KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Many of the voices were frantic and desperate. A few were steady and calm amid mounting, frightening danger, and in some cases, inescapable doom.
They came from families huddled on rooftops to escape rising, swirling waters, mothers panicked for the wellbeing of their children and onlookers who heard people yell for help through the dark as they clung to treetops.
One man, stuck high in a tree as it began to break under the pressure of the floodwaters, asked emergency dispatchers for a helicopter rescue that never came.
Their pleas were among more than 400 calls for help across Kerr County last summer when devastating floods hit during the overnight hours on the July Fourth holiday. The sheer volume of calls overwhelmed county emergency dispatchers as catastrophic flooding inundated cabins and youth camps along the Guadalupe River.
Amazingly, everyone in the cabin and the rest of campers at Camp La Junta were rescued. However, the flooding killed at least 136 people statewide during the holiday weekend, including at least 117 in Kerr County alone.
Many residents in the hard-hit Texas Hill Country felt they were caught off guard when the floods overtopped the Guadalupe River. Kerr County leaders have faced scrutiny about whether they did enough right away, with reports indicating that officials were unaware during the initial hours of the flooding.
The Associated Press compiled a chronology of the chaotic rescue efforts using recordings from 911 calls and communications, illustrating the desperate situation faced by many as they climbed higher in their homes to escape the encroaching waters.
With heavy emotional weight, the dispatcher’s words resonated with the urgency of the situation as people sought comfort and reassurance in their darkest moments.
