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Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Three top officials were asleep or out of town when deadly Texas floods hit
Two top officials in the Texas county where dozens died in catastrophic flooding over the 4 July holiday weekend were asleep - and a third out of town - when disaster struck the region. Emergency management coordinator William B Thomas and Sheriff Larry Leitha told Texas lawmakers at a hearing in Kerrville on Thursday that they were asleep when the flash floods hit overnight. Judge Rob Kelly, Kerr County's top executive, said he was out of town. The downpour and flash flood killed at least 135 people in the state, while hundreds of others were forced to evacuate their homes. Kerr County was the hardest hit, where at least 95 people - including those at the all-girls Camp Mystic - were killed. In the wake of the deadly tragedy, officials were criticised and questioned over whether adequate warnings were provided and what top officials were doing. Mr Thomas, in his first public remarks since the disaster, explained that he had been feeling ill in the days leading up to the flood, and "remained in bed" throughout 3 July. "My supervisors and the sheriff's office leadership were aware I was off-duty," he testified. He said there was no indication that day about the flood risk or the disaster that would later strike. Mr Thomas told state lawmakers that he was woken up around 05:30 (11:30 BST) the next morning, when he was asked to immediately report to the sheriff's office. Sheriff Larry Leitha testified that he went to bed on 3 July "with zero worries". He said the weather report at the time shared "good news that we were finally about to get some rain", and added that he had "no idea, no warning" about the catastrophe that was about to unfold. Judge Rob Kelly, whose position functions as the county's chief executive officer, testified that he was away "at our lake house preparing for a family gathering". He also said that there was no flood alerts issued in the days before the disaster, and the intense flooding wasn't forecast by the National Weather Service. Questions have been raised about whether authorities provided adequate flood warnings before the disaster, and why people were not evacuated earlier. Experts say there were a number of factors that contributed to the tragedy in Texas, including extreme weather, the location of some homes and timing. Governor Greg Abbott said authorities had issued a storm warning and knew about a possible flash flood, but "didn't know the magnitude of the storm". 'Huge wall of water': Texas man stood on meter box to survive deadly floods Number of missing in deadly Texas floods drops to three
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
3 top officials were asleep or out of town when deadly Texas floods hit
Two top officials in the Texas county where dozens died in catastrophic flooding over the 4 July holiday weekend were asleep - a third out of town - when disaster struck the region. Emergency management coordinator William B Thomas and Sheriff Larry Leitha told Texas lawmakers at a hearing in Kerrville on Thursday that they were asleep when the flash floods hit overnight. Judge Rob Kelly, Kerr County's top executive, said he was out of town. The downpour and flash flood killed at least 135 people in the state, while hundreds of others were forced to evacuate their homes. Kerr County was the hardest hit, where at least 95 people - including those at the all-girls Camp Mystic - were killed. In the wake of the deadly tragedy, officials were criticised and questioned over whether adequate warnings were provided and what top officials were doing. Mr Thomas, in his first public remarks since the disaster, explained that he had been feeling ill in the days leading up to the flood, and "remained in bed" throughout 3 July. "My supervisors and the sheriff's office leadership were aware I was off-duty," he testified. He said there was no indication that day about the flood risk or the disaster that would later strike. Mr Thomas told state lawmakers that he was woken up around 05:30 (11:30 BST) the next morning, when he was asked to immediately report to the sheriff's office. Sheriff Larry Leitha testified that he went to bed on 3 July "with zero worries". He said the weather report at the time shared "good news that we were finally about to get some rain", and added that he had "no idea, no warning" about the catastrophe that was about to unfold. Judge Rob Kelly, whose position functions as the county's chief executive officer, testified that he was away "at our lake house preparing for a family gathering". He also said that there was no flood alerts issued in the days before the disaster, and the intense flooding wasn't forecast by the National Weather Service. Questions have been raised about whether authorities provided adequate flood warnings before the disaster, and why people were not evacuated earlier. Experts say there were a number of factors that contributed to the tragedy in Texas, including extreme weather, the location of some homes and timing. Governor Greg Abbott said authorities had issued a storm warning and knew about a possible flash flood, but "didn't know the magnitude of the storm". 'Huge wall of water': Texas man stood on meter box to survive deadly floods Number of missing in deadly Texas floods drops to three
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Kerr County officials were asleep, away as Texas floods hit
Two top officials in the Texas county where dozens died in catastrophic flooding over the 4 July holiday weekend were asleep - a third out of town - when disaster struck the management coordinator William B Thomas and Sheriff Larry Leitha told Texas lawmakers at a hearing in Kerrville on Thursday that they were asleep when the flash floods hit overnight. Judge Rob Kelly, Kerr County's top executive, said he was out of town. The downpour and flash flood killed at least 135 people in the state, while hundreds of others were forced to evacuate their County was the hardest hit, where at least 95 people - including those at the all-girls Camp Mystic - were killed. In the wake of the deadly tragedy, officials were criticised and questioned over whether adequate warnings were provided and what top officials were doing. Mr Thomas, in his first public remarks since the disaster, explained that he had been feeling ill in the days leading up to the flood, and "remained in bed" throughout 3 July. "My supervisors and the sheriff's office leadership were aware I was off-duty," he testified. He said there was no indication that day about the flood risk or the disaster that would later Thomas told state lawmakers that he was woken up around 05:30 (11:30 BST) the next morning, when he was asked to immediately report to the sheriff's office. Sheriff Larry Leitha testified that he went to bed on 3 July "with zero worries".He said the weather report at the time shared "good news that we were finally about to get some rain", and added that he had "no idea, no warning" about the catastrophe that was about to unfold. Judge Rob Kelly, whose position functions as the county's chief executive officer, testified that he was away "at our lake house preparing for a family gathering".He also said that there was no flood alerts issued in the days before the disaster, and the intense flooding wasn't forecast by the National Weather have been raised about whether authorities provided adequate flood warnings before the disaster, and why people were not evacuated say there were a number of factors that contributed to the tragedy in Texas, including extreme weather, the location of some homes and Greg Abbott said authorities had issued a storm warning and knew about a possible flash flood, but "didn't know the magnitude of the storm".
