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RNZ News
01-08-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Hearing on deadly Texas floods reveals local officials missed emergency planning briefing
By Rebekah Riess, Shimon Prokupecz, Rachel Clarke, Alaa Elassar, CNN Crews work to clear debris July 10 on the Cade Loop Bridge after flooding along the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas. Photo: Joshua A. Bickel/AP via CNN Newsource All key leading officials from the Texas county hardest hit by the July 4 flash flooding that killed at least 136 people were absent from an emergency briefing call held before the tragedy unfolded, questioning from state lawmakers on Thursday revealed. Kerr County officials were sharply confronted during the committee hearing in Kerrville, Texas, about their disaster preparedness and response following the deadly storm that swept away homes, children's camps, and RVs primarily in their county, killing 37 children and 71 adults. Two people are still missing. The officials faced strong criticism as lawmakers pressed for accountability in the aftermath of the catastrophe, intensifying their scrutiny since last week's 12-hour special hearing over whether more should have been done prior to the storm or how efficiently life-saving efforts were carried out. Over 100 people signed up to speak during the public comment portions of Thursday's hearing. Emails from the Texas Division of Emergency Management - two asking local leaders to be on briefing calls about the weather and one showing predicted danger areas - are part of a series of opportunities local officials had to prepare. "I didn't see those emails," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told CNN on Thursday. "I wish I had seen it. I didn't see it." Flood waters left debris including vehicles and equipment scattered in Louise Hays Park on 5 July 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Photo: Eric Vryn / Getty Images / AFP The Kerr County emergency management coordinator, who had been accused of being asleep in the critical morning hours of the deadly flood, said he also missed the emergency briefings because he was home sick. "In my absence, my supervisors and sheriff's office leadership were aware that I was off duty," William B. "Dub" Thomas told a hearing in Kerrville of the state Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding. The emergency management coordinator said he stayed in bed throughout July 3 and did not participate in the regularly scheduled 10am and 3pm Texas Emergency Management coordination center coordination calls. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called out Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly specifically following his testimony, highlighting the judge's absence on July 4, while also mentioning several officials who were there. "I don't know where you were on day one on July 4, but you should have been here. You should have been here directing that response. That's your responsibility," Patrick said. "Everyone was here that day, working their a** off, and you were nowhere to be found." The lieutenant governor's comments were met with applause from the audience. In Texas, county judges are elected and act as the head of county governments. Texas Rep. Ann Johnson pointed out that "the three guys in Kerr County, who were responsible for sounding the alarm, were effectively unavailable" in the midst of the emergency, she said in the hearing. A volunteer looks for missing people, following severe flash flooding that occured during the 4 July holiday weekend, in Hunt, Texas Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP The Kerr County judge was away, the sheriff didn't wake up until 4:20am and the emergency management coordinator was sick, she said. "We cannot go back in time and save these children," Johnson said, "but knowing now, what you know, is there a protocol that needs to be put in place that if the three folks who are responsible are not available at this moment for whatever reason, what should we do?" Another local official in Travis County, Texas, also noted the important absence of a National Weather Service employee who was crucial in conveying to local officials how serious a weather event was going to be. The employee left three to four months ago and hasn't been replaced. His absence was felt during this major weather event, Travis County Judge Andy Brown told officials. "He was the person who would say, 'Hey Travis County, I know you get flash flood alerts, thunderstorm alerts all the time, but this is a big one. You need to pay attention,'" Brown said, adding that his number one request would be to fill that position. At Thursday's hearing, lawmakers heard emotional public testimony from grieving residents who called for a more reliable system to warn the public about potential life-threatening floods. Alicia Jeffrey Baker, whose parents and 11-year-old daughter Madelyn "Emmy" Jeffrey were killed in the flood, testified that officials should put in place a more effective audible alert system for flash flooding, particularly since some residents in the area lack cell and Wi-Fi service. "My suggestion would be that instead of just sirens, we actually have sensors in the water that would then alert sirens to go off," Baker said. "If we have gauges in water already, put a sensor on them. If it gets to a certain point, that's when the siren goes off." "That's my suggestion as someone living through a nightmare," she added. "We need to do better for the people in this community, for the people that are suffering." Sobbing, Baker described the agonizing hours after the flood, when there was little communication about the whereabouts of her family. Her parents were identified that Sunday, and her daughter on Thursday, July 10, over a week after she went missing. "The only thing that identified her at all was her charm bracelet," Baker said. A large truck is impaled onto a tree after flash flooding on the bank Guadalupe River on 5 July 2025 in Center Point, Texas. Photo: Jim Vondruska / Getty Images / AFP Bud Bolton, a resident of Hunt, Texas, joined Baker in calling for a better alert system, highlighting the area's lack of cell service as a major concern - he said he didn't get an alert, instead he witnessed the chaos outside. He recalled watching over 100 RVs float past him, while