The number of people reported as missing following the historical floods on July 4 in Kerr County, Texas, has fallen from a peak of more than 160 to three, and many are now verified as insurance, authorities said on Saturday.
“Extensive monitoring work” and “extraordinary efforts” were accredited with the reduction after 173 people throughout the state were reported as disappeared in the middle of two -story flood waters, authorities said almost almost in almost Identical statements of Kerr County and the city of Kerville.
“This remarkable progress reflects innumerable hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful research work and an unwavering commitment to provide clarity and hope to families for a moment unimaginably difficult,” said Dalton Rice, manager of the city of Kerville, Dalton Rice in the statements.
Dozens and dozen people reported missing by loved ones were removed from a list of missing people after their safety was verified, authorities said.
“Many people who were initially reported as missing have been verified as safe and eliminated from the list,” said the statements of the city and the county. “This has been a continuous effort since researchers worked diligently to verify the reports of missing persons and confirm their status.”
County officials did not immediately respond to a more information request on Saturday. It was not clear if any factor, such as the return of the cell phone service interrupted by the storm, may have been instrumental in the location of the initially reported as missing.
The rapid increase in flood water in the early hours of July 4 was extended through summer bungalows adjacent in the river, washed cars outside the roads and left some survivors clung to trees.
A “flood wave” also swept the Guadalupe River, rapidly increasing its depth and harmful structures along its banks. Federal weather data showed that Guadalupe, which is going through Kerville and Kerr County, uploaded 26 feet in 45 minutes.
At least 27 staff and staff members died in Camp Mystic, which housed more than 750 children when it was flooded by the sudden floods of the river.
The resident warning process is under scrutiny, since the Federal Public Alert and Integrated Warning system was not used to send texts of the emergency alert system to cell phone users in the region.
Senator Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, earlier this week asked for a formal investigation into the response of the National Security Department to floods.
President Donald Trump toured Kerville damaged the flood last week and defended the position of his administration, saying that the federal response was immediate. The Secretary of National Security, Kristi Noem, was “there from the beginning,” said the president.
State and local officials have also had to deal with criticism of the lack of timely alerts sent to residents before floods.
“It happened so fast that nobody could have anticipated it,” said Kerville City administrator Dalton Rice, A NBC News this week, arguing that the historical and overwhelming nature of floods could barely be avoided with the best warnings and forecasts.
