Search crews spread through the Texas Hill Country on Wednesday morning with a grim mission, seeking signs of the scores of people missing from devastating floods that struck the region nearly a week ago, killing at least 119.
Even as the search continued, officials from Kerr County and its largest city, Kerrville, gave an extensive account at a news conference of their actions on the morning of July 4, as a wall of water swept down the Guadalupe River and washed out campgrounds, summer camps and trailer parks.
Unedited Associated Press Video
“Emergency services throughout Kerr County promptly responded to the recent emergency as the situation unfolded,” the county sheriff, Larry Leitha, said. “If improvements need to be made, improvements will be made.”
Officials have faced mounting questions over their preparations and response — inquiries that Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas referred to as the “words of losers” when asked on Tuesday about investigations into what went wrong. He compared disaster response to football, saying only losing teams focused on their failures.
Mr. Abbott revealed late Tuesday that at least 173 people remained missing statewide — the first time officials have identified just how widespread the human toll might eventually be. Those unaccounted for include 161 people in Kerr County, where the worst of the flooding occurred and where the death roll rose to 95 on Wednesday morning.
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