Latest news with #TexasDepartmentofPublicSafety
2 days ago
- Politics
What has been proposed at the Texas special legislative session on flooding crisis
Texas lawmakers gathered this week for a special legislative session to discuss emergency procedures and early warning systems following the deadly July 4 flash floods. Gov. Greg Abbott called the special session in the wake of the flooding, which killed more than 130 people in Hill Country. "We must ensure better preparation in the future," Abbott said in a statement. House Bill 165, filed on Tuesday, aims to create a model guide for local officials to follow regarding disaster response and recovery. Aspects of response such as contracting for debris removal; obtaining federal disaster funding; determining availability and construction of short-term and long-term housing and obtaining assistance from volunteer organizations were addressed in the bill. The session began Monday with a call to order, followed by a prayer led by Texas Department of Public Safety Major Ron Joy, in which he asked for "grace and mercy" for the victims of the devastating flooding. "Give comfort for those grieving and mourning the loss," Joy said. "Provide strength for those families still waiting on an answer. Restore those who have lost so much your hand of protection for the first responders and volunteers conducting the search and recovery missions and give wisdom to our leaders to help prepare for future disasters." The special session is intended to address preparedness and recovery in the event of future flooding, Abbott said on Sunday. It will look at flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding and natural disaster preparations and recovery. In addition, legislation to provide relief funding to those recovering from the storms will be discussed, according to a proclamation by Abbott, which was read by a clerk during the legislative session. The deadly flooding over the Fourth of July weekend killed at least 135 people, including dozens of girls at Camp Mystic, along the Guadalupe River, according to officials. Several people are still missing. The special legislative session is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday and expected to last for 30 days. The session will also address a congressional redistricting plan, which could create more seats for Republicans, as well as a second attempt at regulating THC, the psychoactive compound found marijuana.
NBC News
11-07-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
As questions mount over Texas floods, a key decision-maker remains silent
KERRVILLE, Texas — Before the flash flooding in Texas' Hill Country materialized in the early hours of July 4, Kerr County's most senior elected official said he had no inkling of the pending disaster that would sweep away structures and set off harrowing rescues across the region. 'We didn't know this flood was coming,' County Judge Rob Kelly said at a news conference later that morning, in response to why summer camps along the rain-swollen Guadalupe River weren't evacuated earlier, before many were missing or feared dead. 'We do not have a warning system,' he added, referring to the sirens along the river in other counties, used to notify of imminent flooding. The following day, at a news conference with Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials, Kelly said of the preparedness effort: 'It's just Hill Country, and we didn't know.' In Texas, the county judge serves many functions in addition to judicial duties, including serving as the head of emergency management and handling many administrative functions in the county. But with a death toll surpassing 100 people — 60 adults and 36 children in Kerr County alone — and at least 176 still unaccounted for as of Friday, county officials are facing questions about what actions were taken ahead of the flooding and who was in command and communicating with the National Weather Service, particularly once the agency issued its first flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Efforts to reach Kelly this week, including by phone and at the emergency operations center, his office and his home, were unsuccessful. He hasn't spoken publicly since his appearances at news conferences in the immediate aftermath of the flood. In addition, William 'Dub' Thomas, Kerr County's emergency management coordinator, has not spoken publicly and did not return repeated requests for comment. He also could not be reached at the emergency operations center or his home. Thomas, who has been the county's top emergency coordinator since 2015, is responsible for its emergency management plan, the emergency notification system known as CodeRed, its search and rescue team and other disaster-related duties, according to the Rotary Club of Kerrville website. Previously, while working for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomas helped direct the state's response to several catastrophic events, including the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Kelly, a Republican who first took office in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, has worked as a commercial litigation attorney and, in his role as county judge, he oversees Kerr County's four-person commission and its budget. Kelly was a certified member of the Kerr County Community Emergency Response Team, according to a bio on the Rotary Club of Kerville website. 'I truly believe God has been preparing me for this position all my life,' Kelly said in The Kerrville Daily Times in 2017 about running for the county judge before the election. 'I didn't go looking for this job, it came looking for me.' Tom Pollard, the former county judge Kelly replaced, said that in any major event, such as a disaster that requires an evacuation, the emergency management coordinator is in charge but takes direction from the county judge. 'The buck stops with the county judge's office, but the management director handles it and just gets going,' Pollard said. 'And he'll talk to a county judge every now and then, and if there's a decision that needs to be made, he'll consult with the judge who makes a decision.' Pollard said neither he nor his wife received emergency notifications on their phone in the early morning of the flooding. