While the July Fourth weekend offered a welcome respite for many people in the U.S., it marked the beginning of relentless rescue and recovery efforts for public safety personnel in Texas. Flash flooding across Kerr County and surrounding areas has destroyed homes, property and, in some cases, families. As of July 15, the death toll had reached 134, with more than 100 still missing.

Camp Mystic — an all-girls Christian summer camp situated along the Guadalupe River — accounted for nearly 30 of the victims, with some still unaccounted for at the time of this writing. Additionally, approximately 20 more deaths were reported in neighboring Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties.

As expected, reporters, aid volunteers and public safety personnel have flocked to the area as rescue efforts continue. The Associated Press (AP) reported that states as far as Florida and as nearby as Nebraska and Louisiana have sent rescue teams to assist, many of which include specialized resources such as K-9 units.

As with any effort of this size and scope, challenges have emerged. Volunteer searcher Cord Shiflet told AP that his group was turned away from one of the main search sites. “This morning, we showed up and basically the government has taken our site and the civilians working in there,” he said. His group chose to launch their own search at another location, about 10 miles from the worst of the flooding.

In a potentially tragic mishap, a drone being flown by a civilian crashed into a helicopter involved in the recovery efforts. The City of Kerrville announced the incident in a July 7 press release, urging the public to respect restricted flight zones.

Some law enforcement agencies have been directly and permanently impacted by the disaster. On the afternoon of July 5, the Odessa Police Department reported that one of their own was among those missing. On July 9, the department announced that its honor guard would be escorting the body of Officer Bailey Martin back home to Odessa from Travis County. The town encouraged citizens to join them along the procession route.

Beneath the confusion, exhaustion and outright tragedy that have accompanied the floods are countless cops, simply doing their jobs. The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office has posted a series of photos from the relief efforts, several of which capture the essence of the situation. In one image, taken in what appears to be a gymnasium hastily converted for emergency use, dozens of officers are gathered around for briefings and assignments. The diversity of uniforms creates a kind of tactical rainbow — splashes of khaki, green and blue fill the room. Some wear tactical gear, others more traditional uniforms and few are in shorts, their attire quickly assembled for the task at hand. The lettering on their backs reflects a wide array of local, state and federal agencies. Despite the varied uniforms, roles and jurisdictions, they’re all faced forward, unified in purpose, ready to carry out their respective assignments.

At a county commissioners meeting on July 14, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha shared that search and rescue efforts will likely continue for some time, noting that his office’s efforts will “go strong for another month or two” and could last up to six months. CNN reported that the sheriff’s office said 2,200 people from multiple agencies have been deployed to assist in the recovery efforts.