When Oscar Morales heard about the deadly flood in Kerr County, he had no doubt his team was going to assist with rescue and recovery.
"We just had to," said Morales, who lives in Mexico City. "We need to help however we can."
Morales is part of the volunteer-led recovery team International Tlatelolco Azteca Rescue Brigade, which was created after the 1985 earthquake that left thousands dead in Mexico City. The group is better known as "Los Topos," which translates to "the moles," because members search for victims after natural disasters.
Los Topos had at least 20 volunteers ready to head to the U.S. to help look for victims along the miles of flood-ravaged areas on the Guadalupe River. Together, they had decades of knowledge from being part of international rescues after earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis.
But only five Topos made it to Texas. The rest were left waiting for visas or humanitarian permits to enter the U.S.
Residents in Kerr County were doing a different kind of waiting. During the days after the flood, many calls to the Federal Emergency Management agency went unanswered. People started walking the river looking for their loved ones.
Across the border, other Mexican teams jumped into action. Javier Alvarado, the fire chief in Acuña, Coahuila, made calls July 5 to offer his team's help.
Fundación 911, a binational nonprofit that works with firefighters on both sides of the border, helped Alvarado's firefighters get humanitarian permits. They drove to the border and in less than 24 hours of that first call, Alvarado and his team of 14 — including his 20-year-old son — were on U.S. soil.
Acuña firefighters hit the ground running. They were under the command of the Mountain Home Fire Department, which had trained them a few months before. Six of their members are part of the Kerr County swift-water rescue team.
"We come from a culture of hard work," Alvarado said. "I asked them to let us get in the water."
Searching for victims in the water is a specific challenge, one Alvarado said the Acuña firefighters know well: They specialize in searching for people in the Rio Grande.
But searching in the Guadalupe River was much different.
The wall of water that came in the early morning of July 4 brought houses, cars and boats with it. Trees had been snapped like toothpicks or flipped upside down, left with their roots exposed. Families' belongings were scattered in the river. Canoes were found wrapped around remaining trees. Raccoons, deer, armadillos and even fish were trapped among the tree branches.
Guided by a sense of smell and other clues, like looking for certain insects, they walked the river. On that first day, Alvarado's team found a victim. But in order to continue, they needed more help — they needed rescue dogs.
Soon, more Mexican help came. Protección Civil de Santa Catarina, a group of three men and three dogs known as Los Jaguares, also made it across the border with temporary permits. Felipe Macías, the group's leader, and his 20-year old son made calls and showed up at the border, where he said they were welcomed and treated kindly by Customs and Border Protection officials.
"We were very dismayed by the tragedy. Love of helping brought us here," Macías said.
Morales said Los Topos were told they needed to get a permit at the border. But they didn't want to risk flying to a border town on their own dime and then be turned away by CBP.
Los Topos is recognized worldwide. Members helped search through the rubble in New York City after 9/11. They rescued people after the 2023 earthquake in Turkey. Most recently, they were in Spain helping after deadly floods last year.
Dusty Block, a firefighter with the Mountain Home Fire Department, said it's made a major difference having Acuña firefighters and Los Jaguares in Kerrville.
"Those guys would go anywhere we would want them to go," he said. "They would just ask for more and more and more, and with no complaints."
He said some of their methods are a bit uncommon, like using a plastic pipe to search for the smell of decomposing bodies. But despite the differences, they worked together because, as Block put it, they are guided by the need to help others.
"To sum it up with one word, it's a blessing," Block said.
On social media, Gov. Greg Abbott has thanked almost a dozen states for sending help after the catastrophic floods, but he hasn't publicly mentioned the help of Mexican volunteers.
The governor also said the work would continue until every person was found. And while many families are still seeking closure, Alvarado said Mexican crews were told Friday their help was no longer needed.
The next day, Acuña firefighters and Los Jaguares packed their cars and said their goodbyes. They hugged firefighters from Mountain Home, making promises of reunions. Then they got in their cars and started driving back home.
Five members of Los Topos stayed behind. On Saturday, they helped clean debris from the Guadalupe River. They are working on getting permission to continue with recovery efforts in areas that have yet to be searched. On Sunday morning, their crew members back in Mexico were still waiting for permission to cross the border.
"Sometimes it's destiny or God who dictates when to arrive and when to leave," Morales said. "And if there's still work to do, we're gonna remain here."
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