Latest news with #TexasDivisionOfEmergencyManagement
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Texas Hill Country under flood watch as search continues for missing people
Texas Hill Country was back under a flood watch on Saturday, with the National Weather Service warning of 'locally heavy rainfall' of 1-3in with isolated amounts close to 6in possible. The flood watch, which continues through Sunday evening, comes as the death toll from the 4 July flood continues to rise – now at nearly 130 people - and authorities continue their search for the 160 more who are missing. The latest warnings anticipate considerably less rain than what came down last week, which caused the Guadalupe River to rise 29ft in 45 minutes. The Texas division of emergency management had mobilized before the storm, but its assets were not focused exclusively on Texas Hill Country. The storm alerts that were issued before and during the storm, in an area of patchy cellphone service, are now the subject of scrutiny. On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from its 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous floodplain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors. Fema had included the prestigious girls' summer camp in a 'special flood hazard area' on its national flood insurance map for Kerr county in 2011, which meant it was required to have flood insurance and faced tighter regulation on any future construction projects. That designation means an area is likely to be inundated during a 100-year flood – one severe enough that it only has a 1% chance of happening in any given year. The 4 July flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by Fema, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off-guard in a county that lacked a warning system. Syracuse University associate professor Sarah Pralle, who has extensively studied Fema's flood map determinations, said it was 'particularly disturbing' that a camp in charge of the safety of so many young people would receive exemptions from basic flood regulation. 'It's a mystery to me why they weren't taking proactive steps to move structures away from the risk, let alone challenging what seems like a very reasonable map that shows these structures were in the 100-year flood zone,' she said. Pralle told the AP that some of the exempted properties were within 2ft (0.6 meters) of Fema's floodplain by the camp's revised calculations, which she said left almost no margin for error. She said her research shows that Fema approves about 90% of map amendment requests, and the process may favor the wealthy and well-connected. Experts say Camp Mystic's requests to amend the Fema map could have been an attempt to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, lower the camp's insurance premiums or pave the way for renovating or adding new structures under less costly regulations. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion In a statement, Fema downplayed the significance of the flood map amendments to the AP: 'Flood maps are snapshots in time designed to show minimum standards for floodplain management and the highest risk areas for flood insurance. They are not predictions of where it will flood, and they don't show where it has flooded before.' While Texas officials and Donald Trump have been resistant to questions about any failures to forewarn of the impending flood – queries that have largely been put to one side as local and state recovery teams, along with thousands of volunteers, work in and alongside the river to find the missing – the Washington Post reported that Kerr county had the technology to turn every cellphone in the river valley into a loud alarm. But the mass notification system, known as the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, or Ipaws, was not activated and emergency managers in the county relied on a series of text messages for alerts. Trump visited the area on Friday, telling first responders that he and Melania Trump, the first lady, were there to 'express the love and support and anguish of our entire nation'. 'So all across the country, Americans' hearts are shattered,' he said. 'We're filled with grief and devastation. It's the loss of life and, unfortunately, they're still looking.' Trump said two things had struck him: the 'unity' of Texans and the 'competence' of those responding to the disaster. 'Everyone has just pulled together, it's rare that you see this,' he said.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
4 questions that are still unanswered about Texas' deadly floods
Key questions remain unanswered about the actions Texas officials took both before and during the catastrophic July Fourth holiday floods as a painstaking search for victims continues along the Guadalupe River nearly a week later. Officials have avoided specific explanations of what steps were taken in advance of the intense downpour. Forecasts on July 3 suggested it could threaten the scenic Texas Hill Country where hundreds of locals, tourists and campers were sleeping overnight. At least 120 people were killed and more than 160 people are believed to still be missing. Here's what is still unknown about the hours before, during and after the deadly flash flood. How did officials prepare? The full extent of Texas officials' readiness is unclear. Two days before the flood, the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources and then increased the readiness level the following day. State officials have said early forecasts did not pinpoint where the most intense rains would hit, so equipment and personnel were staged only in several areas, although they have not given specifics. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that prior to a briefing call on July 3, a regional coordinator personally reached out to local officials to make sure they were aware. "The message was sent," Patrick said. In Kerr County, where the devastation is most extensive, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said this week he did not know what state emergency management resources were deployed ahead of time. 'I'm not going to contradict the information you have, but I will tell you, personally, I did not receive a telephone call,' he said. How quickly did Texas authorities act? That's still unknown. Since the flood, Kerr County officials have repeatedly deflected questions about the details and timelines of their response. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency. The Kerrville Police Department and the Kerr County County Sheriff's Office began to post on Facebook around 5:15 a.m. warning residents of dangerous flooding. But it remains unclear how, if at all, emergency officials utilized CodeRED, the vendor used for alerting the public to emergency situations and disasters. An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alerts sent in Texas between July 3 and July 5 found dozens sent by the NWS via a FEMA system to local cellphones that warned of the potential for flash floods. There were none listed as sent by Kerr County agencies until one July 6. How prepared was Camp Mystic? Texas inspectors had signed off on Camp Mystic's plans for an emergency just two days before the floodwaters inundated the all-girls Christian summer camp, killing more than two dozen people. Camps are responsible for developing their own emergency plans, which are evaluated by inspectors to ensure they meet several state requirements, including procedures for evacuation. Camp Mystic this week did not respond to requests for comment on its emergency plan. The camp had 557 campers and more than 100 staffers at the time between its Guadalupe and Cypress Lake locations. It's not clear how threatening the July Fourth forecast appeared to camp leaders. The area is naturally prone to flash flooding, but this was an especially bad storm that hit overnight while most people are asleep, experts said. The landscape created the conditions for what some witnesses described as a fast-moving wall of water, which seems to have overtaken the cabins with the littlest campers. When will we find out more details? Officials have not given a timeline. They've repeatedly said their focus for now is on searching for the missing. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's highest ranking official, has said officials 'did not know this flood was coming.' He has not spoken at any of the county's daily news conferences since July 5. William 'Dub' Thomas, Kerr County's emergency management coordinator who has been in the job since November 2015, has not participated in any briefings with the media. On Monday, Thomas attended an emergency meeting of the county commissioner's court but declined an opportunity to address elected officials. Kelly and Thomas have not responded to interview requests sent to them and the county. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha has insisted his priority remains the current response, but also said this week an 'after action' review of the events leading up to and during the flood will come later. ___
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says flood response will be evaluated in special session
The Texas Division of Emergency Management had multiple meetings to prepare, but the National Weather Service "did not predict the amount of rain" that actually fell, officials said, adding that forecasters originally estimated up to 8 inches of rainfall for the area.
