Long road to recovery begins as Hill Country volunteers continue flood search and healing efforts
After 12 days, the initial adrenaline to jump into action is starting to wear off for some volunteers. Crews are starting to settle into what will become a long and complex process of bringing everyone home.
Jodi Carpenter and her daughter Abigail love the Guadalupe River.
The park where Abigail Carpenter grew up playing is now covered in crosses to remember those swept away by the floodwaters.
"I'm talking to God and my, you know, my head going, 'what does this look like for the long haul?' God, you know, how do we plug into healing for the long haul? Because it's going to be different moving forward," said Jodi Carpenter.
Twelve miles downstream, search efforts continue.
"The last several days have been, they've been difficult," said Daniel Murray. "This whole situation is emotionally heavy. But the reason we're out here is because we know the community needs support."
Murray is part of a volunteer crew that's been clearing piles of debris.
His crew marks each pile with an orange "X" to let other teams know it's clear.
"What happened here is, it's hard to wrap your head around until you're on the ground looking at it," said Murray.
Murray's group is one of many working out of the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department's command post.
"Concerned citizens are posting just right outside of our fire department. And they are coordinating and going on search groups as well," said Razor Dobbs with Center Point FD.
For crews like Daniels' and the emergency responders, this is the start of the long, hard work to account for every person lost.
"The goal is to bring everybody home. And there is no plan B," said Dobbs.
For Jodi Carpenter, her daughter, and everyone else in the Hill Country, they're starting the long, hard work of healing.
"We're going to have to figure out how to get in the water again. Not right now, but. Like we're going to have to get back there," said Jodi Carpenter.
