Kerr County officials bore the brunt of harsh criticism and complaint during Tuesday’s Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding panel in Kerrville, where state leaders condemned the county judge’s absence and the sheriff’s inactivity during the initial hours of the deadly July 4 Guadalupe River flood.
Kerr County Judge Robert Kelly, who opened the hearing expressing his thanks to the first responders and the community, was ready to answer questions as to his lack of presence during the floods, the lack of emergency evacuations, and the lack of notifications.
Kelly, who was at his lake house on Lake Travis for the July 4 weekend, said he received no weather alerts – his first indication of severe flooding were calls and texts from Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd and Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice’s call woke him up.
“We now know that, by that time, the flooding had overtaken Camp Mystic and several upriver camps” Kelly said, “something I could never have imagined.”
Kelly slammed the National Weather Service (NWS), claiming it did not forecast the intense magnitude of the flood in a timely manner, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick didn’t mince words when addressing Kelly’s own failure.
“I never saw you on day one,” Patrick said. “You weren’t here. We went through the list of every camp (15 camps), and the only camp not accounted for was Camp Mystic.
“Everyone was working their ass off,” Patrick said, “and you were nowhere to be found.” State Rep. Ann Johnson (D-Houston) said that while NWS alerts are beneficial, there was no one to issue an alert on scene.
“The three guys responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable,” Johnson said. “Your emergency manager (William Thomas) was sick, Judge Kelly was in Lake Travis, and you (Sheriff Leitha) were asleep until 4:20 (a.m.)” Leitha argued that his deputies were doing their job in the wait for his presence — an answer that did not impress State Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown), who questioned if the sheriff had his deputies pre-stationed in low-crossing areas.
“At that time, the weather called for 1-3 inches of rain, 5-7 in isolated areas, so no,” Leitha said. “It was just a normal day for us.”
Kerrville local Budd Bolton echoed Sen. Schwertner’s frustration.
“I got woken up by a neighbor,” Bolton, an independent contractor, said. “There were about 20 firetrucks (and other emergency personnel) outside my home and not a single one of them knocked on my door.”
Even more frustrating, according to Bolton — he was only notified about the flood after his home had been swept away. “I see children screaming in the RV park,” Bolton said. “I personally lost 27 people.”
A general flood response timeline emerged from the hearing:
• 2 a.m.: Flooding at Camp Mystic had reached the campers’ ankles. Campers were told to stay inside their cabins. Kerr County Emergency Manager William Thomas stated that protocol would have been to call the sheriff’s office. No call was made, Leitha said.
• 3: 30 a. m.: Waterfront occupants were on their roofs. Leitha called for “all hands-on deck”; Schumacher Crossing is flooded.
• 4:20 a.m.: Leitha, who had returned to sleep, wakes up and joins his deputies in an emergency response.
• 4:22 a.m.: A ‘Code Red’ is requested.
• 5:01 a.m.: ‘Code Red’ is issued.
While Kerr County officials endured the hard-hitting questions of the Senate Committee, Kendall County found themselves in a different light.
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) verified with Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk that the county reported zero fatalities.
“That’s correct,” Stolarczyk said. “We had zero fatalities in Kendall County.”
A huge factor for Kendall County’s successful navigation of the disastrous weather event was a $20 million bond initiative. “The initiative passed by 66%,” Stolarczyk said. “We (Kendall County) purchased large tracts of land that were at risk for floods.”
“There are no manufacturers or infrastructures in those areas, correct?” Sen. Kolkhorst asked, which Stolarczyk confirmed. Only temporary properties up to a 90-day period are allowed as the only exception.
“Our citizens willingly raised their property taxes for this,” Stolarczyk said. “Our community is very invested in the well-being and welfare of our residents.”
With funding a hot topic, Patrick assured the committee that Kerrville would have state funding approved by both he and Gov. Greg Abbott to implement better sirens and warning systems.
The point became evident when Thomas admitted that of the 19 camps in Kerr County, only six had emergency evacuation plans.
“This monster will be back,” Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) said. “We will learn from you (the panel) to better prepare for when it comes back again.” The overall goal for Kerr County officials was decided to be:
• An upgrade to their communication systems.
• Develop back-up plans when officials are unavailable.
• A proposed warning siren system along the Guadalupe River.
• Pre- and post-emergency plans that continue to stay in compliance with FEMA standards.
The hearing ended after testimony from several victims of the flooding.
“Our community is grieving, shaken, but we are not broken,” Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said, visibly in tears at the hearing.
Kerrville’s current death count of 108 — 37 of which were children — does not include the nine bodies found in Kendall County that are presumed to be from Kerr County. The official missing persons count is still two.
“I never saw you on day one. Everyone was working their ass off and you were nowhere to be found.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick During Tuesday testimony
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