Kerr County Commissioner Speaks "After Action Report"

One Kerr County Commissioner called for an "after action report" seven weeks after the July 4th flash flood disaster that killed 138 people.

"The question is what's coming next and how do we prepare for it.  After action report is a big part of that and it's being dictated by the state by also being introduced by me previously and also Commissioner Paces has offered to help out that.  It's going to be something we need to do however dramatic it is and uncovering certain things.  We need to look at ourselves hard in the face."- Kerr County Commissioner Jeff Holt

This came after public comment that praised two commissioners, Jeff Holt and Robert Paces, for their response the early morning of July 4th, doing so in the hours before local Emergency Management officials got organized and the State of Texas took over.  Commissioner Paces noted during the meeting:

"There are some other lessons learned in terms of who is watching, who is looking at the data and how that information gets relayed."

A basic in disaster response is a timely evaluation of the effort.  Elected officials aren't noted for their competence or thoroughness in this area.  The White House Lessons Learned report on Hurricane Katrina was a disaster in itself.  The 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is tomorrow, August 29.

"Unprecedented disasters" that occur every few decades no longer cuts the mustard.  The whole point of institutions is memory.  Kerr County Emergency Management officials warned about flooding in August 2024.

Let's hope the Kerr County Commissioner's Court shows more knowledge and courage in evaluating how their local disaster plans were executed.  Their constituents deserve a thorough and comprehensive assessment with clear recommendations to address problems.    

Update 9-25-25:  FEMA's interim chief was also missing in action for the Kerr County flash floods.  Staff could not reach him by phone.  That means there were communication failures at both the local and federal level that directly impacted the response, warning, rescue and recovery/cleanup.

Update 10-15-25:  The Texas Legislature will establish two more committees to look at the deadly flash flood event of July 4. 

Mystic Parents: Stories Far Worse than "Team Loss"

Parents of the children from Camp Mystic who died in the flash flooding spoke to Texas legislators.  Words like "preventable failures", "safety being paramount", "protocols ... not followed", "their deaths will mean change",  and many more.  

NYT reported:

“There needs to be better coordination with local first responders, because in an emergency, confusion kills, and we saw that on July 4.”

No one in the Kerr County Emergency Management hierarchy answered the phone calls from 911 emergency dispatch.  It's unclear if any deputies were sent to the homes of the parties involved.  There is far more left unsaid than revealed by elected officials and public servants.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott compared people asking questions about the disaster response to disgruntled football fans after a team loss.

Politics is an insufficient way to explain our world, given its ever shifting sands, serial mistruths and mind numbing double standards.  Governor Abbott's analogy should be taken in that context.  The State of Texas protected Kerr County officials for nearly a month after the event. 

 

The emergency management world knows Kerr County leaders failed in their duty to anticipate, act on timely information coming into 911 and issue the most urgent of warnings to people already in harm's way.  They failed to coordinate state assets pre-positioned in that area during the early hours of the event.

The parents of twenty seven children have to deal with the grievous loss of their child or children.  Those who survived face a lifetime of fear and PTSD from their trauma.

If emergency management people can't wake up and respond to a disaster, one which they've drilled on for years and warned the public about in expos, then the public needs to wake up.  

Update 8-22-25:  Texas Tribune reported:

“Make no mistake, House Bill 1 is fundamentally a bill about failure,” said Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, when he introduced it. “The camp failed these girls. The county failed them. The river authority failed them, and in a larger sense, their government.

Missing are the consequences for the people who failed to do their job, the one they were paid for.  The Texas Senate is in go-forward, clean-up mode.  The House has two measures in the works, one on disaster preparation for camps and the other for post disaster scams.  Isn't it a scam to take money to perform a job and then not do it?

Update 8-24-25:  Parents of the campers killed by flood waters met with Governor Abbott in the days before their testimony to the Texas legislature.

"Cile's life ended, not because of an unavoidable act of nature, but because of preventable failures..."

Failures for which their has been no public accountability to date, despite promises by Governor Coach Abbott to take action.

Update 9-6-25:  An Austin couple expressed their views on the flood that took their daughter's life at Camp Mystic:

“When something is 100 percent preventable, it’s just awful and it’s very sad,” he (father) added. “And, so, I have a very hard time calling this a tragedy. Because, in my mind, it was 100 percent preventable.”

Update 10-15-25:  The Texas Legislature will establish two more committees to look at the deadly flash flood event of July 4. 

