As rescue efforts continue along the devastated Guadalupe River, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly — whose own property was among those devastated — called for unity and resilience, warning that the long road to recovery is only just beginning.

"The rescue has gone as well as can be expected," Kelly said during a news conference Saturday. "It's getting time now for the recovery, and that's going to be a long, toilsome task for us, and as long as we stay together, we'll get this done."

River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes

Kelly's remarks come in the aftermath of catastrophic flash floods that swept through Kerr County early Friday, when the Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Communities such as Hunt and Kerrville were inundated, with homes, roads and summer camps overwhelmed. At Camp Mystic in Hunt, 27 campers remain missing.

Personal loss and emotional toll

Kelly said he was the only official at the news conference who lives along the Guadalupe River, and that his property was among those devastated by the flood.

He described the emotional toll of the disaster, including seeing numerous body bags at a local funeral home. "It breaks my heart," he said.

Aerial tour reveals widespread damage

Kelly said he joined a helicopter tour with other officials to assess the damage along the Guadalupe River, from the South Fork to Criders.

"And you can see what's happened, and it's going to be a long time before we're ever going to be able to clean it up, much less rebuild it," he said. "Nobody saw this coming."

Working together in recovery

He called it a "Godsend" to get out of the helicopter and return to work alongside state and local officials participating in the rescue and recovery efforts "arm in arm, hand in hand."

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