Joe Espinoza carefully probed the floodplain mud with his pitchfork and discovered the red door of an old Chrysler, wondering if the rest of the vehicle was buried beneath the surface. Alongside his wife and two friends—fellow volunteers from Kerrville, Texas—they were scouring the banks of the Guadalupe River, searching for neighbors swept away by the devastating floods on July 4.
After prying the door loose, the group found nothing but thick mud underneath, a common disappointment in this grueling search effort.
This scenario has repeated itself countless times for the hundreds of searchers looking for more than 100 people still unaccounted for along the Guadalupe River. According to Sergeant Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department, over 2,100 search personnel from 12 states have gathered in Kerr County, Texas. These include public safety workers from states such as Nebraska, Louisiana, Virginia, and even volunteers from Mexico. Indiana alone contributed members from 15 different fire and police departments.
In addition to official responders, dozens of volunteer groups from across the country have arrived, some funded by donations enabling private flights into Kerrville-Kerr County Airport to begin their search promptly.
The painstaking work is often met with frustration, as promising leads frequently turn out to be false hopes.
“You think you’ve found something that could help—a body or even just a driver’s license,” said Evan Cervantes, 34, who joined Espinoza on Thursday after their shifts as psychiatric nursing assistants at Kerrville State Hospital. “But then you find nothing.”
Despite the challenges, a strong sense of community and solidarity fuels the searchers’ determination.
“It’s inspiring to witness so many people coming together to assist in the search,” said Amy Vanlandingham, 38, a Kerrville resident who spent hours combing the riverbanks on Thursday. “This is our town. I do this so I can find peace of mind.”
0 Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!