Tuesday, July 22, 2025

There Really is a Warning System, Leaders Have to Use It


Big Country Homepage interviewed Rep. Drew Darby regarding the upcoming Texas Legislative Session focusing on the horrific flash flood disasters that took so many lives. He said:
“House Bill 13 is a bill that basically grew out of a series of natural disasters, including the wildfires and the Panhandle that burned over a million acres. There is no real early warning system, and a way to notify affected people about an impending disaster.”
 Actually, there is.  


Local officials have to use it.  They also have to follow their disaster plans, set up the Emergency Operations Centers and monitor conditions, issue appropriate warnings as indicated and shift resources.

Kerr County officials owe their public an explanation as to why first responder requests to warn affected citizens were ignored.  It's called accountable local government and it is not happening for the City of Ingram.  


Their City Council met last night:
Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William B. “Dub” Thomas was supposed to give (Council) an update after the July 4 floods, but he didn’t show because of “scheduling conflicts." 
"We have no information,” Mayor Claud Jordan said. “Nobody has called us. Nobody has contacted us.””  
Disaster response "no show" is a familiar pattern in Kerr County.  Silence and stonewalling is the exact wrong strategy when professional public officials fail miserably.  The story of what three men did that night, County Judge, Emergency Management Coordinator and County Sheriff, in response to phone calls from emergency dispatchers is out there locally, in bits and pieces.  It will eventually come out.

City of Ingram City officials have had little to no communication with Kerr County leaders for the last seventeen days, including the day of the disaster.  

The clamp is on tight if the City of Ingram's City Council can't get their employee to show up for a meeting.  Why would I say employee?  Because "Dub" Thomas indicated such in his talk with Kerrville Rotary Club
Have been the Emergency Management Coordinator for Kerr County and the City Of Ingram since November 2015
There's a very strange narrative going for people with a background in disaster planning and response and it does not bode well for citizens.

Update 7-23-25:  KHOU reported:
Code Red is Kerr County’s emergency notification system that can push alerts to residents’ phones. Trolinger, who helped install the system as the county’s former IT director, says he didn’t receive a Code Red alert until after 10 a.m. July 4.
A first responder made the request at 4:22 am.  
The time for accountability, they say, will start at the state capital with the upcoming special session.
Sorry, that's a cop out.  These people work for local government and are accountable to their constituents.  That's not Greg Abbott, the Texas legislature or President Trump -- the groups covering for the local failure to warn citizens in a timely manner.  The state has taken over the recovery and clean up process so local leaders have time to do what experts do after a disaster - evaluate what happened and act on the results of that evaluation.  The public should be front and center in that accountability.  

Local leaders and the public have been left high and dry by Kerr County Commissioners Court and Ingram City Council.  

Update 7-24-25:  It turns out the people charged with managing disasters in Kerr County were asleep the early morning of July 4th.  Ingram City officials continue to voice their lack of response from Kerr County officials.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Kerr County Commissioners Court Silent on Initial Flood Response


The Kerr County Commissioners Court held their first meeting since the deadly July 4th flash flood.  One County Commissioner shared how his local volunteer fire department saved everyone in their community, noting their was no loss of life as a result of their response.   


The Court did not have Emergency Management Coordinator William "Dub" Thomas clarify the County's early response to escalating warnings issued by the National Weather Service regarding flash flooding. 

The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency.

Dub's name was mentioned as staffing the Emergency Operations Center along with the County Judge.  Thomas began his role as Emergency Management Coordinator in 2015.  Two years into his term government bodies warned of serious problems from flash flooding.

 


In September 2017, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority sounded the alarm in an online video produced with Kerr County and the city of Kerrville warning about the dangers of flash floods and its historical precedent posted to YouTube.
At least 134 people are dead and 101 are missing.  The lack of information the County's early actions is disturbing for citizens expecting accountable government.  A paid professional was in that role the evening of July 3rd and early morning July 4th. 


County Commissioners went into executive session to discuss matters.  I expect they got legal advice as to the county's failure to follow their emergency plan by not issuing timely warnings to members of the public, residents and visitors, making them aware of the impending flash flood.

The public has seen this before with the White House Hurricane Katrina response, the February 2021 Winter Storm that killed hundreds in Texas and the Uvalde school shooting.

The Katrina Lessons Learned report was a disaster in itself, just a collection of hero stories and recommendations to do better next time.  It avoided a critical examination of the response which resulted in needless deaths.

It remains to be seen what information is shared and what level of disaster response analysis is actually performed.  The public deserves to know, especially those of us living in Texas.

After spending five days with no electricity in bitter cold, trying to keep us and our animals alive in Winter Storm 2021, our electricity bill went up.  Nobody ever apologized. 

The bright side is that no one ever called me "evil" for expecting the basics from our government. 

