Death toll rises to 95, Sheriff Leitha faces hostile questions about alerts

The death toll from Friday’s catastrophic flooding climbed to 95 on Wednesday as officials promised a comprehensive review of emergency response protocols while defending their focus on finding 161 people still missing.

Sheriff Larry Leitha acknowledged increasingly combative questions from the national media about the timeline of emergency alerts and response decisions but asked for patience as search operations continue for missing victims across the disaster zone.

“Please y’all listen to those words: after action,” Leitha said. “Those questions are going to be answered. I believe those questions need to be answered to the family of the missed loved ones, to the public, to the people that put me in this office.”

The updated death toll includes 59 adults and 36 children, with 14 adults and 13 children still unidentified. Five Camp Mystic campers and one counselor remain among the 161 missing in Kerr County.

Sheriff Defends Priorities

Leitha, a 36-year law enforcement veteran, said his immediate priority is providing closure to families rather than addressing questions about emergency response protocols during the disaster.

“What is worse, a death notification or telling somebody, ‘I don’t know where your loved one was?’ That’s my priority,” Leitha said, noting he visits families of missing persons twice daily.

The sheriff faced pointed questions about a six-hour gap between the first flood alert at 1:14 a.m. Friday and issuing a Code Red emergency alert to residents. He said all such questions will be addressed in the future review.

“We’re not running and we’re not going to hide from anything,” Leitha said, though he could not provide a timeline for when the review would be completed.

Geographic Challenges

Sgt. Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department detailed how the area’s geography complicated rescue efforts during the early morning flooding.

He explained that Highway 39 “crisscrosses the Guadalupe again and again and again” through numerous low-water crossings. When these crossings flood, they “create islands where you can’t get in and you can’t get out, trapping people in their homes, trapping people in vehicles.”

This geographic reality became apparent when a patrol sergeant living in Hunt found himself trapped on what Lamb described as “an island that was Hunt, Texas” after reaching the intersection of FM 1340 and Highway 39, where he observed dozens of people trapped on roofs and in swift-moving water.

Massive Search Operation

More than 2,100 people are now involved in search and recovery efforts, including over 2,000 additional personnel supplementing the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.

Captain Jason Waldrip detailed ongoing operations targeting “deeply impacted flood debris along the river” where large trees, vehicles and home structures have created bottlenecks. Search teams are using excavators and skid loaders with ground spotters to systematically remove debris.

The coordinated effort includes a local construction company, Texas Department of Public Safety, Kerr County fire departments and a fire department from Acuña, Mexico.

Officials warned the public to avoid areas where heavy excavators are working due to safety concerns and operators’ limited visibility.

Heroic First Responder Actions

Lamb recounted dramatic rescue efforts during the early morning hours of July 4, when officers evacuated more than 100 homes and rescued over 200 people in the first hour.

In Hunt, a patrol sergeant and detective worked for 13 hours alongside volunteer firefighters and an emergency room doctor, rescuing “dozens of people trapped on roofs” and treating injuries until other emergency workers could reach the area.

“I don’t know how many lives our KPD team saved in an hour in Kerrville, but I know that this tragedy, as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse,” Lamb said.

One officer, sent home for a well-deserved day off, instead volunteered to join a ground search party along the Guadalupe River to search for victims.

Mayor Addresses Preparedness Questions

Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said questions about emergency preparedness and warning systems will be reviewed “at the appropriate time” but declined to speculate about past decisions.

When asked about Governor Abbott’s statement that resources were provided two days before the disaster, Herring said he didn’t have that information and couldn’t confirm what assets were available.

Regarding flood warning systems that had been discussed previously by the county, Herring said he’s “more focused on the future than the past” and noted the upcoming special legislative session will address flood prevention measures.