hearing the screams of children trapped inside, he said. "(I heard them) screaming and hearing crashes and crashes, then tiny homes crashing and more crashing, gets dead silent and more crashes and more screams, and that went on for 15, 20 minutes," Bolton said. "We got an alert to evacuate, after all the homes were gone. That's when our alert came in." Rosa Toller, a resident of the Bumble Bee Hills neighborhood in Ingram, Texas, echoed a similar experience the night of the floods. "Our warning was screaming down the road. That was our warning, our screaming neighbors," she said. Williamson County Judge Steven Snell told legislators about a heroic 911 call from Sherry Richardson, a resident who was trapped in her home by rising floodwaters but begged first responders to help a home for disabled children farther up the road first. "Few minutes later, the house was swept away by the flood waters, and she perished in the flood, but not before we were able to mobilize teams," Snell said. "We were able to evacuate and rescue all 13 children that were residents and three nighttime workers from the home, thanks to the pleading in the 911 call of Sherry Richardson." Nancy Zdunkewicz and her family consider themselves lucky to have survived, she added, as many of their lifelong friends and relatives did not survive the night of the flooding. She and her 66-year-old mother clung to a tree for hours in Hunt. "Had there been early detection of the rising water and sirens, we may have been able to leave in time to get to higher ground safely," Zdunkewicz said. "I've heard someone else say, they didn't think that was necessary or would save lives in Hunt, and they are dead wrong." Mike Richards, a Bandera resident whose daughter lives in Kerr County and discovered a deceased body near her home the morning after the flood, said during the hearing he recovered 10 bodies on his own, without any government assistance. "I think the state involvement, as far as I'm concerned, is pathetic," Richards said, also criticizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for turning people away. FEMA had said it was inundated with a high volume of calls and not able to answer them at the peak of the flooding. Richards recounted his attempt to secure an excavator to help recover the bodies more efficiently, but he said he was told the state would not allow him access to one. "I ain't worried about no laws, man, I'll break them if you bring your equipment over just just to go out and look for these people," he added. "I'm talking about finding bodies." "It was two days before I got some help. It was not from the state, not from the government. It was some good-hearted people." A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding in Hunt, Texas. Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP Keli Rabon, whose two sons, ages 7 and 9, survived the floods that tore apart Camp La Junta , said her younger son, Brock, lives in a constant state of anxiety and is in need of mental heath care. "Today, my sons are physically safe, but for our family, the storm is not over," Rabon said. "Brock scans every room for higher ground. He checks the weather constantly. He battles nightmares of water dripping from the ceiling or his mattress being wet. His fear is so profound that he's now anxious about the tsunami in Hawaii. He lives with the terror that no child or any person should have to carry but so many of us now do." Rabon said she requested help to find mental health resources for her children from FEMA but was told they cannot help. "I shouldn't have to rely on a Facebook group of volunteers to find trauma care for my children," she added. "I pray that these hearings are more than just for show, because every day that we just focus on political posturing instead of people is another day that families like mine are falling through the cracks. Rabon made three "simple, urgent requests": immediately release emergency funds for recovery, make mental health care a core part of the state's official disaster response and ensure all camps have publicly accessible emergency plans. - CNN Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBS News
07-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Devastating Central Texas flash floods second-deadliest in Texas history, so far
The death toll, as of Sunday at 10 p.m., of 81 fatalities, makes the Central Texas flash floods on July 4 the second-deadliest flood disaster in Texas history. The Hill Country is notorious for flash flooding, given the high number of narrow valley floors and proximity to potential tropical events from the Gulf. This event was partly triggered by the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry that hit Mexico on Sunday, June 29. The atmosphere was loaded with water vapor from Berry that moved north into the middle parts of Texas. More than a foot of rain fell in less than a 12-hour period starting Thursday and going into Friday morning. This massive rain fell over a large part of the western Guadalupe River basin. Kerrville and west into the town of Hunt are the headwaters of the river. Water rose 26 feet in 45 minutes The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued to pound communities outside San Antonio on Saturday, and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. "People need to know today will be a hard day," Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. said Saturday. "Please pray for our community." Trump signs federal disaster declaration for Kerr County President Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County on Sunday morning, as Abbott visited flood-damaged areas. Abbott encouraged all Texans to pause in reflection and prayer Sunday, and to also "seek God's wisdom, peace, and mercy in this time of need for so many Texas families." On Saturday, Abbott said that 850 people had been rescued in the past 36 hours. Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls' camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. Martin said there are still unidentified victims at funeral homes that include adults and children. At least 81 people are dead and at least 10 are still missing from Camp Mystic in Kerr County, a children's summer camp, officials said Sunday. Col. Freeman Martin with the Texas Department of Public Safety said Sunday that there is "no higher priority than finding those children."
