Texas officials are facing rising concerns about when Kerrville residents were alerted of the fatal flash floods that killed 96 people and left over 160 others missing.
When asked about a probable police radio failure at a news conference on Thursday, over a week after the 4 July floods, Kerrville Police community services officer Jonathan Lamb responded, “I don’t have any information to that point.”
The questioning came after a contentious interaction the day before, when reporters continually pressed authorities about a potential backlog in emergency communications.
The Guadalupe River swelled several meters in a couple of minutes on Friday, following an estimated 100 billion gallons of rain.
The disastrous floods of Texas became a national disaster, with flash floods relentlessly ravaging the Hill Country and leaving a wake of destruction and grief. The worst damage occurred in Kerrville and Kerr County, where there were ninety-six fatalities, and thirty-six were children. The total areas succumbed to a violent death rate of about a hundred and twenty, of which forty were above four years. Firefighters and police worked day and night trying to save people, but the incoming water went faster. Families were in disbelief as whole towns disappeared in the flood waters. The recovery process is bound to be time-consuming, and the state has a long and tedious task ahead of it.
Kerr County officials face mounting criticism after a shocking delay in response during deadly floods in Texas. At 4:22 a.m. on July 4, a firefighter upstream near Kerrville urgently warned the Sheriff’s Office about rising floodwaters. He begged for immediate action, urging dispatch to issue a Code Red alert to residents in Hunt.
The firefighter described fast-moving waters submerging parts of State Highway 39 near Guadalupe Schumacher. He pleaded, “What they need immediately is to run to cover or some high ground.” The delay has sparked outrage and raised serious concerns about emergency response in Texas during deadly floods.
A dispatcher from the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office said they needed supervisor approval before taking action. ABC News obtained audio of this call, revealing troubling delays in emergency communication. Officials discussed the issue in a press conference on Wednesday, raising questions about how it may have impacted rescue efforts.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he first received notice from Area Four or Five. He explained that building a timeline takes time but emphasized that rescuers must locate missing people first. Leitha remains actively involved in search operations and personally identifies those still unaccounted for.
As of Thursday morning, floods in Texas left 161 people missing. That number includes a counselor and four campers from Camp Mystic. The crisis continues to unfold, showing the urgent need for faster emergency responses in Texas during deadly floods.
Kerr County authorities report that they have yet to save anybody alive after the flood.
Texas During Deadly Floods: Rescue Crews Race Against Rising Waters
Texas spun out of its control despite previously issued weather alerts following a string of fatal floods. On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service began issuing various warnings to citizens that strong rain would cause flash flooding. The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) mobilized the state ahead of time to prepare for a disaster.
With these warnings, many residents chose not to evacuate. Authorities blame personal decisions on this due to poor cell phone coverage, underestimation of the power of the storm, and numbness to continuous emergency alerts. People living in the traditionally flood-stricken regions were disillusioned with the ineffectiveness of evacuation and did not evacuate.
Governor Greg Abbott later requested that President Donald Trump issue a federal disaster declaration. To that effect, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) changed gears and dispatched teams to Central Texas and established a disaster recovery center in Kerr County to support communities in need.
Over 2,100 field responders were mobilized as part of the rescue operations, which included the use of helicopters, drones, boats, and specialized equipment, such as cadaver dogs. Teams of searchers are now trudging through mud-covered debris in search of the survivors and the retrieval of bodies.
A media briefing conducted by Lt. Col. Ben Baker of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Wednesday noted: The piles of debris are massive and hazardous. We are not able to hurry. It is dirty work that is also very slow and hazardous. Here, the water still prevails everywhere.”
Teams go through a debris layer by layer to locate and eliminate every potential threat. Each new step made in the state of Texas in these fatal floods is another hard battle with the clock, mud, and emotional desolation.