Update 7-16-25:  First responder audio revealed the first calls regarding flooding came in around 3:30 am on July 4th.  The situation deteriorated with more people experiencing flooding and needing rescue.  At 4:22 am a firefighter asked that a CodeRED be sent out warning people.  It did not go out as no supervisor was available for approval.  

Outside resources arrived that needed to be coordinated via the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) yet to be set up.  After 4:30 am the river rises from 8 to 30 feet sweeping away all manner of cars, RVs and people.  

The first mention of EOC establishment is at 6:53 am at the Sheriff's Office.  The two people responsible for EOC establishment are the County Judge and Emergency Management Coordinator.  These officials are yet to provide any information on their whereabouts, much less any response to communications about the looming, then ongoing disaster. 

Local officials are supposed to follow the disaster plan and document their actions along the way, sot their reticence to produce of a timeline seems odd.

Update 7-17-25:  Governor Gregg Abbott visited San Angelo today to address flood recovery.  Kerr County's first FEMA level "flash flood warning" was issued on July 6th, two days after the deadly event.  None were issued on July 4th.

Update 7-18-25:  During COVID "Dub" Thomas spoke to the Kerrville Rotary.  His bio stated:
....Emergency Management Coordinator for Kerr County and the City Of Ingram since November 2015 and am responsible for the Kerr County/City of Kerrville/City of Ingram Emergency Management Plan, Code Red, CERT ( Community Emergency Response Team), Kerr County Search and Rescue Team and other disaster related duties as assigned.

Update 7-19-25:  A former Kerr County IT chief told NewsNation

“I don’t think there’s any solution other than to replace the people that failed us.” 

 Evidence collected by KXAN – including dispatch audio and FEMA data – shows county officials did not send alerts for hours after a National Weather Service warning, and more targeted alerts did not go out for days.

It's been over two weeks for Kerr County officials to not provide account for the actions/inactions of persons responsible for the local flash flood emergency response.  The County Judge, County Sheriff and Emergency Management Coordinator need to share what they did with their community and not wait for the Texas Legislative Session.  Local government is local accountability.

Update 7-20-25:  Rep. Drew Darby will serve on one of Governor Abbott's committees investigating the July 4th flash flood and subsequent flooding events.  In an interview with an Abilene CBS affiliate Darby stated:

"There really is no early warning system and a way to notify affected people about an impending disaster."

I would challenge his statement.  There are watch and warning systems that rely on people up and down the law enforcement, fire department, emergency management, emergency dispatch, government leader chain to take those watches, begin preparations and accelerate actions when they turn to warnings at the Emergency Operations Center.  When the situation becomes a flat out emergency the EOC has to deal with conditions, resources and adapt their plans accordingly.  

IPAWS allows Alerting Authorities to write their own message using commercially available software that is Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) compliant. The message is then delivered to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS OPEN), where it is authenticated and then delivered simultaneously through multiple communication pathways. Through IPAWS, one message is created to reach as many people as possible to save lives and protect property.

When leaders responsible for setting up the EOC don't respond then no warnings or emergency messages are sent.  None.  That's what happened in Kerr County.  If the people responsible for emergency management don't show I'm not sure what interoperability of communications will do to help.

Monday, July 14, 2025

Council Reneged on Shafting Retirees


City Council approved adding two new deductibles for Retiree Health coverage in November 2024.  Within weeks city staff learned the option selected was not legal unless the city changed health plan providers.  Internal documents indicate management planned to bring the increased cost back to Council in early 2025.  That did not happen.

This explains why new Councilperson Mary Coffey was unaware of the development.  She explored restoring the planned benefit cut in a strategic planning meeting.  Other members of the public may have surprised to hear of this change.  

City retirees got the good news from staff in early January 2025.  I'm sure it was a relief for many.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Abbott: Buck Stops with You, Not Football Fans


The death toll in the July 4th floods came from a failed warning system.  People in harms way did not know in time to leave the banks of the Guadalupe River or they failed to act on any warnings.  Texas Governor Greg Abbott compared people asking questions about the disaster response to disgruntled football fans after a team loss.  Abbott may want to pick a phone and call his Florida counterpart.


Is a weather disaster a play, a set of downs, a quarter, or a whole game?  Coaches make adjustments along the way.  What adjustments did the Governor's office make as the July 4th flood disaster unfolded.

The game was not televised and there were no people in the stands of Governor Abbott's "football game."  The public only knows what Coach Abbott and his team told us.  

Four years ago the Governor sang a different tune after hundreds of Texans died in a different weather disaster.


Today, many are angry for the same reasons, a system broke.  The public deserves answers not a coach dodging out the door to avoid questions.  There is only one time to give answers, that is the present.  

Abbott does not have to do it all.  He has a team of people capable of and charged with that very duty.  A basic in disaster preparedness is how did we do?  What went well?  What needs to be improved or changed to work better next time?  Get 'er done.

