PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Mercy Chefs from Virginia are on the ground in Kerrville, Texas, providing meals for victims' families, first responders and volunteers searching for those still missing after catastrophic flooding.
"It's unimaginable, the damage and devastation, the loss of life, the missing people," Mercy Chefs co-founder Gary LeBlanc said. "An unspeakable tragedy for the people here."
The death toll from flash floods that raged through central Texas has risen to 79 after searchers found more bodies on Sunday.
Authorities say many more remain missing, including 10 girls from Camp Mystic, a summer camp wiped out by the flooding early Friday.
WATCH: Floods turned beloved Texas camp into a nightmare
Searchers have now found 68 bodies in Kerr County, where a wall of water came down the Guadalupe River. Sheriff Larry Leitha says the dead include 28 children.
"It was a 30-foot wall of water that came down the river bed like an inland tsunami," LeBlanc said. "There was no warning; it didn't rise slowly, it was just upon them and the camps. They got caught in the buildings. There were RV parks, people were asleep in their RVs and were swept downstream."
Between 70 and 100 volunteers are helping this holiday weekend, with many working around the clock as the community faces a painful recovery process.
"Please pray," LeBlanc urged. "Pray for the people here in Texas who've lost everything, pray for the Mercy Chefs team — that we are strong and have endurance. Folks that are in the area or have family in the area can go to our website and sign up to volunteer. And then of course, on the website, there are secure links where you can donate and I've been saying a dollar today turns into a meal tomorrow."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Sunday that additional rounds of heavy rains lasting into Tuesday could produce more life-threatening flooding.
Some families were allowed to look around the hardest hit camp in the Hill Country on Sunday while nearby crews continued their search.
Click here to learn more or make a donation to Mercy Chefs.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
