ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
We begin this hour in central Texas, where catastrophic flooding left scores dead and devastated homes and businesses over the holiday weekend. Officials, emergency crews and volunteers are holding out hope that more survivors will be found. But in a press conference earlier today, Republican Senator Ted Cruz warned the death toll will continue to rise.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
TED CRUZ: Texas is grieving right now. The pain, the shock of what has transpired these last few days has broken the heart of our state. As of yesterday, the confirmed death toll was 82, and those numbers are continuing to go up.
SHAPIRO: Our cohost Juana Summers is reporting from Kerr County, which experienced the worst of the flooding and has seen the highest death toll.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Just to give you a sense of the scope of this, we're a few days out from this event, and the river is still so incredibly high. Just in front of me, there are these trees that are completely destroyed. They're bent over at a right angle. Tons of debris floating through the water just across the river from us on the other side, which we haven't been able to reach because the roads are washed out. There's this mangled truck on the edge of the river.
SHAPIRO: And Juana is with us now. Can you give us a sense, Juana, of what things are like there in Kerr County since you and the team arrived in the middle of the night? What have you seen today?
SUMMERS: Yeah. Hi, Ari. I mean, there are immediately just signs of how much this community is reeling and grieving. Right when you get into Kerrville, as we were driving down one of the main highways, there were signs on local hotels saying Kerrville strong. Another local business that we drove past had a sign up that said, thank you to first responders, which I'll just note we've seen everywhere, even at the hotel we're staying at. And all of that is even before you really get to some of the areas that were hard hit by this devastating flooding.
SHAPIRO: Were you able to get to those hardest-hit areas?
SUMMERS: Yeah. So this morning, we were able to get to the banks of the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas, which is not far from Kerrville. And as we started to get closer, there was this sort of steady stream of cars and trucks and emergency vehicles. They were all driving, parking along the bridge. People were getting out. And then when we got out of our car and sort of looked out over the river, I just have to say there were so many uprooted trees. There was a ton of debris lining the river banks. There were these deflated flotation devices. At one point, I even saw a neon green kayak that was tangled in this tree. There were these loud helicopters flying really low and overhead that were clearly continuing this really desperate search for survivors or any signs of life.
(SOUNDBITE OF RIVER RUSHING)
SUMMERS: Search and rescue crews and bands of volunteers fanned out around a stretch of the Guadalupe River in Center Point, Texas. That's where we meet Virginia Mann, who lives in nearby Harper, Texas. She used to live in this area and remembers going fishing at the river's edge.
VIRGINIA MANN: Sometimes, you could even walk across it over here. And it was just a quiet place to get away from - you know, sit down by yourself and enjoy fishing. But it's nothing like this. When these rivers rage, when they converge together, it just causes a dramatic - well, you know, they say how did it get 34 feet? Well, that's what happens. It all converges together and just - it's hard to believe. And that wall of water was just unbelievable. I mean, nothing could survive that.
SUMMERS: Mann is among those looking for news, hoping that a friend survived the flooding.
MANN: I thought I'd come over. We - I have a friend I haven't found yet here in Center Point. And so I came over here to see if he was OK 'cause he's not answering his phone. So - but they tell me he lives on the other side of the river, so I'm hoping - that's where I'm headed right now - see if he's OK. But it's amazing how people have pulled together and are helping out everywhere.
SUMMERS: She said Kerrville and the surrounding area is close-knit, full of families that stay for generations. It's the type of place where everyone knows each other.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)
SUMMERS: As we walk through the debris, the hum of chainsaws is persistent. Volunteers cut away at fallen trees and drag the severed tree limbs into big piles. Matt Trissel drove in from Austin, about a hundred miles away.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHAINSAW RUNNING)
MATT TRISSEL: Just clearing debris, clearing trees, getting the piles open so, you know, people can see down in there.
SUMMERS: He knew a number of people who had children at Camp Mystic, the nearly 100-year-old girls' camp that sits on the river. The camp said in a statement earlier Monday that it was grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHAINSAW RUNNING)
TRISSEL: My heart just breaks for the parents that are missing kids. And hopefully, you know, we can maybe help find them and have some closure for them.
SUMMERS: What do you think people from outside of the area, from Texas, who maybe haven't been here before should know about this community and what's happening here right now?
TRISSEL: You know, Texans take care of Texans. You know, Americans take care of Americans. I think you're going to see that more and more as the days go on. But, you know, it's - this is a place of the country that believes in God. And we still hope there's some kids that are still alive, and hopefully, we can try to help find them.
SUMMERS: I asked Matt Trissel how long his group planned to keep at it, and he told me the answer is as long as they're needed.
SHAPIRO: That's our cohost Juana Summers reporting with an ALL THINGS CONSIDERED team in Kerrville, Texas. Juana, thank you so much.
SUMMERS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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