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said Tuesday on MSNBC that he saw no emergency alerts and was awakened only by a call from City Manager Dalton Rice at 5:30 a.m. By daybreak, the Guadalupe River had risen 26 feet in 45 minutes, according to sensor data. Just after 4 a.m., the National Weather Service had upgraded its flash flood warning to an emergency for Kerr County, advising that it was a 'PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!' Facebook posts from Kerrville police were posted after 5 a.m. regarding 'life threatening' flooding, but it's unclear whether officials were communicating with residents in other ways before then. Whether emergency alerts around that time would have been received on all phones is unclear. Spotty cell service or none at all is not uncommon in parts of the county, northwest of San Antonio. Others may not have had their phones with them, like the young girls who were staying at Camp Mystic in the unincorporated community of Hunt, where officials say at least 27 campers and staff members died. Federal Emergency Management Agency records obtained by NBC Dallas-Fort Worth show that Kerr County officials didn't use its Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, or IPAWS, to send warnings with safety instructions to all cellphones in the affected area the day of the flooding. As the water began rising in Kerr County, the National Weather Service delivered an IPAWS flood warning to phones as early as 1:14 a.m., NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. However, it's up to county or city officials in general to send more urgent instructions, including whether to evacuate. Some families said they received a CodeRed alert from Kerr County, which is similar to an IPAWS message and can be sent via the sheriff's office. But the program allows people to opt out, meaning not everyone receives it. Dispatch audio obtained by NBC affiliate KXAN in Austin includes an Ingram volunteer firefighter asking a county sheriff dispatcher at 4:22 a.m. if they can 'send a CodeRed out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?' The dispatcher responds: 'We have to get that approved with our supervisor.' It's unclear at what times CodeRed alerts were supposed to be sent. KXAN reported that one person near the flooded area said they received a voicemail at 1:14 a.m. from a number traced back to CodeRed, while another area resident received a CodeRed alert at 5:34 a.m. about the National Weather Service's 'flash flood warning,' suggesting inconsistencies among recipients countywide. The National Weather Service's San Antonio office did not immediately return a request for comment Friday about any communications it may have had with Kerr County. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference Wednesday that his priority remains search and rescue efforts, but noted there would be an 'after-action' review of what happened on July 4. 'We'll get them,' Leitha said. 'I can't tell you when — in a week or two, OK? We're going to get them.' Raymond Howard, a council member in Ingram, another city in Kerr County, said he has a host of questions for county officials to investigate once the rescue efforts are exhausted, from preventative measures they plan to take going forward to the timing of emergency alerts. 'I did not get a CodeRed,' Howard said, 'and I'm signed up for CodeRed.' What's needed for the future, he said, is better planning and communication. 'It's too late for the victims and everything that's happened already, but for future floods, we can do something,' Howard said. 'It will happen again.'
Miami Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Who is Benjamin Song? Hunt Launched For US Veteran After ICE ‘Ambush'
Authorities are searching for an additional suspect, Benjamin Hanil Song, in connection with what authorities said was an "ambush" at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Texas on the night of the Fourth of July. Song, a 32-year-old former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, is wanted after being charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence, the FBI said. The Texas Department of Public Safety on Wednesday issued a Blue Alert—which are designed to help speed in the apprehension of violent criminals who kill or injure law enforcement officers—for Song. Newsweek has contacted the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours. Ten others have been arrested on attempted murder charges after attackers opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado on Friday night. An officer was shot in the neck. He was treated at a hospital and released, authorities said. President Donald Trump's administration has decried attacks and violence against ICE officers as it ramps up deportations, which will be turbocharged by a massive spending bill that became law last week. Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids have been held around the country, with some leading to clashes with police and arrests. Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws in the city. While others in the group lured officers out of the detention facility, Song was positioned in the woods nearby with two rifles, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox 4. From there, he and at least one other suspect allegedly opened fire. The complaint says both rifles recovered from the woods were found to have been purchased by Song. Song is believed to have spent the night after the attack hiding in the woods near the detention center, the complaint said. He has possibly been seen once on a camera at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Song served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves from 2011 until 2016, when he received an other than honorable discharge, the complaint said. The FBI has described Song as Asian, 5 feet 6 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes and weighing about 150 pounds. The Department of Justice said on Tuesday that 10 men and women—Cameron Arnold, Savanna Batten, Nathan Baumann, Zachary Evetts, Joy Gibson, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto—have been charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Another person was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence. A criminal complaint says the attackers, dressed in black military-style clothing, shot off fireworks toward the detention center at around 10:40 p.m. on Friday. One or two broke off from the group and began to spray-paint graffiti on cars and a guard structure in the detention center's parking lot, the complaint said. Two unarmed corrections officers spoke to the group in the parking lot at around 11 p.m. as someone in the nearby woods appeared to signal to the group with a flashlight, the complaint said. At the same time, an Alvarado police officer arrived in the parking lot. Someone in the woods opened fire immediately after the officer emerged from his vehicle, shooting him in the neck, the complaint said. That assailant also opened fire on the correctional officers. Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson said in a statement on Tuesday: "Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest. This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers. This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas. Those who use violence against law enforcement officers will be found and prosecuted using the toughest criminal statutes and penalties available." ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a statement on Tuesday: "This escalation in violence is incomprehensible, and those responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. "This is precisely what we have been warning against, as disinformation and dangerous politically-motivated rhetoric spreads." The White House said on Wednesday: "As ICE agents risk their lives to secure our borders and protect our communities, they're facing a 700% surge in assaults — a direct consequence of dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric from Democrat politicians." The FBI is warning that Song should be considered armed and dangerous. The bureau is offering a reward of up to $25,000 reward for information leading to Song's arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. People can also contact their local FBI office or submit a tip online at This article includes reporting from The Associated Press. Related Articles Home Prices Are Plummeting in HoustonTexas Flooding Update: Kerrville Mayor Calls Press Conference a 'Disaster'Map Shows Most Boring Cities in the USRainmaker CEO Speaks Out About Cloud Seeding in Texas Before Floods 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Texas officials are trying to figure out who's really missing from the floods
