Businesses large and small also sprang into action to help the community. Grocery chain H-E-B, which started in Kerrville, one of the cities affected by the floods, has been donating food and supplies through the Red Cross. San Antonio-based fast-food chain Whataburger said it would provide meals to first responders.

More than 100 people have been confirmed dead since July 4, when the Guadalupe River in central Texas swelled overnight and triggered flash floods that swept through an area known locally as “Flash Flood Alley.

Devyn Smith clung to a tree as muddy, debris-laden water rushed beneath her. She was ripped more than 15 miles from where she and five of her family members had set camp the night before.

The situation evolves daily. Several nonprofit groups that have arrived said they plan to remain on the ground for the next few weeks, providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support.

In Kerr County, Thad Heartfield is leading nearly 100 volunteers searching for flood victims. For him, this mission is personal. His son and three of his son's friends disappeared in the flood.

More than 160 people still are believed to be missing and at least 115 have died in the floods that laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The large number of missing sug