Officials missed key call before floods hit Texas
All senior Kerr County officials responsible for disaster coordination were absent from an emergency weather briefing held before the 4 July floods that killed 136 people across Texas, according to CNN.
The information emerged during a public hearing of the Texas Senate and House Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding held on 31 July in Kerrville.
CNN reported that the emergency coordination calls were organised by the Texas Division of Emergency Management on 3 July.
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN he had not seen the email invitations to attend.
Kerr County’s emergency management coordinator William B. “Dub” Thomas told the hearing he was off sick and remained in bed throughout the day.
Thomas said: “In my absence, my supervisors and sheriff’s office leadership were aware that I was off duty.”
He did not participate in the two coordination calls held that day at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
State and local leaders face criticism over flood response
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick directly criticised Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly for being absent on 4 July.
Patrick said: “I don’t know where you were on day one on July 4, but you should have been here. You should have been here directing that response. That’s your responsibility.”
Texas Representative Ann Johnson told the committee: “The three guys in Kerr County, who were responsible for sounding the alarm, were effectively unavailable.”
Johnson said the judge was away, the sheriff did not wake until 4.20 a.m., and the emergency coordinator was ill.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown raised concerns about the absence of a National Weather Service official who had previously played a key role in alerting local governments to major weather risks.
Brown said the post had been vacant for several months and had not been filled ahead of the storm.
Residents testify to failings in alert systems
Multiple residents gave testimony at the hearing urging improvements to Texas’s flood alert systems.
Alicia Jeffrey Baker, who lost her parents and 11-year-old daughter, called for sensor-based sirens that would activate when river levels rose.
Baker said: “If we have gauges in water already, put a sensor on them. If it gets to a certain point, that’s when the siren goes off.”
Bud Bolton, a resident of Hunt, Texas, described watching more than 100 RVs swept past him while hearing children trapped inside.
He said: “We got an alert to evacuate, after all the homes were gone. That’s when our alert came in.”
Rosa Toller, from the Bumble Bee Hills area, said the only warning she received came from neighbours shouting in the street.
Williamson County Judge Steven Snell described how a woman named Sherry Richardson called 911 asking rescuers to prioritise a home for disabled children.
Snell said Richardson died in the flood, but 16 people were evacuated because of her call.
Residents report lack of support from state and federal agencies
Mike Richards, a resident of Bandera, Texas, said he recovered ten bodies without official help.
He criticised state authorities for blocking his access to excavation equipment and said he received no assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Richards said: “It was two days before I got some help. It was not from the state, not from the government. It was some good-hearted people.”
CNN reported that FEMA had acknowledged being overwhelmed by call volumes during the peak of the flood.
Richards said he would have broken the law if necessary to recover victims.
Calls for mental health care and funding support
Keli Rabon, whose two sons survived flooding at Camp La Junta, said her younger son now lives in fear.
Rabon told the hearing: “Brock scans every room for higher ground. He checks the weather constantly. He battles nightmares of water dripping from the ceiling or his mattress being wet.”
She said FEMA had not been able to help with trauma support.
Rabon said she had been relying on volunteer groups to find mental health care.
She called on the state to release recovery funding, integrate mental health into disaster response, and require emergency plans for children’s camps.
Officials absent from emergency briefing before deadly Texas floods: Summary
CNN has reported that all key officials in Kerr County missed a pre-flood emergency call on 3 July.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management sent multiple emails about the calls.
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said he did not see the emails.
The county’s emergency coordinator was off sick and did not attend.
State officials criticised the absence of leadership on 4 July.
Residents testified to failures in flood alert systems.
Families said alerts came too late or not at all.
Some residents reported having no cell or Wi-Fi access.
A woman’s 911 call led to the rescue of 16 people.
Local people recovered bodies without official support.
FEMA was unable to respond to all calls during the flooding.
Parents requested better mental health support for children.
Families urged the state to fund recovery and mandate emergency planning.