Texas Floods: 911 Calls Reveal Chaos and Suffering

Firsthand Accounts of Chaos During Texas Floods

Audio recordings obtained by ABC News have provided a harrowing look into the desperate moments faced by residents in Hill Country as floodwaters swept across Texas on the Fourth of July. These calls, some of the most poignant from the disaster, reveal the urgency and fear that gripped communities during the crisis.

One caller, speaking to a dispatcher, expressed immediate concern: "We really need somebody. My boyfriend is currently stuck in a tree out on the current." Another resident reported that a man was trapped "in the middle of the river," highlighting the life-threatening situations unfolding in real time.

These distressing calls are part of over 100 dispatch audio and 911 recordings from a Texas county—located downriver from the heavily impacted Kerrville area—that were released by the City of Boerne following an ABC News public records request. The city also sought 911 calls and dispatcher audio from Kerr County, but the county has yet to respond to the request.

Boerne handles emergency communications for Kendall County, which borders Kerr County and was also severely affected by the tragic flooding. Some of the recordings show confusion among residents regarding evacuation orders and road closures during the Fourth of July floods.

One caller asked a dispatcher, "Do I go in my pajamas? Do I take a shower first? How much time do I have?" after being warned by someone patrolling her street to be ready to evacuate. Others said they had learned about evacuations through social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook, but weren't certain if the orders applied to their specific areas.

In one particularly emotional call, a woman with a baby told the 911 operator that her house was flooding. "We can't go anywhere," she said, underscoring the helplessness many felt during the disaster.

More than 130 people died in the July 4 flooding, with over 100 of those deaths occurring in Kerr County. Nine fatalities were reported in Kendall County. This month, officials announced that the number of people believed to be missing dropped from nearly 100 to just three.

The recordings also offer insight into how Kendall County's police responded and communicated with other counties during the crisis. In one instance, a Boerne Police Department dispatcher informed a Kerr County law enforcement representative, "We have located a body. It's definitely going to be a drowned victim or a flood victim."

Another recording revealed a caller who had been just a foot away from a body on his property earlier that day. The dispatcher informed him that first responders were struggling to reach his location because a road was impassable.

Emergency orders were passed between local agencies, but sometimes faced resistance. In a call early on July 4, a Boerne dispatcher relayed a warning from the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department in Kendall County that water levels were rising and would reach Boerne within four to six hours. "They're requesting — no, they're stating — that we need to close all crossings," the dispatcher said.

"What? What crossings?" the other responder asked, clearly agitated. He added, "With what?"

About 20 minutes later, another first responder asked Boerne Police, "Did y'all open up a call sheet for that b------- water flood stuff?" He then clarified, "We're not on it, right?"

Even as initial rescue efforts were underway, first responders and 911 dispatchers discussed challenges with county emergency communications and response coordination. One dispatcher noted that the phone line for Guadalupe River State Park was down. Another called 911 to express concerns about the local emergency operations center call sheets.

"We updated and gave direction a couple of times, and it still was done a different … way by every time somebody different got on there," the first responder said. He suggested merging call sheets to improve organization and unify the emergency response, to which the dispatcher replied, "That's going to be a pain."

"Maybe we can go through this in the future, how we can do it differently," the first responder concluded. The dispatcher agreed, adding, "We all have something to bring for the after-action."