Local and state law enforcement in Kerr County are working to rescue and evacuate residents as a flash flooding emergency has led to a number of fatalities.
The Kerr County Sheriff's Office is urging residents to shelter in place and not attempt travel unless seeking higher ground along the Guadalupe River.
"Those near creeks, streams, and the Guadalupe River should immediately move to higher ground," The sheriff's office said in a statement.
"This is a catastrophic flooding event in Kerr County. We can confirm fatalities but will not release further information until next of kin are notified," the statement said. "Our Office is working with a wide variety of local and state agencies to respond to calls and rescues. The entire county is an extremely active scene."
According to Jason Runyan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall drained into the Guadalupe River Basin. He said it started up by the head waters near Hunt, Texas in western Kerr County and “travelled downstream through Kerrville where it crested” and then travelled down towards Comfort.
“We saw some pretty sharp and steep rises on the river,” said Runyan, “at some cases rivaling the 1987 flood, the famous 1987 flood" when ten people lost their lives.
The water was so high and forceful, some of the river instrumentation and gauges were affected or washed out. “So it's a pretty catastrophic type flood wave coming down the Guadalupe River,” said Runyan.
Runyan stressed the importance of avoiding travelling around the Kerr County region. “There’s still a lot of low water crossings flooded,” he said. “If you do live along — or are vacationing along — the Guadalupe River, you need to seek higher ground right now."
Some of these areas of the Hill Country were under a flash flood emergency.
Runyan noted the importance of differentiating between a flash flood warning and a flash flood emergency.
“Typically most people are familiar with flash flood warnings,” he said. “Our typical flash flood warnings are when we expect imminent flooding in areas—rises and streams and creeks that go over low water crossing.”
However, the flash flood emergencies are much more rare and are “saved for days where we’re expecting catastrophic type damage or widespread damage or even loss of life.”
A flash flood emergency has been declared until 2 p.m. Heavy rains will continue throughout the day for Kerrville and the surrounding Hill Country area, with warnings in effect for communities downstream along the Guadalupe.
The Guadalupe River at Hunt reached its highest level on record — higher than the historic 1987 flood in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
The Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce has issued a statement informing the community of the following road closures:
- Schubert at Milam
- Edison to Travis
- 2000 Block Upper Liveoak
- 2500 Block W. Liveoak
- Hayden Ranch Road
- Shin Oak
- 783 Nort
- Fielder Road at Pedernales River
- FM2093/Tivydale at Friedrich and Usener
- Wendel Loop at 290 West
According to the statement, emergency crews have also been dispatched to assist neighboring Kerr and Kimble Counties, and low water crossings across the county are being closely monitored.