KERRVILLE, Texas – As floodwaters continue to recede across parts of South Central Texas, communities are shifting from emergency response to the long process of cleanup and recovery.<\/p>\n
Gov. Greg Abbott surveyed flood-damaged communities in the Kerrville area by helicopter and later met with emergency management officials for updates on search and rescue operations, debris removal, infrastructure restoration and recovery efforts, according to a state press release. Abbott was joined on the aerial assessment by Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd and Texas Military Department Adjutant General Thomas Suelzer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank all the first responders, volunteers, and our fellow Texans for the swift and effective response to the floods,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cWe are now transitioning into the process of cleanup and rebuilding. The state is working with local officials to expedite debris removal and accelerate the rebuilding process. We have identified about 490 homes that sustained damage. If you want to donate to assist your fellow Texans who have been affected by these horrific floods, please go to rebuildtx.org.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED | Where to find flooding resources and how to help impacted Texans<\/a><\/p>\n In a Kerrville press event, Abbott said the helicopter tour covered areas above Kerr and Kendall counties and showed how rivers \u201chad ravaged communities,\u201d particularly along river contours. He said the damage was \u201cnothing compared to what we saw a year ago,\u201d and added that local officials discussed \u201clessons learned from Fourth of July last year\u201d that helped communities prepare for this year\u2019s floods.<\/p>\n Abbott said the high water mark \u201ccrested at Comfort at 30-7.08 feet on Thursday,\u201d and that the water level was \u201cabout five feet\u201d at the time of his remarks. He said the biggest concerns in the coming days were around the Nueces River, with evacuations continuing in areas such as Uvalde. Abbott also said Catula, Tilden and Carrizo Springs remained threatened by \u201chigh and rising waters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust because the skies may be clear here right now, does it mean that the aggregation of water that’s flowing downstream has peaked?\u201d Abbott said, warning that downstream waters would continue to rise and pose dangers.<\/p>\n Abbott said local officials told him \u201calmost all rivers in this region hit record highs,\u201d and that \u201cespecially in Kerrville, the flooding this year was worse than the flooding last year.\u201d He also said officials reported that \u201csirens and warnings they worked,\u201d and that \u201cearly warning systems save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n