00:00Oh, okay.
00:30Thank y'all for being here again today, Larry Lee, the Kerr County Sheriff.
00:38I'm going to kind of go over some brief notes with y'all real quick, then I'm going to pass
00:42it on to the mayor.
00:44Hundreds of first responders remain along the Guadalupe River and Kerr County working
00:49to reunite families.
00:50The large search and rescue effort, including local, state, federal, and volunteer agencies
00:56continue.
00:57As of 8 a.m. Central Time, 87 deceased have been recovered in Kerr County, including 56
01:04adults and 30 children.
01:07Identification is pending for 19 adults and seven children, with one additional person
01:12still unidentified.
01:14At present, five camp mystic campers and one counselor still remain unaccounted for.
01:20We ask private boats to stay off the Guadalupe River to allow search and rescue teams to operate
01:26without any interference.
01:29This is a tragic time for us.
01:31We're so grateful and thankful for all the resources that have been provided to us to do this job.
01:36I can assure you we will not stop until this mission is complete.
01:40At this time, I'm going to turn it over to City Mayor.
01:42Thank you for being here.
01:43I'm Joe Erring Jr.
01:44I'm Mayor of the City of Kerr County.
01:46I want to reassure our community and those families that the city, the county, the state,
01:49and that federal experts are working together, not separately, but as one team.
01:54If you go inside the Emergency Operations Center, you don't see silos.
01:56You see one team.
01:57Thank you for being here.
01:58Thank you for being here.
01:59I'm Joe Erring Jr.
02:00I'm Mayor of the City of Kerr County.
02:02I want to talk briefly about in-kind donations.
02:15The outpouring of generosity has been tremendous.
02:19And we are grateful.
02:36We are working on a new system to accept donations.
02:40When those plans are complete, we will post them online on the City's Facebook page.
02:47We are grateful.
02:48We need a new system to handle the generosity of the world.
02:55Financial donations can still go to communityfoundation.net.
03:01That's the community foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
03:06Again, we are grateful for the generosity of the world.
03:12Over and over, I've asked you to pray.
03:15It occurred to me that I haven't asked you for what to pray specifically.
03:21For those who mourn, for those who wait, and for those who help.
03:28Now I'd like to call on Lieutenant Colonel Ben Baker.
03:35Good morning, everyone.
03:43Thank you for being here.
03:45My name is Ben Baker, Lieutenant Colonel for Texas Game Wardens.
03:49I'd like to start out by thanking the mayor, sheriff, chief, our local state partners, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the many others that have responded to this tragic event.
04:03We as Texas are strong, and together we face adversity.
04:10Your Texas Game Wardens responded in the early morning of Friday to this tragic event, along with many other local and state partners.
04:21Since the early morning of Friday, your Texas Game Wardens have had over 300 Game Wardens in the area serving the people of the state of Texas and the citizens of Kirk County.
04:33Among that, we've searched 26 river miles since this tragic event started.
04:40We've had approximately 444 rescues, 30 recoveries, some of our resources and assets we have dedicated to this tragic event include two helicopters with hoist teams, 12 drone teams, 10 K-9 units, 9 swift water boat crews, 15 airboats,
05:1016 UTVs, 16 UTVs, 16 UTVs, 169 four-wheel drive vehicles.
05:17Your Texas Game Wardens will remain here and serve in the community.
05:23We just ask you to continue to pray for the victims, for the families, for your first responders, for everyone involved.
05:34We'll open it up now to questions.
05:37Anybody have questions?
05:38Can you tell us about how challenging it is for you guys in the mud, the thick trees?
05:43What does it seem like to get the terrain?
05:45No, thank you for that question.
05:50Extremely challenging.
05:52You know, we've got, of course, your Texas Game Wardens out there, your local and your state partners, Texas Caps 4-1.
05:57We've got the National Forest Service out there.
05:59We've got A&M Forest Service.
06:00We've got numerous responders with specialized capabilities where we've got these large pile of debris.
06:07And with our K-9s and, you know, when we're trying to make these recoveries, these large piles can be very obstructed.
06:15And to get deep into these piles, it's very hazardous.
06:19And those specialized teams have to go in there layer by layer because our first responders also, the safety of them is concerned.
06:27So it's extremely treacherous, time consuming.
06:30It's dirty work.
06:32The water's still there.
06:34So we're having to go layer by layer peeling these off to make those recoveries.
06:39So we're-
06:42What about mentally?
06:43Like when you guys just down here are crossing our main decisions.
06:47How do you process that?
06:48Absolutely.
06:49We process the best we can.
06:53We have professionals in place, our crisis intervention team.
06:56All the agencies have some members representing there.
06:59And officer wellness is a, first responder wellness, is a key component to these operations.
07:06So we're maintaining and monitoring our officer wellness, our first responder wellness.
07:11We're making sure they have the support.
07:15It's very tragic whenever you see human life.
07:19But to see a child and that loss of life is extremely tragic.
07:25I have a question.
07:26More rain is expected to come down west of us and eventually it's going to get now to the Guadalupe River.
07:31Is that going to put a halt to the searches?
07:33And if not, how are you going to change the trajectory of the search and rescue operations?
07:38So with the water coming down, that's always a concern.
07:43And I'm sure you've been monitoring the last couple of days where we've had some reports.
07:47Maybe some additional water coming in.
07:49Obviously that's going to impact the search and recovery efforts.
07:52You know, us with numerous other agencies do have air capabilities, drone capabilities.
07:59We've got numerous fixed ring rotary helicopters here.
08:03So it will alter our patrol patterns and alter our searches, but it won't deter them.
08:10Can you outline what specific discussions and actions were taken between the time the first flood emergency alert came in at 1.14 a.m.
