Kerr County, Texas (KXAN) – Dispatch audio has surfaced since significant hours, before a deadly flood in Ker County hit its height, local authorities have helped simultaneously provide local authorities to provide their decisions on 4 July.
“We are still getting water,” an ingredient volunteer fire fighter is heard saying to the County Sheriff Dispathic at 4:22 am that “Gwadalupa Shumakar Soumakar Sign Highway 39 is under water. Can we codes our victims, which can be asked to stay in high land or house?”
Listen: Ingram Volunteer Fire Fighter called Ker County Dispatch during a deadly July 4 flood, requested coded alert.
code Red There is a notification system. Some agencies use customers’ cell phones to send emergency alerts. Online, encourages county residents to sign up For free service, which “has the ability to inform the entire county or only affected areas about emergency situations” – including serious weather – “in a few minutes.”
In recording received by KXAN investigators from a reliable source, the dispatcher then tells the fire fighter: “We have to approve with our supervisor. Just advise that we have the Texas Water Rescue N route.”
The time of that request came after more than three hours when the National Meteorological Service issued a flash flood warning – 1:14 pm – for a part of the county and the federal forecast agency warned of a flash flood emergency after about 20 minutes – 4:03 am – in the area.
It is still not clear at what time the coded alert went out, as the local authorities have sidelined the relevant questions on a large scale. The Mayor of Kerville, who herring, told reporters that the only coded notification he received was 6 am, indicating a flash flood alert or “something for that effect”.
Sesley Armstrong, who recognized himself as San Antonio-based manufacturer and journalist-and long-term Hill Country residents who have been subscribed to coderad-the KXAN investigators with a call recording and text messages provided to the KXAN investigators provided that he had received during the floods. The first was a lesson that was received at 5:34 am, stating that “NWS issued a flash flood warning for your location.” This was performed by a pre-ridden audio message a minute later, saying “take immediate action for your safety.”
Codrend Alert from Care County on 4 July (courtesy Sesley Armstrong)
Another person near the flooded area, who spoke with KXAN shared a cell phone screenshot, shown a long ago alert time, with a Vismacell back to the coded from a number from a number at 1:14 pm. This suggests discrepancies in counting recipients.
Responding to coded concerns during a press event on Wednesday, Ker County Sheriff Larry Litha said that “after action” will be reviewed after recovery and informing the families of the victims.
“I know it will be repeatedly asked,” Litha said. “Please understand that … we are not going to hide from everything, it is being checked in later times.”
On Thursday morning, officials updated the toll of county’s death to 96. A total of 161 people were still missing.
Coded in Ker County
County Commissioners approved the use of coded for $ 25,000 per year in 2009. On county websiteThis suggests that “the system gave emergency phones messages pre-varied” when “life safety is necessary and accurate notification is necessary.”
Historically, Sheriff had a final right to send an alert to the public. KXAN is waiting for the reaction and fulfillment of record requests made to county and other local authorities to better understand better decisions about information during this flood.
On Tuesday, Litha told reporters: “It’s not so easy, and you just push a button. Okay? There is a lot for it.” Asked what happened, he replied: “I can’t tell you at this time.”
Critics point to challenges to send code, sound mail and email using publicly available phone numbers and voluntary registration – meaning that warnings cannot reach all residents or visitors in an disaster field. However, the company behind Kodered has explained that it can also use IPAWS, Integrated public warning and warning system Funded by FEMA – which alerts all phones in the geographical area, regardless of enrollment in the system. According to FEMA, 135 Texas agencies or institutions use IPAW including Ker County and Kerville city.
A cadre corporate spokesperson told the KXAN investigators, “Each local jurisdiction independently determine their desired use of equipment such as their local procedure to send information and alerts using tools with equipment.” “Local governments also determine whether to send an alert through IPAWS during the alert construction process within the coud.”
In 2012, Kerville Daily Times reported that 18,451 people signed up for coded alert in the area. In 2020, the county commissioners approved the inclusion of IPAW in Kodar, so that tourists can be reached even if they are not in the local database, according to the meeting minute and A. Video collection The KXAN investigators reviewed.
Former Ker County Sheriff William “Rusty” Hirholzer told the commissioners at the November 2020 meeting, “This is the easiest way to explain that you are going through this area and something has happened here, if we send it, it can inform you.”
Since last week’s floods, authorities have questioned the effectiveness of codred alerts in rural areas of County, where cell service can be spotted. Officials have also said that many children did not call with them in camps along the Gwadalup River.
