A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It's been nearly a week since flood waters rushed through Texas Hill Country, killing more than 100 people. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says more than 160 people are listed as missing. Our colleague and All Things Considered co-host Juana Summers is in Kerrville, Texas. Juana, you got there in the middle of the night on Sunday. What have you been able to see?
JUANA SUMMERS, BYLINE: I mean, A, we've all seen the videos going through on the news, but I have to say, they don't really do it justice. We went out on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which was the source of so much destruction, and there were trees down, mangled metal sort of caught up in the trees. And we were out, and there were a lot of search efforts still ongoing. And I just saw so many people out there who had these sort of grief-stricken, vacant looks on their faces making their way through. And obviously, we're now nearly a week into search efforts, and with every day that passes, it's less likely that people out here are found alive.
MARTÍNEZ: Is there still standing water or flowing water around where you're at?
SUMMERS: Yeah. I mean, as you know, water rose really high and fast over a matter of hours on July 4, and I think it's just really been a blessing for this community that there hasn't been significant rainfall here - since our team has been on the ground, at least. That would have obviously compounded the tragedy.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, you've talked to rescue workers and visited a few places where people have stopped to help. What are they doing, and what are they telling you?
SUMMERS: I mean, I've been really taken by the fact that the response to this tragedy has been so big. We've seen emergency response vehicles from all across the state of Texas, but there's also been this huge national response. I spoke with United Cajun Navy Vice President Brian Trasher. That group was formed in Louisiana to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They help with search and recovery efforts in situations like this across the country. But Trasher, he told me this is one of the most difficult situations they've ever dealt with.
BRIAN TRASHER: I went to a restaurant last night. So there's probably 150 people in the dining room, but you could hear a pin drop. All you heard was forks and knives. Everybody's feeling it.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. Now, Juana, being a big part of the story is the number of kids who have died in the flooding. How is that affecting the community?
SUMMERS: I mean, I got to be honest, it's just brutal. How young so many of these victims are has compounded the heartbreak here. And this is a really tight-knit region that I've spent some time in before. It's the Texas Hill Country, where everyone really seems to have some sort of tie to someone who's lost somebody. I spoke with Justin Carpenter. He's the senior pastor at Cross Kingdom Church here in Kerrville.
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JUSTIN CARPENTER: The first year of grief is intense. So the grieving process is going to take a long time. The physical rebuilding - we can always replace stuff.
SUMMERS: And, A, I've got to tell you, his church was full of physical things that people need to get back on their feet. But just talking to people across this community, it is so clear that that rebuilding, that grieving process, it's going to be a really long road for people here.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. It's awful when anyone dies, but when it's kids, Juana - I mean, yeah, that - I don't even know how to describe that.
SUMMERS: It's a gut punch.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. All Things Considered co-host Juana Summers reporting from Kerrville, Texas. Thank you.
SUMMERS: Thanks, A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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