Over a week since an inundated Guadalupe River sent floodwaters tearing through homes and youth camps in Texas, optimism for rescuing any of the dozens of people still missing from Hill Country on Saturday has steadily faded as the death toll continued to rise.

Hundreds of rescuers, many of them volunteers, have scoured miles of destruction for any sign of the missing. But they haven’t rescued anyone alive since July 4, the day of the flood, officials in the hardest-hit Kerr County said. Some 160 people are missing from the county alone.

As of the morning of July 12, the death toll had risen to at least 129, with authorities in Kerr and Travis counties reporting more bodies recovered. The toll in Kerr County rose to at least 103, including 67 adults and 36 children, according to the county’s Joint Information Center. In Travis County, the toll rose to nine from eight, spokesperson Hector Nieto confirmed to USA TODAY. Officials previously said at least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, the beloved all-girls Christian camp, were among the dead.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve seen a lot of bad ones,” President Donald Trump said as he and first lady Melania Trump surveyed the damage on Friday. “It’s hard to believe the devastation.”

In Kerrville, community’s generosity has surpassed some needs

The overwhelming response from community members near and far has become too generous, officials in Kerrville said on Saturday. The Kerrville Police Department said so many people have brought food for its staff, some has gone to waste. All its needs, including meals, are taken care of, the police department said.

The police department also asked law enforcement officers in the region to stop showing up unannounced to help, as it is coordinating with agencies to assign officers to certain tasks.

On Friday, the city of Kerrville asked volunteers to stop coming to help, as the most urgent needs are being handled by first responders and families within the community who were affected by the flooding.

“Your generosity and support mean more than words can express,” the city said. “Please don’t lose heart – your help WILL be needed. As the days and weeks unfold, there will be many opportunities to step in and support our neighbors. We promise to share updates as specific volunteer needs arise.”

What happens if they aren’t found? Grim reality sets in

More than 10 months after Hurricane Helene spawned floods that ripped through western North Carolina last year, the bodies of Lysa Gindinova’s 3-year-old cousin, Yevhenii Segen, and their grandmother, Tatiana Novitnia, have still not been found. The two were swept away by floodwaters, and the family wrestles with the fact they may never see them again.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Gindinova told USA TODAY.

Families in Texas are starting to face that same haunting realization after the deadly Hill Country flash floods as volunteers continue to scour the region for the missing.

Much like last year’s North Carolina floods, the Texas floods left behind mountains of debris: piles of crushed trailers and cars, stacks of downed cypress trees and walls of hardened mud that make recovery challenging. The amount of debris and destruction have made the grim task slow and taxing.

Troy Tillman, 34, a sheriff’s detective from just outside Lubbock, Texas, described uncovering a Ford F-250 pickup – completely submerged in mud and rock along the Guadalupe in Center Point, about 10 miles downriver from Kerrville. If a 3-ton truck like that is buried, Tillman thought, what else could be entombed at their feet?

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‒ Rick Jervis and Christopher Cann

Volunteers expected to help with recovery Saturday

Kerr County said it is expecting a large number of “spontaneous volunteers” to help with recovery efforts on Saturday. Volunteers have been a key part of search and rescue in the days since the flood, with officials sometimes asking volunteers to stay away so qualified personnel can conduct some of the grueling work.

Volunteers are asked to register with Texas Community Recovery and check in at Tivy Antler Stadium in Kerrville before attending a safety briefing.

Officials continue to grapple with question of blame

Officials in Texas have faced relentless questions about what could have been done to prevent the high death toll and short amount of warning time in the Hill Country flooding. In Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha has said he’s not dodging the questions, but is focusing on the top priority of locating each missing person and identifying each victim found.

Trump on Friday rejected concerns about whether communities along the Guadalupe River were adequately prepared for the disaster.

“I think everybody did an incredible job under the circumstances,” Trump said. “Only a very evil person would ask a question like that.”

Gov. Greg Abbott earlier in the week said “blame” was the “word choice of losers.”

Is more flooding on the way?

As cleanup and recovery continues in Texas Hill Country, a renewed threat of flash flooding is in store over the weekend, forecasters said. Scattered showers are expected to develop Saturday afternoon and evening in south-central Texas, including parts of areas that already flooded. Heavy rain can quickly run off already wet ground, forecasters said.

In Kerrville, there is about a 35% chance of an inch of rain falling through Sunday morning, the weather service office serving Austin and San Antonio said.

“The expected heavy rainfall totals along with already sensitive, wet antecedent conditions may lead to scattered to potentially numerous instances of flash flooding,” the National Weather Service said.

Abbott activated emergency response resources on Friday at the Texas Division of Emergency Management in response to the forecast: “Texas continues to stand ready to deploy all necessary resources to support Texans as severe storms move across our state,” he said.

Over 13.5 million people were under flood watches from the National Weather Service across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico on Saturday morning.

How many died in Texas flooding?

Here’s a breakdown of the Texas flooding death toll, according to county officials:

Kerr County: 103

Travis County: 9

Kendall County: 8

Burnet County: 5

Williamson County: 3

Tom Green County: 1

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Joey Garrison, Bart Jansen, Karissa Waddick and Michael Loria, USA TODAY