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.