He tied a garden hose around his waist and waded into chest-deep water. What happened next during the Texas floods is being called heroic.

Follow for live updates in the Texas flooding as more than 173 are missing as rescuers continue a desperate search

Multiple parts of Central Texas, including Kerr County, were shocked by flash floods Friday when the Guadalupe River and others rose rapidly.

A major flood event also struck the Texas Hill Country in July of 1987 after a series of 17 thunderstorms moved slowly, in succession, over the headwaters of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Anywhere from 5 to 10 inches of rain fell on the flood-prone areas, now deemed “Flash Flood Alley,” according to a National Weather Service report.

Kerrville police braved the deadly floods on July 4, rescuing hundreds. Read how the officers united under pressure to serve their community.

Over the last decade, an array of local and state agencies have missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system intended to avert the type of disaster that swept away dozens of youth campers and others in Kerr County,

Flash floods surged through in the middle of the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.

The search for survivors in the wake of catastrophic and historic flooding in Texas has entered its fifth day as the death toll surpasses 100 with dozens of people still missing.

Officials in Texas are facing mounting questions about whether they did enough to get people out of harm’s way before a flash flood swept down the Guadalupe River and killed more than 100 people, including at least 27 children and counselors at an all-girls Christian camp.