thought the toll would rise.
Still, amid the heartbreak, moments of humanity emerge.
A group of volunteers from Mathis and San Antonio set up a grill, handing out free burgers to first responders, families and anyone in need.
“A lot of them are really grateful,” said Leo Martinez, who made the drive from Mathis.
For some, the mission is deeply personal. Sammy Castaneda from San Antonio said he and his family joined recovery efforts after learning that a close friend had lost a loved one in the floods.
“We helped walk the river, seeing what we could find,” Castaneda said. Now, he and his family are back, no longer walking the river in an effort of rescue and recovery, but by trying to nourish physically and mentally those who are helping out.
Castaneda and Martinez said they’ve located the vehicle belonging to their friend’s missing loved one, but not the person. Still, through their grief, they chose to return and support others.
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