Search, relief efforts continue in Wimberley for Central Texas flood victims

People clean up damage from Memorial Day weekend flooding on the Blanco River in Wimberley as seen in a Tuesday May 26, 2015 aerial picture. People clean up damage from Memorial Day weekend flooding on the Blanco River in Wimberley as seen in a Tuesday May 26, 2015 aerial picture. Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Photo: William Luther, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 180 Caption Close Search, relief efforts continue in Wimberley for Central Texas flood victims 1 / 180 Back to Gallery

Updated 6:31 p.m.

Travis County authorities have identifed the body of a man found in Northeast Travis County, according to KVUE.

The man has been identified as Jonathan Walker, 23, of Houston, the Austin Statesman, reported.

WIMBERLEY - Three people are known dead and 9 are still missing as a result of the historic flooding on the Blanco River — and there’s more rain in the forecast.

“This is not over,” Hays County Judge Bert Cobb told reporters at a briefing earlier today. The river is still high, and the National Weather Services is predicting a 30 percent chance of rain Thursday for the San Marcos area, increasing to 50 percent on Friday.

The second victim was a woman whose body was found in neighboring Caldwell County, but no other information was immediately available. The identity of the first victim and the circumstances surrounding his death still have not been made available.

Earlier, officials said 30 people were unaccounted for, but all have now been located. The number of missing increased from 12 to 13, but there were still no details on the missing provided by law enforcement. Family members have identified eight of the missing as members of two Corpus Christi families who were vacationing in a home that was swept off its very foundation by a “wall of water” and thrust down the Blanco River until it smashed into a bridge.

More than 150 emergency personnel were involved in the search and rescue effort today, officials said, bolstered by scores of volunteers.

“We’re looking in all of the debris piles for any signs of life, or belongings tied to the missing people,” said Kharley Smith, the county’s emergency management coordinator.

A hotline — 512-754-2275 — has been established by Hays County for those wanting to volunteer, offer donations or seek assistance in recovering from the flood.

Meanwhile, President Obama issued a national disaster declaration for Texas. Gov. Abbott issued a state disaster declaration Monday.

The declarations make available state and federal disaster assistance programs to affected counties, as well as to some individuals.

Officials said 70 homes in Hays County were destroyed and an estimated 1,400 were damaged by the fast-rising waters that eclipsed the former record flood on the Blanco River, reaching 3,000 cfs before the gauge measuring the flow was washed away. The former record was set in 1926.

Trees as old as 500 years were felled along the riverbanks here by the water that rose about 14 feet in 30 minutes late Saturday, a surge that also caused extensive downstream flooding in San Marcos and in Caldwell County.

zeke@express-news.net