This week in Texas, estimates put the number of people still missing from the Hill Country floods at 161, a daunting figure atop at least 120 deaths confirmed by authorities. But that missing person tally might not be as precise as it seems. Confusion and uncertainty can take hold after a shocking disaster and, despite best efforts by local authorities, it can be difficult to pin down how many people reported missing are actually unaccounted for. Some people on a list after California's Camp Fire wildfire in 2018 were later found to be OK the whole time. The death count in the 2023 Maui fire was 102, far below the 1,100 people initially feared missing. In Texas, several hundred people were reported missing to officials in Kerr County after the Fourth of July floods, said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Investigators whittled that number down to 161 by Tuesday after learning that some were counted twice and others were found alive. 'There's nothing to celebrate about how well we've done this far, but there's a lot of work to be done,' Martin said. Authorities announced a phone number and email address for people to report missing friends or family. 'We need to keep an accurate count, as accurate as possible,' Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department said in a plea to the public Wednesday. "So if you've reported somebody missing and they've been recovered safely, please let us know." The flooding sent walls of water through Hill Country in the middle of the night, killing at least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River. More remain missing from that camp and elsewhere. The search in 88-degree Fahrenheit heat (31 degrees Celsius) has been made harder by overturned cars, trees, mud and other debris left in the wake of the ferocious flood. 'We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,' Gov. Greg Abbott said. 'Know this also: There very likely could be more added to that list.' In 2017, more than 20 people died in the Tubbs fire in northern California. Sgt. Juan Valencia of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office recalled that most of the 100 people initially reported missing to his agency were found safe. Working through a list of names in a disaster is both meticulous and time-consuming work, he said. 'Put yourself in a family member's shoes,' Valencia said. 'They're concerned about their loved one. Are they really the victim of a disaster or did they maybe lose their cellphone? Basically you start calling temporary shelters, check family, friends. You check social media. That's how we were able to get a lot of those.' 'Sometimes you find them miles away,' Valencia said. The 2018 Camp Fire in California ended up killing nearly 100 people, though the Butte County Sheriff's Office had a list of 1,300 people unaccounted for at one point. Abbott said Texas authorities were trying to learn more about people who were not registered at a camp or a hotel for the holiday and left no paper or digital trail in the region. He had a firm message for anyone contacting police about a missing person.
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Texas officials are trying to figure out who's really missing from the floods
In Texas, several hundred people were reported missing to officials in Kerr County after the Fourth of July floods, said Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Investigators whittled that number down to 161 by Tuesday after learning that some were counted twice and others were found alive. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'There's nothing to celebrate about how well we've done this far, but there's a lot of work to be done,' Martin said. Advertisement Authorities announced a phone number and email address for people to report missing friends or family. 'We need to keep an accurate count, as accurate as possible,' Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department said in a plea to the public Wednesday. 'So if you've reported somebody missing and they've been recovered safely, please let us know.' The flooding sent walls of water through Hill Country in the middle of the night, killing at least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp along the Guadalupe River. More remain missing from that camp and elsewhere. Advertisement The search in 88-degree Fahrenheit heat has been made harder by overturned cars, trees, mud and other debris left in the wake of the ferocious flood. 'We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,' Gov. Greg Abbott said. 'Know this also: There very likely could be more added to that list.' In 2017, more than 20 people died in the Tubbs fire in northern California. Sgt. Juan Valencia of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office recalled that most of the 100 people initially reported missing to his agency were found safe. Working through a list of names in a disaster is both meticulous and time-consuming work, he said. 'Put yourself in a family member's shoes,' Valencia said. 'They're concerned about their loved one. Are they really the victim of a disaster or did they maybe lose their cellphone? Basically you start calling temporary shelters, check family, friends. You check social media. That's how we were able to get a lot of those.' And he acknowledged that searching for victims of a water disaster poses distinct challenges. 'Sometimes you find them miles away,' Valencia said. The 2018 Camp Fire in California ended up killing nearly 100 people, though the Butte County Sheriff's Office had a list of 1,300 people unaccounted for at one point. Abbott said Texas authorities were trying to learn more about people who were not registered at a camp or a hotel for the holiday and left no paper or digital trail in the region. He had a firm message for anyone contacting police about a missing person. Advertisement 'If you make a prank call or provide false information, that's a crime. ... So you better be correct,' the governor said.
