Скачать или смотреть Kerr County residents share stories of survival, recovery at flood hearing

The days after the devastating Kerr County flood felt like the longest of Alicia Jeffrey Baker’s life.

On July 4, Baker’s 11-year-old daughter, Madelyn “Emmy” Jeffrey, and her parents, Emlyn and Penelope Jeffrey, were sleeping in the family’s cabin along the Guadalupe River when they were swept away by the floodwater.

It wasn’t until Thursday, July 10, that Baker received the news about Emmy. Breaking down in tears, she told lawmakers on Thursday that her daughter’s body could only be identified by her charm bracelet.

“The river that we’ve loved so much killed them,” the San Antonio resident said.

Baker was among dozens of community members who testified at a public hearing on Thursday about the July 4 flash floods that killed more than 130 people in Texas, including at least 37 children.

During the over 13-hour meeting, residents shared harrowing accounts of survival, mourned the lost lives and detailed their work to restore their neighborhoods and communities.