Kerrville community mourns as flood recovery begins

Five days after catastrophic flooding swept through Central Texas, the true scope of the disaster is still coming into focus.

(NBC)- Five days after catastrophic flooding swept through Central Texas, the true scope of the disaster is still coming into focus — and for many, it’s difficult to comprehend. “This is unprecedented,” said Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice. “Unprecedented flood events.”

In some areas, walls of water rose as high as 30 feet, tearing through homes, businesses, and entire communities. The destruction stretches for miles, with roads, parks, and structures reduced to rubble. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring urged patience and compassion as the search continues: “I need to tell my community and those families who are waiting. This will be a rough week.”

More than 100 people are confirmed dead, and officials fear that number will rise. Dozens are still missing. At the Dietert Community Center — a local gathering space for seniors for over 50 years — the cleanup is underway. Floodwaters have been pushed out, soaked carpets removed, and sheetrock cut away. But Executive Director Brenda Thompson says the focus remains on what really matters.

“They have had bodies yesterday, day before yesterday, right here — I mean, right here in my backyard,” she said. Like many in Kerrville, Thompson is mourning friends still unaccounted for, and others who have lost children. “We’ll never be the same,” she said. “We’ll never ever forget this. It’ll be close in our heart, and in our mind, and in our soul. But we will be strong.”