Home Care In Center Point, TX

Search efforts remain intense after catastrophic flooding in Central Texas over the July 4 weekend left more than 130 dead and more than 100 missing.

CENTER POINT, Texas — A Texas firefighter helping with the response to the catastrophic floods in Central Texas over the July 4 weekend that left more than 130 dead and more than 100 missing says search efforts remain intense 12 days on.

Firefighter Razor Dobbs with Center Point Volunteer Fire Department in hard-hit Kerr County said the intensity of the response to the devastating floods has remained much the same as it was shortly after the Guadalupe River rose on July 4.

"We're just further along in the recovery process," Dobbs told WFAA. "Which means, now we're able to get heavy equipment into some of these areas that were completely inaccessible so we can start dissecting layer by layer the huge debris fields, looking for people. That's been critical in carrying out this mission."

Dobbs said, in addition to crews clearing debris from water so divers can search, private contractors with heavy equipment and state and federal organizations are also involved in the response and crews are using everything from drones to helicopters in the search.

"The divers now are being able to go in and really scour underneath the surface because up on top of the land, it's been combed over in our area scores of times by human eyes, on foot, and also with the K9 units," Dobbs said. "Right now we have a mission and that mission is unveiling."

He said 12 days into the response, crews on scene "are still running on adrenaline."

"We're still in work mode...we have moments where you need to go talk to your fellow firefighter and there's chaplains here and there's other people, because you have to discuss it, because the things we're witnessing are traumatic," Dobbs said.

He said the search will continue until the missing are found.

"We're going to continue to recover people," Dobbs said. "We're going to keep going until we find them."

Floodwaters devastated the couple's home but community support is aiding their lengthy cleanup process.

CENTER POINT, Texas — A Center Point couple is cleaning up what’s left of their home after floodwaters from the Guadalupe River surged six feet high inside, gutting their property and scattering debris across their yard.

Terry and Trisha Masucci were away from their home on the Fourth of July when the river overflowed, flooding their house, barn and shed.

“We had six feet of water inside the house, inside the barn, inside the shed… everything,” Trisha Masucci said.

By the time the Masuccis returned the next morning, the water had receded, but the damage was already done. Nearly every room was filled with mud.

“There was about three to four inches of mud in the house. You could barely walk through it. It was just thick,” she said.

The couple’s home sits just across from the Guadalupe River. Now, debris is scattered across the porch and lawn—furniture, torn drywall and soaked personal items among the wreckage.

Inside, much of the flooring has been ripped out and the air still smells of mud and mildew.

Trisha pointed out a water line stained along the siding—an eerie reminder of how high the river rose. She says they’ve never seen anything like it.

“We don’t even know how many cypress trees we lost. They’ve been here for hundreds of years,” said Trisha.

The emotional toll has been just as heavy. Trisha says hearing helicopters overhead reminds her of the lives lost downstream—especially one story she can’t stop thinking about.

“A girl was yelling for help from a tree," she said. "The neighbors rescued her but she said her mom got swept away in the river. I just keep thinking, we’re lucky. We’re okay.”

Among the few things recovered was a rosary belonging to one of their renters, who had been staying in the house during the storm.

“She couldn’t believe it made it. That was the one thing we could return to her,” Trisha said.

Despite the heartbreak, the Masuccis say they’ve been overwhelmed by support. Neighbors and volunteers have shown up daily, helping tear down water-logged walls, bringing supplies and simply being present.

“We could never do this on our own,” she said. “We’ve been so blessed by the help, every single day.”

The cleanup is expected to take months. The Masuccis don’t yet know if the structure of their home is safe enough to rebuild, but they’re holding onto hope—and to each other.

Volunteers rally to restore Camp CAMP after flood damage, ensuring play areas are ready for campers with special needs by Sunday.

CENTER POINT, Texas — At Camp CAMP on the Guadalupe River in Center Point there was an invasion Wednesday morning.

After flood waters receded, revealing a wrecked play space on river's edge, an army of caring volunteers arrived bright and early to restore order and safety in time for campers to arrive on Sunday.

CAMP is an acronym for Children's Association for Maximum Potential.

They serve individuals with mild to severe medical conditions or disabilities, giving them a chance to leave their labels and limitations behind.

The special equipment they have lovingly developed over the years was wiped away in the Friday morning flood, and the landscape when the work project started was nothing but twisted piles of mangled trees.

Cord Shiflet, who said he is a seventh generation Texan who lives in Austin, said he heard about the damage and used the power of social media to recruit enough people to make things right.

Shiflet, who calls his volunteer group CordNation, said, "I'm just a guy that saw an opportunity that that we needed to jump on."

The group worked in Ingram on Sunday and the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department area on Monday and when they finished up there, they asked for more work.

Shiflet said he was completely unaware of the important mission of the camp, but he did some research and made a commitment.

"I didn't know what it was. I'd never heard of it, didn't know anything about it so I drove up here and drove inside, jumped on my phone and googled them, and I said this is what we've been looking for!" Shiflet said. "I mean this is just the epitome of what we want to help and clean up and kind of bring the camp spirit back to the area."

People need to hear stories like this, Shiflet said, adding "You come to a place like this where it's kids with special needs and it's a camp for kids that can't go to any other camp, so we were so glad to find it and we want to honor them, honor their spirit."

Shiflet said an immediate push is important because campers are on the way.