Nearly Year Ago Official Warned of Flash Flooding

In August 2024 Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William "Dub" Thomas encouraged the public to attend a Disaster Expo.  The theme was "Be Prepared!"  Thomas reference major flooding as disaster risk.

KXAN reported:

Kerr County and the City of Kerrville had a plan to prepare for and respond to disasters like the deadly Independence Day floods that killed at least 108 people — including 37 children — one month ago. But a KXAN review of public records found that some key parts of the plan weren’t followed.

Response, Public Warning and Setting up the Incident Command are three areas where leaders failed to act in a timely manner during early morning July 4th.

The State of Texas took over disaster response and recovery.  That move delayed local accountability for twenty seven days.  During the Kerrville hearings the public learned top Kerr County leaders were all asleep as the flash flood worsened.  One was "sick-asleep", another "out of town-asleep" and the last "just asleep."  There has been no local accountability at Kerr County Commissioners Court.  That group has been hair trigger defensive in the meetings I've watched.

What's done is done, but I never expected the State of Texas to cover up blatant leadership failures that resulted in widespread loss of life, including 27 children at Camp Mystic.  Governor Abbott and his administration can talk accountability.  So far it looks like lip service.

Update 8-22-25:  Texas Tribune reported:

“Make no mistake, House Bill 1 is fundamentally a bill about failure,” said Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, when he introduced it. “The camp failed these girls. The county failed them. The river authority failed them, and in a larger sense, their government.

Missing are the consequences for the people who failed to do their job, the one they were paid for.  The Texas Senate is in go-forward, clean-up mode.  The House has two measures in the works, one on disaster preparation for camps and the other for post disaster scams.  Isn't it a scam to take money to perform a job and then not do it?

Update 8-24-25:  Parents of the campers killed by flood waters met with Governor Abbott in the days before their testimony to the Texas legislature.

"Cile's life ended, not because of an unavoidable act of nature, but because of preventable failures..."

Failures for which their has been no public accountability to date, despite promises by Governor Coach Abbott to take action.

Update 10-15-25:  The Texas Legislature will establish two more committees to look at the deadly flash flood event of July 4. 

"Ongoing ASOS Issues" at Mathis Field

The last flight from DFW to San Angelo circled above the city for 20 minutes before diverting to Midland.  The sky was clear and it was after midnight when roughly fifty passengers learned from the pilot that he could not land without knowing the wind information.  It is normally on the automated recording pilots access during approach.  Without that data the pilot is not allowed to land the plane.

I thought that odd.  Couldn't the airline send someone out to the tarmac with a wind meter?  It turns out everything is automated.

The e-mail from NOAA/National Weather Service indicates the tower at Mathis Field plays a backup role to ASOS.  For Flight 4956 on 8-4-25 no one was in the tower to do just that.

"Ongoing issues" implies that our flight was not a one time event.  For many of the fifty our event was miserable, even traumatic.  No AA representative greeted us.  Straight answers were few and far between on the AA 800 number.  Hotel vouchers showed "no local rooms available."  The few that got hotel rooms paid big, $250 for ten hours at the Fairfield Inn.  Most of us spent the night in the airport, although an enterprising few Ubered their way home.

I hope other late flights into San Angelo don't get with a few thousand feet of landing before being jerked away to another airport in our region.  The Midland Spaceport is not a comfortable place to rest as there is no space for that very purpose.

Update 8-11-25:  I submitted a public information request for "information on other flights impacted by ongoing ASOS (automated surface observing systems) issues after the tower 'is not available' starting 1-1-25."  The city responded that "there are no responsive documents to your request" despite my requesting the city ask any associated vendors to provide that information in accordance with standard City of San Angelo contract language.

Update 8-12-25:  I asked NOAA/NWS for information on ASOS issues at SJT after the tower is closed.  They put me on their standard review, no expediting with full fees.  It could be months before I hear anything.

Update 9-2-25:  American Airlines refused to back up their service promises with a refund or any form of service recovery.  I did receive an AI type letter with lots of vacuous statements that had no relation to the actual service I experienced. 

Update 11-24-25:  Apparently I was not alone 

According to data collected by the United States Department of Transportation in the August Air Travel Consumer Report, American Airlines was the worst of all domestic airlines.

American eventually awarded me 7,500 bonus miles for the worst airtravel experience of my life.