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12 dead, 2 children missing in Memorial weekend flooding

Twelve people are dead and two people are missing after heavy rain and devastating flooding pounded Central Texas over Memorial Day weekend.
Flood damage in Wimberley

Twelve people are dead and two people are missing after heavy rain and devastating flooding pounded Central Texas over Memorial Day weekend.

On Saturday, June 6, a search team recovered the body 42-year-old William Randall Charba near the Blanco River at Bluffview Drive in the Wimberley area, according to a Hays County official.

Authorities identified Jose Alvarado Arteaga-Pichardo as one of the flood victims in Hays County. Arteaga-Pichardo's body was found near Loop 165 in Wimberley on May 26.

On May 27, Hays County officials identified a body found three days previously in San Marcos as Dayton Larry Thomas, 74. The next day, authorities found the body of 81-year-old Kenneth Reissig near the Blanco River at Narrows Road.

The McComb family was visiting from Corpus Christi for the holiday when their house was swept away by the flood waters. Jonathan McComb was released from the hospital May 29. The body of Andrew McComb, Jonathan's 6-year-old son, was found by county officials May 27 at the Blanco River in Hays County. The body of Andrew's mother, Laura McComb, was found May 30 in Wimberley. The McCombs' 4-year-old daughter, Leighton, is still missing.

Corpus Christi residents Ralph and Sue Carey, along with Randy Charba and Michelle Carey-Charba and their son, Will, were also in the house with the McCombs when the home was swept away. Carey-Charba's body was found May 26 in Caldwell County. Ralph and Sue Carey's bodies were both recovered in San Marcos later in the week.

As of June 8, two people remain missing in Hays County: 6-year-old William Charba and Leighton McComb, 4.

Blanco County

The body of 42-year-old Zachary Jones was found Saturday night in Blanco County after his truck was swept away by flood waters.

On Tuesday evening Blanco County officials announced they had made contact with Bruce Conklin, who was reported missing. The office of emergency management there said that all people previously reported missing from the floods have been located.

Travis and Williamson counties

The body of Jonathan Walker, 23, was found in a vehicle Tuesday in northeast Travis County and the body of 55-year-old Jerry Booth was found Tuesday in a vehicle in Georgetown after flood waters receded.

Aerial crews are searching for the missing. The crews were grounded temporarily the morning of May 25 due to low cloud ceiling. They're using drones, geographic information system mapping and thermal imaging. Many areas are still not accessible by search crews due to damage.

More than 50 people from Texas Task Force One are forming search teams on the ground. Public works teams are also being deployed by the state. According to police, those teams will be in Hays County for at least the next two weeks.

The county is still assessing the total amount of damage. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama pledged federal funding for flood victims.

Gov. Greg Abbott added 24 counties to the disaster declaration Friday, bringing the total number of counties under Texas' state disaster declaration to 70. Abbott also requested a presidential disaster declaration.

Authorities ask people to call the hotline 512-393-7796 and register with the county to make sure your loved ones aren't looking for you. Those looking for loved ones should call the Hays County Emergency Operations Center at 512-753-2180.

Officials advise the public to stay away from damaged areas. Roads could have sink holes, unstable debris and active power lines.

HOW TO HELP: How to donate, volunteer to help Central Texas flood victims

KVUE along with our sister TV stations in Texas are partnering to help Hays County rebuild. Go here to donate to a special GoFundMe account and use the hashtag #HelpHays across social media to spread the word.

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