After deadly floods, state and federal leaders look for answers

Yahoo

12-07-2025

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the aftermath of the Kerr County flooding, there are growing questions about how the response was handled as leaders at all levels continue looking for answers.
'I think there's certainly a lot of questions that need to be answered, you know, the how and the why are always something that we're going to look at in the wake of a tragedy,' said State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso. 'And that's something we owe to the people of Texas, to those families who have suffered immensely, we owe that to them.'
Federal leaders spar on NWS flood warning response, pose safety review after Texas disaster
Moody wants to see long-term and immediate changes that could include funding for outdoor warning sirens.
'When we're talking about short-term solutions, like these flood warning systems,' Moody said. 'Those are things we can do right now.'
On Tuesday, State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, shared a letter he sent Gov. Greg Abbott on social media. Darby wants to see a failed bill co-authored by Moody, House Bill 13, resurface. KXAN first reported on the bill over the weekend. If passed, it would have developed a statewide strategic plan that included 'the use of outdoor warning sirens.' A newly formed council would have been asked to 'develop and implement, as advisable, emergency alert systems and incorporate as necessary communication technologies into the emergency communications network of this state.'
'While we cannot change the past, we must act now to better prepare our communities for future natural disasters and ensure our neighbors have the resources to rebuild,' Darby wrote on X. 'This includes, among other things, investing in a more robust and comprehensive alert system, as well as ensuring a coordinated, long-term recovery effort that leaves no community behind.'
His letter asked the governor to urgently consider adding 'strengthening the ability of our state and local communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters' to the July 21 special session.
On Tuesday, Abbott said 'at the top' of the agenda will be helping communities impacted.
'We're going to start a special session two Mondays from now. A special session that will have at the top of its agenda helping communities like in Kerr County, Kendall County, as well as in Central Texas and the Big Country — all areas affected by the floods of the past week — those issues are going to be on the agenda for the state to address, from top to bottom,' Abbott said. 'We want to make sure that when we end that session, we end it making sure these communities are better, more resilient and have the resources that they need for the next chapter of their lives.'
'You're going to see a bipartisan group of legislators lock arms and work on solutions to these problems,' Moody said.
Following Texas floods, warning sirens get renewed attention
READ: Congressman Doggett's letter to NOAA sent July 8Download
On the federal level, elected leaders are looking for lessons.
'Most people at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. are asleep,' said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 'And, so, I think we will have a reasonable conversation about A, are there any ways to have earlier detection?'
On Monday, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told NBC News that flood sirens, and resources for smaller counties to respond and prepare for disasters, will likely be discussed at the federal level.
'Look, I think that's certainly a discussion that will flow in the weeks and months ahead,' Cruz said. 'I think we need to look at what happened, what transpired and how we could have moved more quickly to get people who are vulnerable out of harm's way in particular those kids in the cabins by the river.'
'How we make that happen, I think, is a very reasonable discussion,' he added. 'It should be a bipartisan discussion. And, I expect it to happen at the local level, the state level and the federal level.'
A day after KXAN highlighted cities, like San Marcos, that have outdoor warning sirens, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said he is 'certainly in favor' of discussing the issue on a federal level.
'It's amazing that a county [Kerr County] that encourages people from all over the state and the country to come there for camping did not have sirens of the type we have in San Marcos,' Doggett said.
In a letter sent Tuesday, first obtained by KXAN, Doggett asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to answer 14 questions. He is asking for details about any communication between the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office and Kerr County or camp leaders before the flooding began.
Doggett also wants to know how staffing cuts have impacted operations. KXAN previously found six vacancies in the NWS Austin/San Antonio office, according to its online staff roster and the NWS Employees Organization. Those include three meteorologists, two technology staff members and a science officer. The office has 26 employees when fully staffed.
'I think we need that information,' Doggett said. 'We need to know the impact of these cutbacks and hiring freezes not just to find out the results of the disaster but to prevent other disasters from occurring.'
The White House said the NWS 'did its job' and, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joined Cruz in pushing back against the criticism.
'Based on the briefing I've received, all of these sort of political finger pointing and blame game is totally out of line,' Cornyn said. 'There was not shortage of resources available. Unfortunately, this was a 100-year flood in a very vulnerable area, with a very vulnerable population.'
Cornyn said Congress will do 'everything we can to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future.'
'We would try to learn from this and say, 'What can we do to maybe prevent or mitigate something like this from happening?,'' he said.
Over the weekend, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited the area along the Guadalupe River, calling the amount of rain in the flooding event 'unprecedented,' broadly referencing the administration's goal to 'fix' aging technology within NOAA – the parent agency to the NWS.
'I do carry your concerns back to the federal government and back to President Trump,' Noem said, acknowledging the need to upgrade 'ancient' technology so 'families have as much warning as possible.'
On Tuesday, officials said the NWS 'fulfilled its public safety mission' by issuing more than 60 warnings before the flooding occurred.
'The simple fact is most government systems are antiquated and running on legacy technology — that's been the norm across nearly every agency, under both Republican and Democrat administrations, for decades,' a DHS spokesperson said. 'It's simply not realistic to overhaul every outdated system at once. That's why this administration is taking a hard look at these longstanding issues as part of our broader push to protect taxpayer dollars, strengthen accountability, and modernize where it makes the most sense.'
Amid the state and national recoil, President Donald Trump plans to visit Texas Friday to see the damage firsthand.
'This is a 100-year catastrophe,' Trump said. 'And it's just so horrible to watch.'
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