Kerr County officials prepare to testify on Central Texas flood response at Thursday public hearing
The public hearing will take place at Hill Country Youth Event Center at 9:30 a.m. Officials are expected to discuss the emergency response to the July Fourth floods, as well as how to prepare for future emergencies.
The meeting is part of the Texas Legislature's Joint Committee's special session. The committee had its first meeting addressing the deadly floods on July 23 in Austin.
During Thursday's public hearing, testimony from several officials is expected, including the Kerrville mayor, the Kerr County sheriff, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and a professor from the University of Texas at Arlington who's an expert in flood alert systems.
Hill country residents are encouraged to attend the public hearing to share their testimonies.
"What I'm hearing from people who live on the river is they wanted an emergency system," said Brenda Law, a Kerrville resident. "That even people from out of town, because we had so many visitors here over the weekend, that didn't get the alert. So we need a system, a little alarm system to go off when the river gets so high, and people need to be educated in flooding and the dangers of water."
The weather, climate and disaster mental health resources are also expected to be discussed on Thursday.
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