Overview

• At the July 23 Austin hearing, officials revealed there is no system ensuring local emergency leaders receive real-time National Weather Service alerts alongside state agencies
• Dispatch logs read by senators showed that hours after the July 4 flooding began, rescue teams in Kerr County operated without a clear incident command structure
• Lawmakers faulted the Upper Guadalupe River Authority for rejecting a 2023 state grant and declining a recommended $1 million warning system upgrade while building up reserves
• Committee chairs Rep. Ken King and Sen. Charles Perry signaled pending legislation to require alert system improvements, codify incident command protocols and boost emergency management funding
• A second public hearing is set for July 31 in Kerrville, where survivors and local officials will be permitted to give testimony on the flood response