Overview

• During the July 31 hearing in Kerrville, Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha and Emergency Management Coordinator William “Dub” Thomas acknowledged they were out of town, asleep or ill when floodwaters surged on July 4.
• Legislators highlighted that Kerr County lacked outdoor sirens and that a requested CodeRED alert was delayed by nearly 40 minutes as dispatchers managed incoming rescue calls.
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and members of the House and Senate committees publicly rebuked local officials for their absence and faulted the r GuadGuadalupe River Authority for not using budgeted funds to install flood alerts.
• Dozens of survivors and residents delivered emotional testimony about rising waters trapping families on roofs and the failure of existing warnings to reach those in the path of the flood.
• In response to exposed lapses, lawmakers began drafting legislation to install sirens, sensor-driven alerts and enhance emergency communications across the Texas Hill Country.