Update 7-10-25:  CNN reported:
Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem didn’t authorize FEMA’s deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, multiple sources told CNN.
The Independent reported:
As floodwaters in Texas rose in the early morning of July 4, a local firefighter petitioned for an emergency alert to quickly be sent out...  at 4:22am, a fireman with the Ingram Volunteer Fire Department reportedly called into emergency dispatch to warn that the Guadalupe River appeared to be rapidly overshooting its banks.

The earliest CodeRED alerts appear to have reached local residents about an hour later, according to multiple local media outlets, while some reported not getting their first CodeRED alert until after 10am.
The coaches clearly failed.  

Update 7-11-25:  "Needs approval" likely resulted in more lives lost.  Less pre-positioned resources from FEMA and greater time lag in getting out critical emergency warnings.



At what point will the public learn the local response from disaster leaders?

Update 7-13-25:  Congressman Reuben Gallego said Trump II was interested in accountability.  Sorry, that does not fly, especially after he called that reporter "evil" for asking about lack of or too late warnings from local officials..  People reported:
Kerr County officials did not use the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) — a notification tool that uses vibrations and emits a loud alert noise — even after a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist warned them about the severity of the floods.
Kerr County officials did use the CodeRED system to issue warnings but many residents did not receive those or they came too late.  Local Kerr County officials are yet to release any information about their actions as the deadly flooding developed.  

Tuesday, July 08, 2025

Residents Asked to Complete State Flood Damages Survey


San Angelo experienced significant flooding after parts of town received over 11 inches of rain.  Many homes already in substandard condition were impacted by flooding.  A large number of Hispanic residents live in the flooded area.  The city is currently marking homes unfit for habitation.

City leaders have instructed residents to complete a state online disaster survey.  Respondents have to find their residence on a map, share basic demographic information and details about flood damage, including uploading pictures.  The survey is only available in English.  The state notes its website is in English only and that translation services may or may not be accurate.

Local leaders are encouraging residents to complete the state survey, especially as the federal government has not declared San Angelo a disaster area.  That requirement for FEMA assistance is yet to be met.  

I found no offers of assistance for completing the state flood damage survey on the city's website or Texas 211.  How many low income flood victims have a working computer, internet access, the knowledge/skills to complete the survey and have English competency?  

The survey provider is ESRI, which oddly has a tab for racial equity.  I take it they know how to make a survey in Spanish.  The State chose not to utilize that capability, despite its long history of seasonal migration for crop harvesting.

How many flood victims are non-citizens?  Trump's Immigration police have deported people in the system with some level of legal status.  If someone could be snatched for showing up at their appointment, what risk is there for a noncitizen to fill out the damages form?  

It's hard to know anything at this point, except leaders expect residents to use tech for everything.  That may or may not make sense in the world as lived vs. imagined.

Update 7-8-25:  KLST reported that residents can call 211 for assistance in completing the state damage surveys and that volunteers are being trained today to complete the surveys are will be assigned areas to canvass.

Update 7-11-25:  San Angelo has been declared a federal disaster area opening up the door for FEMA aid.

Sunday, July 06, 2025

Texas Observer Prophetic on Deadly Floods


Texas Observer issued a warning the day prior to catastrophic flooding in San Angelo and communities around Kerrville, Texas.  Texas officials raised the question as to how DOGE cuts impacted National Weather Service operations.  The Independent reported:
“The original forecast that we received Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted 3-6 inches of rain in the Concho Valley and 4-8 inches in the Hill Country,” he said at a press conference Friday.  
“The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said that “no one knew this kind of flood was coming.”
"Flood Emergency" warnings for life threatening flash flooding went out in the early morning hours when most people were asleep.  
Despite the cuts, nearby NWS offices had “adequate staffing” during the storms, CNN reports. However, centers were missing a few key employees due to early retirement incentives offered by the Trump administration in an effort to reduce the government’s workforce. 
The Austin-San Antonio office was missing a warning coordination meteorologist — who helps link forecasters with local emergency managers — while the San Angelo office was missing a meteorologist-in-charge, according to CNN.
Texas officials will examine the facts and share their conclusions with the public at some point.  Texans will be observing.  

Update 7-8-25:  Texas Senator Ted Cruz was on vacation in Greece over the July 4th holiday when tragedy struck.  I did not realize Tea Party candidates left the U.S. for our Independence Day celebrations.  Cruz played a direct role in federal funding cuts around weather warnings.

USA Today reported the Texas Department of Emergency Management declined Kerr County's grant application for an early warning system in 2017 and again in 2018.  The County:
asked for $1 million to build a flood warning system that would have upgraded 20 water gauge systems, added new water level sensors and posts, and created software and a website to distribute that information to the public in real-time.
Local leaders have been trying to get an early warning system for years.