43 dead, Tivy coach and his wife among the dead, missing list remains long

It was the longest day for Kerrville and Kerr County residents as rescue and recovery teams scoured the Guadalupe River, searching for any glimmer of life in a violently reshaped landscape that is hard for many to comprehend.

Saturday’s news was continually grim, with the death toll rising after each successive press briefing. By evening, 43 people were confirmed dead, including 15 children, from the catastrophic flooding that began early Friday morning when the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.

The death toll will continue to rise, with officials searching for dozens of missing people, including more than 20 girls from Camp Mystic.

As evening crept in on Saturday, a devastating exclamation point was delivered when it was confirmed that Tivy High School boys soccer coach Reece Zunker and his wife, Paula, were found dead. The couple’s two children remain missing.

Kerrville Independent School District Superintendent Brent Ringo said he had no words to describe the loss of the Zunkers. Ringo wept during a conversation with The Kerr County Lead.

“I just can’t believe this,” said an emotional Ringo. Reece Zunker was recently named the district’s Outstanding Secondary Teacher.

Community Leaders Among the Lost

As the first 36 hours passed, stories emerged of familiar faces lost in the Kerr County community. The death of Dick Eastland of Camp Mystic was another blow to a disaster already defined by the loss of Heart of the Hills Girls Camp Director Jane Ragsdale, vocal champions of the region’s historic summer camp business.

For some residents along the river, the cleanup revealed devastating discoveries. One family reported finding the body of a small child in a wrecked camper that washed up against the bank just east of Francisco Lemos Street.

“Flood waters came through. It was a wall of water that came inside. We mucked it out yesterday, but today is debris removal,” a resident said as police delicately removed the body. “They sadly pulled a small child’s body from behind where the trailer is there. We’re still going. They say we might find more sadly.”

Unprecedented Water Power

The flood shattered all previous records with water volumes that stunned hydrologists. Upper Guadalupe River Authority General Manager Tara Bushnoe said the Guadalupe River at Kerrville peaked at approximately 147,000 cubic feet per second. The 1987 flood reached 141,000 cfs, while the 1932 flood was estimated at 196,000 cfs. For context, a minor flood last July reached 14,000 cfs.

USGS data shows the river rose 22 feet in just 45 minutes at Kerrville, from 14.4 feet at 6 a.m. to 36.6 feet at 6:45 a.m. Friday. The water rose so fast that pressure sensors in monitoring equipment could not keep up with the surge.

At Hunt, the river gauge recorded a rise from 9 feet to 21 feet in less than two hours before the equipment was destroyed by floodwaters.

Massive Search Operation

Hundreds of first responders continued ground and aerial search efforts along the Guadalupe River. Teams completed a primary search of about 100 meters on either side of the river from one mile north of Camp Mystic through Hunt and Ingram.

“We will continue until we find the last body,” officials said during an evening briefing.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration at the Hill Country Youth Event Center Friday night, providing “limitless” state resources to nine counties. The state deployed 14 helicopters, hundreds of personnel and extensive equipment to the disaster zone.

Texas National Guard Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer reported that helicopters had rescued or evacuated 237 people, including 167 by helicopter. Col. Freeman Martin of the Texas Department of Public Safety brought more than 100 troopers to the area, with DPS deploying 170 personnel, 167 four-wheel drive vehicles and 53 boats.

Infrastructure Devastated

The flooding devastated infrastructure across the region. Kerrville will likely operate on well water for approximately four weeks as surface water is contaminated with debris, chemicals and gasoline.

Kerrville Public Utility Board CEO and General Manager Mike Wittler said there are 40 downed power poles along the South Fork of the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic, Crider’s Dance Hall and Rodeo and Casa Bonita, where many people are missing. More than 50 contract workers are working to restore power to the area, which Wittler described as a difficult job.

Approximately 600 utility customers remain without power, primarily west of Ingram and south of Highway 39 along the South Fork near Hunt. Restoration is expected to be “lengthy and complex,” with customers advised to prepare for multi-day outages.

Mayor Joe Herring Jr. provided footage from a helicopter tour of the south fork area showing a mud-covered landscape at the landmark Crider’s Dance Hall and Rodeo.

Weather Predictions Failed

Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the rainfall that triggered the disaster was never forecasted. Original National Weather Service predictions called for 3-6 inches in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country.

“The amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts,” Kidd said.

City Manager Dalton Rice described the sudden onset: at 3 a.m., the river had no water, but within hours it had risen about 26 feet. Rice said he was out at 3:30 a.m. with light rain and no signs of the river rising, but by 5 a.m., emergency calls began flooding in.

Officials described the event as a “massive tragedy” hitting areas at 100-year flood levels. Rainfall predictions were “definitely off,” with almost double the anticipated water falling in both the north and south forks of the Guadalupe River, which then converged on Kerrville.

Relief Efforts Mobilize

Companies and nonprofit organizations across Texas mobilized emergency aid for flood victims. The Uvalde Foundation for Kids launched an emergency fundraising campaign and is seeking volunteers to assist in search efforts for missing Camp Mystic campers.

The Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce established the Kerrville Area Rebuilding and Recovery Fund to support business recovery efforts, providing assistance for repairs, façade improvements, signage, utility bills and gap funding for Chamber members whose businesses were flood-impacted.

AT&T and T-Mobile deployed emergency communications assets and are providing free services to flood victims. AT&T is waiving overage charges to provide unlimited talk, text and data for customers in affected zip codes through Aug. 3.

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country established the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, accessible at https://tinyurl.com/KerrFloodRelief.

Missing Person Resources

A missing person’s call center is operating at 830-258-1111. Kerr County officials announced reunification centers at Ingram Elementary and The Arcadia Live in Kerrville, with additional shelter locations including Schreiner University, Calvary Temple Church and Notre Dame Catholic Church.

Officials warned that further weather conditions could trigger additional flash flooding in the already saturated region. Daily press conferences will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., starting Sunday, as officials continue to coordinate the massive search and recovery effort.