KERRVILLE, Texas—As the rain fell, the Guadalupe River rose dramatically in the inky darkness before the July 4 dawn, swelling into a monster that swallowed everything in its path.
It indiscriminately claimed the lives of little girls at Christian camps, elderly couples in RVs, and lifelong residents along the river.
More than 100 people, including 36 children, are dead in Kerr County alone, with more than 160 still missing, according to local officials.
But even in the darkest of moments when hope faded for many, small victories played out in the neighborhoods around this Texas town of some 25,000 souls.
In the frantic hours after the floodwaters rose to catastrophic levels, a police officer saw dozens of people stranded on roofs and waded out to bring them to safety, fellow Kerville officer Jonathan Lamb said during a recent press conference….