Texas officials revise number of people missing in Kerr County following catastrophic flooding down to 3

(CNN) — Texas officials have revised the number of people missing in the catastrophic floods in Kerr County, Texas, from 97 people down to three on Saturday.

“Through extensive follow-up work among state and local agencies, many individuals who were initially reported as missing have been verified as safe and removed from the list,” the City of Kerrville said in a news release.

The historic flooding event killed at least 135 people in the state over the July 4 weekend and kicked off a massive search through mud and debris for those unaccounted for along the Guadalupe River in central Texas.

Authorities said that following the floods, hundreds were reported missing and that through efforts with the Texas Department of Public Safety, that number has now been revised down.

“While the updated figure offers some relief, searchers remain focused on reuniting the three individuals who are still unaccounted for with their families,” Kerrville Police Department public information officer Jonathan Lamb said in a news release Sunday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had said Monday that the flooding left 101 people missing statewide, including 97 people in Kerr County. Authorities would continue to search for those missing and identify the victims, Abbott said, advising it can take a few days and suggesting that number could be revised down.

Officials said Saturday recovery operations will continue throughout the Guadalupe River watershed for those still missing.

“We are profoundly grateful to the more than 1,000 local, state, and federal authorities who have worked tirelessly in the wake of the devastating flood that struck our community,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said. “Thanks to their extraordinary efforts, the number of individuals previously listed as missing has dropped from over 160 to three.”

One person remains missing about 150 miles away in Travis County and another is missing in Burnet County, officials told CNN Saturday.

The updated count in Kerr County comes about two weeks after torrential downpours in the overnight hours of July 4 transformed the Guadalupe River into a roaring flood, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and trees. At least 107 people in Kerr County alone died, including 37 children, and at least 161 others in the county were initially reported missing.

The disaster has led to serious questions about how local officials prepared for the possibility of flooding in the months and years beforehand, how they acted as the Guadalupe River swelled from 3 feet to 30 feet in just 45 minutes on July 4, and how officials have responded in its destructive aftermath.

At a Kerr County commissioners meeting Monday, Sheriff Larry Leitha said his office’s search and recovery efforts will “go strong for another month or two,” and could last up to six months. The sheriff’s office said 2,200 people from multiple agencies have been deployed to assist in the recovery efforts.

The search included 60 miles of river, murky waters, thick mud and seemingly insurmountable piles of debris. A small army of searchers from across the US and even Mexico have worked through perilous terrain – aided by helicopters, drones and boats, as well as dogs and mules.

More than 1,000 first responders and thousands of volunteers were involved in the response, Kerr County Emergency Operations Center Unified Command said Saturday.

The people who were listed as missing are not campers or local residents, but tourists who came in for the holiday – and officials didn’t know how many were lost, County Judge Rob Kelly said earlier this week.

Kerr County is expected to host a meeting Tuesday for those in the area impacted by the flood.

What happened July Fourth weekend

Months’ worth of torrential rain fell in the span of just hours, sending river levels surging and triggering deadly flash flooding in western and central Texas on July Fourth weekend.

For many families, the gravest warnings about the deadly weather in Texas Hill Country arrived too late. Some were asleep, while others — used to extreme weather in the region — remained awake, listening to heavy downpours and thunder that rattled their homes.

At Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp, 27 campers and counselors were killed by the raging waters.

The camp is located along the Guadalupe River’s floodplain – which rose more than 20 feet in less than two hours overnight into the July Fourth holiday.

Abbott has emphasized the unprecedented scale of the flooding and highlighted the coordinated response between state, local and federal agencies in ongoing recovery and relief efforts.

“I think it’s the largest flood in the history of Texas, and more people lost their lives in Kerrville than those who lost their lives in Hurricane Harvey just to understand the magnitude of it,” Abbott said at a Thursday news conference.

Now that the storm has passed, Abbott said, housing has become a major concern and the disaster recovery center is working to address those needs.

“That’s another thing that we will talk about in the course of the special session that’s upcoming,” Abbott added.

The governor issued a proclamation for the July 21 Texas special legislative session to address flood warning systems, emergency communications and relief funding for victims.

Some of the special session agenda items include legislation aimed at strengthening communications — specifically in flood-prone areas across the state — as well as “legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters,” according to the statement.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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