"Campers are actually coming back here on Sunday, so their camp (cabins) is 100 feet above water. It's pristine. Everything is in great shape, but their beautiful park down here is a nightmare. And so we want to see if we can restore this back to where they canoe, kayak, fish, grill out," Shiflet said.

With so many doing so much heavy lifting, Shiflet said the work was well ahead of schedule and the camp director is thrilled.

"The director said y'all had done at 9:30 this morning what I wanted done by 5 p.m. Saturday, and he just said we're going to keep going and make it better so it's so far exceeded everyone's expectations!" Shiflet said.

This entire effort, he said, is a heartfelt mission of hope.

"This is all privately owned, donated equipment. There's no state, there's no government, this is all just people that wanted to help and donated their toys and talent." Shiflet said.

Shiflet said in addition to the direct losses due to damage, the camp also had a loss of income because they've been unable to operate, so the need for funding is critical.

"I wanted to raise, I thought $10,000 would help them buy some of their toys and things that were back down here on the water, and the last I checked we were over $75,000, so we're going to go such a long way into buying the things that this camp needs to put it back in order," Shiflet said.

They're accepting directed donations through Venmo, and more information can be found online.

This is a link to CordNation, and this is a link to Camp CAMP.

CENTER POINT, Texas – Along the muddy banks of the Guadalupe River, about 10 miles from Kerrville, a group of veterans, first responders, and every day people are doing more than just helping. They’re answering a call to serve once again.

For the past several days, Lone Star Heroes Outdoors, a nonprofit organization that typically provides outdoor therapy for veterans and first responders, has pivoted its mission. In the aftermath of severe flooding, the group has been leading search and relief efforts in Center Point and surrounding communities.

“We’ve trekked over 22 miles, 23 miles in the last three days,” said Luis Santana, a Navy veteran and founder of Lone Star Heroes Outdoors. “We started Friday night as soon as the water allowed us into Kerrville. We’ve been bringing in supplies and joining the search ever since.”

The group is made up of veterans, first responders, and volunteers some with search and rescue experience, others with a simple desire to help.

“It’s eye-opening,” Santana said. “I grew up in this area. It’s overwhelming in a good way to see people from all over, from Hunt, Comfort, and even down to Boerne, coming together. They’re putting themselves in danger just to give these families some closure.”

Equipped with chainsaws and unwavering determination, the group is cutting through brush piles and tall grass left behind by the floodwaters. In one particularly sobering discovery, they located a truck buried under dirt along the river. The vehicle’s condition has raised concerns about whether anyone might have been inside when it was swept away.

“Right now, we’re waiting on Texas Search and Rescue to bring in dogs,” Santana said. “These brush piles are so dense it’s nearly impossible to dig by hand. The dogs can help us find hotspots so we can notify the proper authorities. It becomes a locate-and-recover effort, rather than just searching blindly.”

As the community grapples with the damage, others like Mitchell Lunsford, a Fort Worth resident visiting family during the flood, are pitching in wherever they can by handing out water and offering a kind word.

“It’s devastation,” Lunsford said. “A lot of people lost everything. A lot lost their lives. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. We’re doing what we can.”

Despite the heartache, there’s a growing sense of unity in Center Point. Veterans, residents, and volunteers, most off the clock and out of uniform, are working side by side in the thick of debris and heartbreak, offering hope where it’s needed most.

"I've been here all my life and it's never been this high," said one volunteer firefighter in the Kerr County community.

CENTER POINT, Texas — First there was a flood that raced through and ravaged the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department.

Now there is a flood of caring volunteers.

Some are doing recovery work, while the rest are making sure those folks have what they need to keep going.

While Center Point volunteer firefighters were out trying to save lives early Friday morning during the deadly flood, their own fire station, located downstream, was completely overwhelmed by the raging Guadalupe River.

"I've been here all my life and it's never been this high," said volunteer firefighter Sammy Burney.

Burney said many years ago, when the building was under construction and at the slab foundation stage, one high water event left the slab covered in mud. But since then, they've had no trouble.

This time, though, he said water overwhelmed the building, leaving high-water marks on walls about six feet off the ground--proof of just how catastrophic the July Fourth flash floods were.

The water that came up fast and furiously washed much of their equipment downstream.

Burney said all the fire trucks were saved because they did have time to move them to higher ground before they were called to start rescuing people trapped in high water.

"A lot of it's gone, equipment and so forth is gone, and I don't know what all we lost," Burney said, adding the flood of volunteers that showed up after the water receded is just about as surprising.

"It's amazing that we were surprised that we had so many people coming in to help," he added. "It was really wild. Right now we've got people from all over everywhere. I don't know where they came from."

Burney said there are donations of food and volunteers to prepare it, as well as keep coolers stocked with the drinks they need to keep working in the heat and humidity.

"We've got food everywhere in the world!" Burney enthused. "It's just amazing."

Looking out over the parking lot filled with both first responders and volunteers, Burney said, "We've got so many trucks coming in with trailers and a lot of them are four-wheelers down there picking up trash."

"They're trying to move all the limbs and logs and trees," he added, pointing out debris fields on the far reaches of the property."

Burney said that, after returning to a base that was wrecked, it is beyond heartening to see their fire station come back to life.

"We really appreciate what they're doing for us," he said.

After scammers created fake online contribution portals, the department said they are being careful to make sure donations get to them.

Saying the need for support will extend far into the future, Burney said, "Give us a check and we can put that in in the savings and we can use it to get other stuff we need."

The address is:PO BOX 494Center Point, TX 78010