Latest news with #UnitedCajunNavy
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
United Cajun Navy commander fights to find Texas flood victims in his own backyard
A week after catastrophic flooding claimed at least 121 lives in Texas Hill Country, search efforts continue with volunteers working tirelessly to find victims and bring closure to families. The United Cajun Navy, a volunteer organization that's been coordinating disaster response since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, remains on the ground in Kerr County, where at least 96 people, including 36 children, lost their lives after the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in less than an hour early on July 4. "At the beginning, it was mostly ground crews on foot, checking everything we could visually see," Ryan Logue, the Texas incident commander for the United Cajun Navy, told ABC News on Friday. "Now we've got canine crews, search and rescue, and swim teams deployed." However, the recovery effort faces mounting challenges. As days pass, conditions on the ground are becoming more difficult. Logue explained that mud and silt washed down by the floodwaters are now "becoming almost like concrete" as they dry, making it harder for search teams to dig through debris. MORE: Texas flooding live updates For Logue, this mission hits close to home. As a Kerrville local, he's not just leading the search effort -- he's helping rebuild his own community. "This is my backyard. The place on the river that I'm at right now is where I take my daughter swimming," Logue said. "I'm not going anywhere until we find every last victim and provide closure to this community." The dual role of helper and community member fuels Logue's determination, he noted. "The fire inside of me to help my community burns so strong," he said, recounting how locals have embraced him with hugs and gratitude when they spot him wearing his United Cajun Navy shirt. With President Donald Trump visiting the devastated region with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, questions continue to mount about the local and federal response to the disaster. Despite this, the focus remains clear for volunteers like Logue: bringing closure to families still waiting for news of their loved ones. "This isn't just a disaster you're deployed to," Logue said. "You have to process what's going on because this is my backyard. But I know I have to put on my game face and make sure we're doing everything we can to find anybody who was impacted by this."
11-07-2025
- General
United Cajun Navy commander fights to find Texas flood victims in his own backyard
A week after catastrophic flooding claimed at least 121 lives in Texas Hill Country, search efforts continue with volunteers working tirelessly to find victims and bring closure to families. The United Cajun Navy, a volunteer organization that's been coordinating disaster response since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, remains on the ground in Kerr County, where at least 96 people, including 36 children, lost their lives after the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in less than an hour early on July 4. "At the beginning, it was mostly ground crews on foot, checking everything we could visually see," Ryan Logue, the Texas incident commander for the United Cajun Navy, told ABC News on Friday. "Now we've got canine crews, search and rescue, and swim teams deployed." However, the recovery effort faces mounting challenges. As days pass, conditions on the ground are becoming more difficult. Logue explained that mud and silt washed down by the floodwaters are now "becoming almost like concrete" as they dry, making it harder for search teams to dig through debris. For Logue, this mission hits close to home. As a Kerrville local, he's not just leading the search effort -- he's helping rebuild his own community. "This is my backyard. The place on the river that I'm at right now is where I take my daughter swimming," Logue said. "I'm not going anywhere until we find every last victim and provide closure to this community." The dual role of helper and community member fuels Logue's determination, he noted. "The fire inside of me to help my community burns so strong," he said, recounting how locals have embraced him with hugs and gratitude when they spot him wearing his United Cajun Navy shirt. With President Donald Trump visiting the devastated region with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, questions continue to mount about the local and federal response to the disaster. Despite this, the focus remains clear for volunteers like Logue: bringing closure to families still waiting for news of their loved ones. "This isn't just a disaster you're deployed to," Logue said. "You have to process what's going on because this is my backyard. But I know I have to put on my game face and make sure we're doing everything we can to find anybody who was impacted by this."
New York Post
11-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Search-and-rescue volunteers had to rely on sense of smell to find bodies in Texas flood debris, one reveals
Volunteers combing through debris piles from the devastating Central Texas flooding had to sniff out decaying bodies in the 'chaotic' initial days of the search-and-rescue efforts. Ryan Logue, a resident of Kerrville, Texas, jumped to volunteer with the United Cajun Navy, a search-and-rescue nonprofit, as the floodwaters consumed the communities around him. He said the first days of the efforts were challenging as volunteers tried to sift through miles of heavy debris in the Guadalupe River for the missing without the help of cadaver dogs. 'You'd be on a 100-yard stretch of the river out in the middle of it, and there would be 2,500 piles within a hundred yards of it'd be one cedar tree covered in debris. You can walk by and visually inspect it, but you couldn't get eyes inside of the pile,' Logue recalled. 'You'd have to base it off possibly smelling decomposition if there is a corpse, if there's a cadaver in there or you just have to wait till it does start heating up and you do get that more of the cadaver dogs in there, but those first couple of days it was so chaotic and nobody knew what was going on,' he added. At least 120 people have been confirmed dead after the flash floods hit the region, according to local law enforcement and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Another 173 people are unaccounted for. 3 Kerville, Texas, resident Ryan Logue conducts search-and-rescue efforts after devastating floods swept through his community. CNN 3 A search dog helps people find bodies swept up in the flood in Hunt, Texas. AP Logue contacted the United Cajun Navy as the floodwaters took hold of his community and began recruiting a team of volunteers to search for the missing in his own backyard. 'It's gonna be victims that we're finding. It gets overwhelming thinking about all of it,' a tearful Logue told CNN. 'I care about these people so much that I will figure out whatever I have to do for their families to get closure,' he added. 3 Aerial view of flood damage in Ingram, Texas. AP The Kerrville resident said the effort has taken its toll as he's found dozens of personal belongings from the little girls who attended Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River where 27 children and staff members died in the flooding. As a father of a 7-year-old girl, Logue has found it difficult to separate himself from the tragedy. 'When you find people's personal items, they've got names in them. I found a young girl's Bible, it had her handwriting in there with all of her favorite scripture … and that takes as much of a toll on you over time as finding a body does because those are the same memories the body holds.' The Guadalupe River rose over 26 feet in under an hour, slightly outdoing the 1987 floods that swept through the Texas hill country. And search-and-rescue teams have only scratched the surface of the destruction, according to Logue. 'There's no way to tell how long this is going to take … It's a 100-mile strip of the Guadalupe. Some places it's 75 yards wide, some places it's a mile wide of destruction.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Texas neighbors, United Cajun Navy deliver truckload of flood relief supplies to Liberty Hill
LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — Outside Operation Liberty Hill, the doors to a semi trailer flew open to the sound of cheers from dozens of volunteers. The haul was three-pallets tall, and carried from Kemah, Texas by members of the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit relief group well-versed in flood recovery. The haul was collected by members of the Kemah Police Department on the Texas Gulf Coast, roughly four hours from Williamson County, and trucked in by the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit disaster relief organization founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Flash flooding claimed more than 100 lives in Central Texas. Here's what we know about the victims Operation Liberty Hill will distribute the supplies to anyone in need of everyday essentials, or other services like housing, and counseling assistance. Executive Director Susan Baker said it was heartwarming to see neighbors near and far come together to help flood victims. 'That's the most important part of today is letting people know this is a place they can come from help. There is hope,' Baker said. Detective Alonso Soza said his department started collecting donations Monday morning, but by that afternoon needed a second container to hold the overwhelming number of donations. Baker said Operation Liberty Hill is open to any and all flood victims that need supplies. The organization is also collecting donations for flood recovery through it's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
07-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Texas braces for more rain as death toll mounts to at least 82 with dozens missing
Update: Date: 5 min ago Title: 'The warnings have to be taken seriously,' volunteer urges as flood threat looms over Kerrville Content: Volunteers are heeding to flood warnings and moving to higher ground amid dangerous rescue and recovery efforts in Kerrville, Texas, a volunteer rescuer told CNN. First responders are still struggling to connect with each other while some radios are also not working, said Nick Sortor, a public information officer with the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue group from Louisiana assisting in the search and rescue efforts in Kerrville. Rescuers are out near the riverbed where floodwaters have receded 'a little bit' and are 'still trying to dig' for any survivors, Sortor told CNN's Polo Sandoval. The group has also been outfitting vehicles with Starlink's satellite communication devices to ensure proper communications, as authorities have warned about further possible flooding. 'Today, a lot of rescue workers had to pull out of the area and get to higher ground because there were reports of a wall of water that was headed right downstream, straight back at Kerrville,' said Sortor. It's also critical to make sure civilians are totally out of any flood warning areas, he added. 'The warnings have to be absolutely taken seriously.' Update: Date: 14 min ago Title: At least 82 people have died while more rain brings new threat. Here's the latest Content: The death toll from the catastrophic Texas floods has reached at least 82, with dozens more still missing. A new round of rain is expected to swell waterways in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located, and officials are warning of the potential impacts. Here's the latest: Death toll: At least 82 people have died after floods rushed through central Texas during the July 4 weekend. The toll includes at least 28 children in Kerr County, where 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still unaccounted for. The toll has risen as local emergency officials across the state carry out search, rescue and recovery efforts. Rising water levels: Waterways in some of the most devastated parts of central Texas are beginning to swell once again as more rain falls in the area. Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday flash flooding could still pose a danger for some regions of Texas over the next few days as 'more heavy rainfall' is expected. Missing campers: Crews are continuing to search for 10 campers and one counsellor from Camp Mystic, the all girls' summer camp near the Guadalupe River. Crews are searching by land and air, with the Texas Air National Guard using remotely piloted military drones typically used by the military to conduct surveillance. Emergency readiness: Records show officials in Kerr County previously considered installing flood warning sirens, but the plan never came to fruition. While the National Weather Service issued a slew of alerts before the storm, questions have been raised about the agency's staffing and ability to reach residents at the time of the disaster. Update: Date: 16 min ago Title: Water levels rise in Kerr County as additional rain falls in flood-ridden areas Content: Waterways in some of the most devastated parts of central Texas are beginning to swell once again as more rain falls in the area. The rain, impacting the upper Guadalupe basin this afternoon, has led to a rise in Johnson Creek in Kerr County, where 68 people have died due to flash flooding as of Sunday evening. 'This water may lead to a rise of [one to two feet] downstream when it enters the Guadalupe river in Ingram,' the Kerr County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post this evening. 'Please be aware if you are near the Guadalupe River or Johnson Creek,' the post said. The City of Ingram sits along the river, about 6 miles west of the City of Kerrville. Update: Date: 16 min ago Title: Video: Timelapse shows speed of floodwater rising in Texas Content: A timelapse, captured on Friday, shows how quickly floodwaters rose along the Llano River in Kingsland, Texas. The video, which was sped up, shows the water rush in and rise along the river in the span of 30 minutes. Update: Date: 16 min ago Title: Camp Mystic night security guard hailed as hero for saving campers' lives Content: A man who worked as a night security guard at Camp Mystic is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of campers after devastating floods struck the Kerr County, Texas, area on Friday. In a statement to CNN, Glenn Juenke says he has served as the night watchman at the camp for the past four summers. He was on duty when the floodwaters began to rush in. Juenke explained the campers were inside a building called the Wiggle Inn, and when the water started to rise, he placed the girls on mattresses to help them ride it out safely. 'I witnessed firsthand the courage and faith that your daughters displayed during some of the most terrifying moments of their young lives,' Juenke said. 'Each of those sweet girls (were) cold, wet, and frightened — but they were also incredibly brave. They trusted me, and we leaned on each other through a long, harrowing night together inside their cabin.'