ABC News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Texas floods leave dozens dead, including children, as search continues for campers
Dozens of people are missing from a girls' summer camp in Texas amid flash flooding, as the death toll climbs to 32. Fourteen children have been confirmed among the dead, authorities said on Saturday, as rescuers searched for survivors. "We have recovered some additional bodies … there's 32 deceased, 18 of those are adults and 14 are children," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference. As flood waters receded in the area around the Guadalupe River, more than 100 kilometres north-west of San Antonio, the sheriff's office in Kerr County said more than 800 people had been evacuated from central Texas. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr said "people need to know today will be a hard day". More than 20 people from the Camp Mystic summer camp were missing, most of them reported to be young girls. Two nine-year-old campers who went missing from the camp have been confirmed among the dead. "The camp was completely destroyed," said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers. "A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary." The teen woke up in her cabin in the middle of the night. When rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with water around their legs, she said. The river waters rose eight metres in just 45 minutes near the camp. The US National Weather Service said the flash flood emergency had largely ended for Kerr County, the epicentre of the flooding. A flood watch remained in effect until 7 pm, local time, for the broader region following thunderstorms that dumped as much as 300 millimetres of rain — half the region's average annual total. In 36 hours first responders have rescued more than 850 people, with some residents plucked from rooftops and trees. The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with youth camps and campgrounds, where families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors around the July 4 holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said up to 500 rescue workers were searching for an unknown number of missing people. "We don't know how many people were in tents on the side, in small trailers by the side, in rented homes by the side, because it was going to be the Fourth of July holiday," he said on Fox News Live. Another girls' camp, Heart O' the Hills, said on its website that co-owner Jane Ragsdale had died in the flood but no campers had been present as it was between sessions. Local resident and Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said his house, located on the Guadalupe River, was lost in the floods. "I barely got home yesterday," he says. Dalton Rice, city manager for Kerrville, the county seat, told reporters on Friday that the extreme flooding struck before dawn with little or no warning, precluding authorities from issuing advance evacuation orders as the Guadalupe River swiftly rose above major flood stage in less than two hours. State emergency management officials had warned as early as Thursday that west and central Texas faced heavy rains and flash flood threats, citing National Weather Service forecasts ahead of the holiday weekend. The forecasts, however, "did not predict the amount of rain that we saw," W Nim Kidd, director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, told a news conference on Friday night. US President Donald Trump said the federal government is working with state and local officials to respond to the flooding. "Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best," he said on social media. ABC/wires
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Watch live: Gov. Greg Abbott to provide update on Central Texas flooding
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to provide an update on the search and rescue efforts in Central Texas after deadly flooding swept across the area on Friday. The press conference is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be carried live in the player at the top of this page. Rescuers scoured flooded riverbanks littered with mangled trees Saturday and turned over rocks in the search for more than two dozen children from a girls' camp and many others missing after a wall of water blasted down a river in the Texas Hill Country. The storm killed at least 27 people, including nine children. The destructive fast-moving waters rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as torrential rains continued pounding communities outside San Antonio on Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. "People need to know today will be a hard day," said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. "Please pray for our community." Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny Saturday over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made. The hills along the Guadalupe River in central Texas are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the July Fourth holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing. "We don't even want to begin to estimate at this time," said City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday morning.
BreakingNews.ie
05-07-2025
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Nine children among at least 27 killed in Texas flooding
Rescuers were searching for children from a girls' camp and many others who were still missing after a wall of water rushed down a river in the Texas Hill Country during a powerful storm that killed at least 27 people, officials said. Among the dead were nine children. Advertisement The destructive fast-moving waters along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (eight metres) in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as more heavy rains were expected Saturday and flash flood warnings and watches remained in effect for parts of central Texas. Some 27 people were missing from Camp Mystic, Dalton Rice, city manager, said at a press conference on Saturday. An unknown number of people at other locations were still unaccounted for. Advertisement 'People need to know today will be a hard day,' said Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue stranded people. The total number of missing was not known but one sheriff said about 24 of them were girls who had been attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river. Frantic parents and families posted photos of missing loved ones and pleas for information. 'The camp was completely destroyed,' said Elinor Lester, 13, one of hundreds of campers at Camp Mystic. Advertisement 'A helicopter landed and started taking people away. 'It was really scary.' A raging storm woke up her cabin just after midnight Friday, and when rescuers arrived, they tied a rope for the girls to hold as they walked across a bridge with floodwaters whipping around their legs, she said. Officials are seen near the banks of the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 27 were confirmed dead, including nine children. Authorities said about 850 people had been rescued. Advertisement The flooding in the middle of the night on the Fourth of July holiday caught many residents, campers and officials by surprise. The Texas Hill Country, which sits northwest of San Antonio, is a popular destination for camping and swimming, especially around the summertime holiday. AccuWeather said the private forecasting company and the National Weather Service sent warnings about potential flash flooding hours before the devastation. 'These warnings should have provided officials with ample time to evacuate camps such as Camp Mystic and get people to safety,' AccuWeather said in a statement that called the Texas Hill County one of the most flash-flood-prone areas of the US because of its terrain and many water crossings. Advertisement Officials defended their actions on Friday while saying they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months' worth of rain for the area. A downed sign is seen near a crossing of the Guadalupe River (Julio Cortez/AP) One National Weather Service forecast earlier in the week had called for up to six inches of rain, said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. 'It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw,' he said. A river near Camp Mystic recorded a 22 foot rise in about two hours, said Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office. The gauge failed after recording a level of 29 and a half feet. 'The water's moving so fast, you're not going to recognise how bad it is until it's on top of you,' Mr Fogarty said. More than 1,000 rescuers were on the ground. Rescue teams, helicopters and drones were being used, with some people being plucked from trees. US Coast Guard helicopters were flying in to assist.
