Number missing in Texas floods drops from 97 to 3, officials say
The city of Kerrville, Texas, said the Kerr County Flood Disaster Joint Information Center confirmed that "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."
'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.
On July 15, Gov. Greg Abbott said 97 people were still listed as missing in the greater Kerrville area, down from 160-plus about a week ago.
'This remarkable progress reflects countless hours of coordinated search and rescue operations, careful investigative work, and an unwavering commitment to bringing clarity and hope to families during an unimaginably difficult time,' Rice said.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly thanked law enforcement and others who helped verify the number missing. 'Your dedication, professionalism, and compassion have brought comfort and answers to so many."
Kelly had said earlier that a large percentage of those unaccounted for were probably visiting the area. He said many tourists had come for the Independence Day weekend fireworks and concert. Historic flooding overwhelmed the banks of the Guadalupe River in the predawn hours of July 4.
Recovery operations are continuing to search for those still missing. As of July 17, Abbott said, the death toll stood at 135 statewide, with 116 from Kerr County perishing in the floods.
Contributing: John Bacon
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Number missing in Texas floods July 4 drops to 3 as officials cut list
Solve the daily Crossword

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Teenage motorcyclist killed in western Minnesota crash
A teenage motorcyclist was killed in a crash in western Minnesota Monday afternoon, authorities said. The crash happened around 2:15 p.m. at southbound Highway 23 and Travis Road in Marshall, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. The 16-year-old boy driving the motorcycle died at the scene. The other driver, a 67-year-old woman in a Subaru, was not hurt. The patrol released few other details about the crash. The teenager has not been publicly identified. Marshall is about 150 miles west of Minneapolis.


Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Fetterman cheers ICE arrests of illegal alien child sex offenders, Luna calls for death penalty
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's apprehension of illegal alien child sex offenders, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., advocated for the individuals to face the death penalty. ICE noted in a Monday press release that it "arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor." "I don't support or agree with all of ICE's tactics or actions. I do fully support moves like these. This makes our nation more secure and all our children safer," Fetterman said in a post on X. Responding to the news about the ICE arrests, Luna said in a post on X, "Skip deportation. Go directly to the death penalty. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200." According to the ICE press release, one of the individuals arrested was "Jose Guadalupe Meza, a 40-year-old, four-time deported criminal alien from Mexico who was arrested June 24 and has been convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. ICE removed Guadalupe Meza to Mexico June 25." The news comes amid the Trump administration's crackdown on border and immigration enforcement. Fetterman has previously expressed support for ICE's work, describing any calls for the abolition of the agency as "inappropriate" as well as "outrageous." "Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders," ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director Paul McBride noted, according to the press release.


CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
‘This person was determined': Retired FBI supervisory special agent on NYC gunman
Retired FBI supervisory special agent Jason Pack joins MJ Lee on 'Early Start' to discuss the shooting in which a lone gunman killed four people in Midtown Manhattan before fatally shooting himself in the deadliest gun attack in New York City in 25 years.