INGRAM, Texas – Recovery efforts are far from finished in the Hill Country.
Next week marks four months since the deadly July 4 floods, and the search for the two people still missing hasn’t stopped. A new recovery effort has begun in Ingram Lake, bringing some relief to residents and some questions.
“If the lake isn’t clean, if people don’t have confidence, they’re not going to come to Ingram,” resident Ann Carr said.
According to a spokesperson with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the search operation is a state effort happening in coordination with local agencies, like Kerr County.
Across the state, KSAT was told more than 825 people are still working on flood recovery from this past summer. In Ingram, divers are searching through debris to possibly find remains. After debris has been thoroughly searched, it will be collected and disposed.
On Thursday, a large barge sat in the middle of Ingram Lake near the dam. This is the home base for search operations on this stretch of the Guadalupe River.
Richard Allen lives right across the lake in Ingram. He said he thinks the riverbed’s surface has completely changed from the flood, and he said his store-bought marine radar for his boat shows that.
“You can see it’s not smooth at all right now, but we don’t know what’s down there,” Allen said, looking at his radar.
That’s why Carr said she thinks the fastest way to get answers is by draining the lake.
“Until we get in there and really make a concerted effort to get everything out of the lake and out of river, people are going to be hesitant,” she said.
KSAT has reported about this push before. On Thursday, TDEM officials could not confirm to KSAT if draining the lake is being discussed right now.
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