KERR COUNTY, Texas – TheTXLoop Investigates obtained 911 call logs from the day of and the day after deadly flooding during the Fourth of July weekend in Kerr County.
The call logs, which were obtained from the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office, paint a clearer picture about when people called for help on July 4 as heavy rain and rising water from the Guadalupe River created a dangerous situation for Kerr County residents and visitors.
The nature of the 911 calls
In all, nearly 400 calls (380) were placed to 911 on July 4 and July 5 in Kerr County, according to records from the sheriff’s office’s.
Calls not only came into the sheriff’s office but also to the Texas Department of Public Safety, smaller volunteer fire departments — such as the departments in Hunt, Mountain Home and Center Point — and the Ingram Police Department, among other agencies.
The heaviest rain began falling in the county during the early morning hours on July 4, specifically in the 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. hours.
Most of the early morning calls were labeled as standard 911 calls. However, as the morning continued, an increasing number of calls between the 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. hours on the Fourth of July were described as “welfare concern,” “missing person” or “death investigation.”
The first 911 call during the 3 a.m. hour came in at 3:31 a.m., the logs indicate. The 3:31 a.m. call was placed by Paula Zunker, the wife of Kerrville Tivy boys soccer coach Reece Zunker.
While it is unclear what Zunker told the dispatcher, TheTXLoop later confirmed that Zunker, her husband, Reece, and their two children — 7-year-old Lyle and 3-year-old Holland — were all killed in the floods.
Several calls also came from nearby camps along the Guadalupe River. One of the early 911 calls came from Camp Mystic, whose address is listed as 2689 State Highway 39 in Hunt.
Someone called 911 at the Camp Mystic address seconds before 4 a.m. (3:59:53 a.m., to be exact). Other calls with that 3:59:53 a.m. timestamp were also listed as a “911 transfer” as well as “missing person” and “welfare concern” calls.
A separate 911 call from Camp Mystic also came in hours later at 8:01 a.m. as a “welfare concern” call to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.
One caller called 911 at 4:43 a.m. from 1661 State Highway 39, the address listed for Camp La Junta, that went to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. TheTXLoop spoke to two campers from Camp La Junta on July 4, who said all of their fellow campers survived.
A “welfare concern” call was also placed at 7:22 a.m. at 2430 State Highway 39, the listed address for Heart O’ The Hills, according to those logs.
Flooding in Kerr County
Most areas of the county experienced between 10 and 12 inches of rain.
As of 3:45 a.m. on July 4, the Guadalupe River level was at an estimated two feet tall. However, one hour later, the river level rose to an estimated 24 feet.
More than two hours later, closer to 7 a.m., the river peaked at approximately 36 feet.
Kerr County dispatch audio, provided to TheTXLoop Investigates by former county IT director John David Trolinger, confirmed that a firefighter called for a CodeRED alert at 4:22 a.m. on July 4 as water covered State Highway 39 in Hunt.
Trolinger said it was standard practice during his tenure with the county to obtain a supervisor’s approval before sending out a CodeRED.
What was not standard, according to Trolinger, was the one hour and 12 minutes it took for the first alerts to be sent out at 5:34 a.m. on July 4.
Latest on victims
As of Thursday, July 24, 108 people — 71 adults and 37 children — were killed during the Fourth of July flooding in Kerr County, county officials said.
Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp on the Guadalupe River, confirmed the deaths of 27 campers.
The number of people missing in the Kerrville area has been reduced to 97 from 161, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a July 14 news conference.
On July 19, City of Kerrville officials said the number of unaccounted for has since been reduced from 97 to three.
Since the body of a woman was found on Tuesday, July 22, the number of unaccounted for now stands at two.
Read more reporting on the TheTXLoop Investigates page.
More recent TheTXLoop Investigates coverage of the Hill Country Floods:
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