Overview

• A special legislative committee convened in Kerrville to assess preparedness failures one month after the July 4 flash flood that killed at least 135 people.
• Witnesses described a nearly 40-minute lag in issuing the CodeRed alert as floodwaters overtook low-water crossings due to a void in local leadership.
• Kerr County has gone without outdoor warning sirens since 1999, and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority still relies on manual river gauges without automated triggers.
• Camp Mystic’s operators won FEMA map challenges that removed dozens of cabins from the designated floodplain instead of relocating them to higher ground.
• With fewer than 30 days left in the special session, lawmakers aim to draft bills for siren installation, automated alerts and enhanced flood-detection technology.