08:19And then when the river first started flooding homes, hours later, what were the specific actions and discussions that happened in those hours?
08:30Can you repeat that again, please?
08:31Sure, absolutely.
08:32I would like to know, if you could outline, please, what the specific actions and discussions were that local officials took between 1.14 a.m., that's when the first flood emergency alert came out, and hours later when the river first started flooding homes.
08:47What happened in those hours?
08:48Well, I can tell you, when I was first notified, it was around the 4 to 5 area.
08:53One of my sergeants was in dispatch when the first call started coming into actual 9-1-1 calls.
08:58And I was like a 4-1-1?
08:59It was between 4 and 5 when I got notified.
09:02Okay.
09:03But prior to that, in that 3 to 4 area, my understanding is, and we're in the process of trying to put a timeline.
09:08You know, that's going to take a little bit of time.
09:10As I've told you several times, that is not my priority this time.
09:13There's three priorities that's locating, locating the people out there, identifying, and notifying the next of kin.
09:18That is what I'm thinking is my job as sheriff here to do.
09:21Okay.
09:22With all due respect, sir, I think that the community here is asking these questions.
09:25What happened?
09:26When did it happen?
09:27Was the emergency manager awake at the time?
09:29Did they push the button to issue an emergency alert?
09:32Sir, it's not that easy when you just push a button.
09:35Okay.
09:36There's a lot more to that.
09:37We told you several times.
09:38Did it happen, sir?
09:39I can't tell you at this time.
09:41Okay.
09:42Tell me if the emergency manager of the county actually issued an emergency alert.
09:46Okay.
09:47Sheriff, who runs the emergency operations center?
09:49Let me answer the question.
09:50Who runs the emergency operations center?
09:52I'll come back to you.
09:53I'm going to work.
09:54Appreciate it.
09:55Who runs the emergency operations center?
09:57We have a communication center, a dispatch, okay?
09:59We have a communication center.
10:01That's where the calls actually go to the police department, then they're for it.
10:04But leading up to this, in monitoring the weather, there's, in any large city, in any state, there's an office of emergency management that is monitoring the weather, that is watching and listening and getting briefings.
10:18Who was getting those briefings in this city, in this county?
10:23Who was receiving that information?
10:25And who would have ultimately made the decision to evacuate, hearing what was coming in from the weather service and other people?
10:35Okay.
10:36When we get notified.
10:37Okay.
10:38But that, you're not an emergency manager though, right?
10:40The sheriff's not EOC.
10:41No.
10:42There is no EOC.
10:43Who is EOC?
10:44Yeah.
10:45So we understand you have many questions.
10:49Right.
10:50No, I understand, but you're going to go, you're not going to answer the question because that's up to the city manager and the mayor to answer those questions.
10:57We understand.
10:58That's the judge.
10:59Where is the judge?
11:00The judge is not here.
11:01We understand that.
11:02But right now, this team up here is focused on bringing people home.
11:06We understand that too.
11:07Because there are a number of questions that are being adopted.
11:10All those questions will be answered, but the priority right now is bringing people home.
11:15We totally understand that and we value the incredible work that is being done by those first responders.
11:20We're seeing them out there muddy and sweaty and grinding it out day after day.
11:24But your community is asking these questions.
11:27And we was.
11:28We were an emergency manager in the county.
11:30We didn't get the time.
11:31Okay.
11:32But who is focused?
11:33You should be able to answer who was in charge of the emergency operations center at the time that was getting any briefings.
11:41Do we have another question?
11:42If any briefings.
11:43I do.
11:44Do you want to focus on what local people can be looking for?
11:47We're looking at some erosion in roads and safety and then traveling.
11:52What can we tell people who live here right now and what they can do in their daily lives?
11:57Should they worry about traveling on roads?
11:59Do we know anything about that infrastructure?
12:01Sure.
12:02Absolutely.
12:03Jonathan Lamb, Corporal Police Department.
12:05So we know that there's substantial road damage.
12:09Some roads have been closed for safety.
12:11We've got crews out there in the county shoring them up and making sure that people can travel to and from.
12:17What we're asking for the public to do to assist us is if they believe that they have seen someone, a victim, notifying emergency services.
12:26Call 911 and let us know or use our non-emergency numbers.
12:30Bary code 830-257-8181.
12:33Contact our dispatch team and we will send officers out there.
12:37We also ask folks to limit their travel.
12:39Our first responders have had a very difficult time getting to where they need to go because of the amount of people who are flooding our roadways.
12:46We understand there's natural curiosity.
12:48People want to come here and see the flood damage.
12:51Now is not the time for sightseeing.
12:53This operation is ongoing and continuous.
12:56And it will continue.
12:57I've got time for one more question.
12:59Can you tell us when your last live rescue was?
13:01Last question.
13:04As far as I know, the last live rescue, unless there's new information, and I don't believe there is, was made on Friday.
13:11Have any of the bodies been released?
13:13Can someone answer if the bodies have been released to the families, Sheriff?
13:17Have the bodies been released to the families?
13:19Some.
13:20Some.
13:21How many are still missing?
13:23Do you have an estimate among the general population, not just the girls who missed it, even just credible reports?
13:28Is it hundreds still?
13:30Is there any estimate among the general population of how many people are still missing?
13:34I've told y'all several times that it's hard to know that number.
13:37I know the numbers that we have found.
13:39That's all.
13:40And you still don't want to tell us who we have found.
13:42So we're going to do more operations.
13:44The next time that we're going to be in front of y'all, we'll be at 5 p.m. right back here.
13:49If there is a critical update, again, we'll provide that information to you through the contact list that we have provided to us.
13:56Thank y'all.
13:57We appreciate this.
13:58Thank you, President.
13:59Thank you so much.
14:01Thank you, Mr.
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