Texas Search and Rescue continues urgent underwater missions in Kerrville, battling fatigue and rain to find human remains and bring closure
Search and recovery efforts continue in Kerr County, 12 days after the tragic flood that claimed more than 130 lives along the Guadalupe.
CBS News Texas shadowed Texas Search and Rescue in an area along the river where cadaver dogs might have found human remains. Despite the constant rain, heat, and exhaustion, the crews are doing whatever it takes to bring families closure.
"It's almost hard to believe the force that water had," said TEXSAR Operations Manager Patrick Turck.
Turck said he has crews coming from all over the state to their patch of the Guadalupe River, where they are aiming to find what they believe could be human remains.
"I told they guys before we go out today, 'If it was your family member that was missing, how hard would you dig through that debris?' And I said, 'Don't give me an answer, think about it and get to work,'" Turck said..
The operation's biggest hurdle is digging up debris underwater, which just so happens to be a mission made for Dave Knesek, a former Navy SEAL of 20 years.
"This is something I felt like I was suited to do," said Knesek. "There's entanglement-type hazards, there's strainers and things you can get pushed into."
In Ingram, North Texas horse trainer, Casey Hildago, came to Kerr County from Granbury with just his horse and truck. He said his mission was to go to the most remote riverbanks to search for debris. The long days were worth it when a search ended in what he calls "a victory."
"We just found out today, one of our locations we found on Thursday was confirmed to be one of our teammates' friend's daughters. It makes me want to go back out there and help for another week," Hidalgo said.
Crews are battling both time and fatigue, but Turck said faith has been their fuel to keep going.
"I can't say that any of the crews have suffered from any type of mental stress because the Kerrville Community has embraced us," said Turck. "We try and keep the focus on bringing these people home."
It rained on and off Tuesday, and crews said the weather temporarily halted some operations. However, TEXSAR said it treats every day with urgency and will stay until it is no longer needed.