The Guardian
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Top Texas emergency official says he was sick and asleep as deadly floods hit
A key emergency official was sick and asleep for most of the day before devastating flash flooding swept through Texas hill country and killed more than 130 people over the Fourth of July weekend. Kerr county's emergency management coordinator, William B Thomas, had not spoken publicly since the floods, one of the state's worst ever natural disasters. Questions have swirled about his absence and the lack of sufficient warnings to residents about the impending storm before the Guadalupe river surged to record levels in the early hours of 4 July. Thomas told a hearing held by state lawmakers in Kerrville on Thursday he wanted to address questions about his whereabouts. He said he had previously planned to be off work on 3 July 'to fulfill a commitment to my elderly father'. Due to a 'progressing illness', he had stayed at home. He said his supervisor was aware he was off. 'I stayed in bed throughout 3 July and did not participate in the regularly scheduled 10am and 3pm Texas emergency management coordination center coordination calls,' Thomas told the hearing, which was attended by hundreds of Kerr county residents. In those two calls, the forecast severe weather for the holiday weekend was discussed. At that time, it was not clear where in the region would experience the most rainfall. Kerr county sheriff Larry Leitha and Thomas acknowledged being asleep as a crisis was unfolding, while it was confirmed that Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top executive, was out of town on Fourth of July, revealing a lack of on-duty leadership in the key initial moments as the crisis was unfolding. The catastrophic flooding killed at least 138 people, including 27 campers and counsellors at the all-girl Camp Mystic. Thomas testified that after sleeping through most of 3 July, he awoke briefly at about 2pm, when he said there was no indication of local rainfall. He then went back to sleep again until his wife woke him up at 5.30am on 4 July, by which point the worst of the flooding had already surged through low-lying communities in the area, including Hunt, where Camp Mystic is located, and emergency rescue operations were already under way. Thomas also said more alerts from the county would have been duplicative since the National Weather Service had already triggered several alerts as the water rose, and that those seemed sufficient. But many residents and survivors have protested that they had 'no warning at all, none whatsoever' of the torrential rain that was heading for the flood-prone region until it was too late, and have called for outdoor weather sirens to be implemented in the county. Indeed in other testimony, local officials said they needed but lacked an updated warning system, when flash flooding swept away homes and vehicles and left families stranded on the roofs of their homes. At the hearing, Kerrville mayor Joe Herring called for a flood warning system, potentially including sirens, to be designed and installed before next summer, and asked the state lawmakers for assistance. 'We need stronger communications and better broadband so we can communicate better,' Kelly said, adding that poor cell service did not help those along the river. 'What we experienced on July 4 was sudden, violent and overwhelming.' But some, including Leitha, doubted that an improved warning system with sirens would have changed the outcome. 'The water came too fast,' he said. Associated Press contributed reporting
CNN
31-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Local leaders to face Texas lawmakers today as questions linger about deadly July 4 flooding
Local leaders in Central Texas will face more tough questions Thursday as state lawmakers – and survivors – press again for information about the responses to July 4 flash flooding that killed at least 136 people. The hearing, at 9:30 a.m. local time, in hard-hit Kerrville follows a 12-hour special hearing last week that saw legislators scrutinize the state's safety preparations – and split over focusing on whether more should have been done before the storm or how efficiently life-saving efforts unfolded. Among those set to testify Thursday is an emergency response official who a colleague has said likely was asleep in the critical hours before the flood, when four months' worth of rain fell and forced the Guadalupe River to rise over 20 feet, sweeping homes, cars, campers and cabins downstream. Three people are still missing as the summer's tragic surge of deadly flash floods across the United States underscores the escalating volatility of the warming planet. Texas' Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding are scheduled to hear Thursday from Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. and City Manager Dalton Rice; and Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha and Emergency Management Coordinator W.B. 'Dub' Thomas. Thomas was likely asleep in the critical morning hours of the deadly flood, Leitha has told CNN. 'I'm sure he was at home asleep at that time,' said the sheriff, who acknowledged he also then was sleeping. Thomas, also a deputy sheriff, has not responded to CNN's repeated requests for comment and declined other such opportunities since the storm. Lawmakers are also set to hear Thursday from leaders of other affected counties and cities, as well as meteorologists, flooding experts and leaders of two mental health resource centers, followed by public testimony, according to the meeting agenda. Last week's hearing included testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers of the region's 'Flash Flood Alley,' as well as the head of the state's Division of Emergency Management and members of the state's police force, the Department of Public Safety. CNN's Matthew J. Friedman and Rachel Clarke contributed to this reporting.
