Kerr County, Texas (KXAN) – Local authorities in Ker County are facing a public inquiry after the days of their preparations and the question of the 4 July flash flood, after the days of dismissing the questions, which leaves dozens of dead. The records reviewed by KXAN have revealed that the leadership of 2024 has revealed the possibility of the county “will experience flood incident in the next year”.
On Wednesday, during the morning press conference, he updated Death Count to 95, in which 161 people are still missing. Sheriff Larry Litha said that a “action-action” would be reviewed after his “priority” to inform the families of the victims, avoiding re-replying to specific tasks in the hours between the weather warnings and increasing 30 feet between the Gwadalup River.
“We will answer those questions,” Litha told reporters. “I want you to bear it with me, okay? To bear with me. We’ll receive them. I can’t tell you – in one or two weeks, okay? We’re going to receive them.”
Sheriff also responded to the “people putting me in this office” about concerns on the County’s coded alert – which allow customers to receive emergency notifications for their mobile devices. The effectiveness of alert has surfaced during press events, as well as with revelations Ker County has no system of warning equipment – Like sirens – despite a decade, to warn the public Failed attempt to fund such a system and install such a system,
Officials like County Judge Rob Kelly said that they “did not know that it was flooding,” although the National Meteorological Service released a flood watch on Thursday – one day before the disaster. It also issued a flash flood warning at 1:14 pm on Friday, yet a few hours ago The river hit its height,
County has not explained the time of completely withdrawal. At 5:31 am, it created an initial post on Facebook: “Stay safe and go to high ground. Don’t drive through water. Turn around – don’t drown!” A minute later, Sheriff’s office also resumed NWS information on its own Facebook page, saying: “If you are near the water, go to the high ground immediately. Stay clean from the low water crossing – turn around, not drown!”
Lieutenant Gove Dan Patrick has also stated that the Texas Division of Emergency Management directly interacted with county judges and city mayors about the weather forecast a day before the flood. At Wednesday’s press conference, Kerville’s Mayor Joe Herring, Junior said that he “did not get a telephone call” and did not know what resources TDEMs had. He did not confirm whether Kelly was part of any call.
“I was not invited to the call,” Herring said. “Maybe I am not a local mayor. I can’t tell.”
KXAN has requested the response to those claims and A Record of communication among local leadersAlong with any emergency notifications – along with NWS, TDEM and other state officials – to understand better decisions about communication and their public warnings.
“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we regularly deal with floods – when it rains, we get water,” Kelly said on Friday. “We had no reason to believe that it is going to happen as it happened here, no one.”
But a KXAN review of County’s most recent dangerous mitigation scheme suggests that the authorities have discovered over the years that there was a major threat in the flood sector – and was deteriorating.
Dangerous mitigation scheme
Under the federal disaster mitigation of 2000, County requires a local danger mitigation scheme approved by a federal emergency management agency, so that some are eligible for pre -disaster and subsequent mitigation funds. The latest 220-wind plan was formally adopted by Kelly and County Commissioners and then presented at FEMA in this April.
The scheme included the stakeholders in the County, Ingram and Kerville cities, the Kerville Independent School District, Kerville Public Utility Board and Upper Guadalupa River Authority. Representatives compiling the plan included both the Emergency Management Coordinator of Ker County and Kerville, Fire Chief of Kerville and UGRA General Manager.
The group met twice, began in March 2024, and held a public outreach in May and October that year. His research included historical weather figures from the National Ocean and Atmospheric administration, from 2018, the rear dangerous mitigation scheme of the county and the flood damage prevention ordinance for County, Kerville and Ingram each – each – which identified the needs and restrictions of the building for the structures in the floods.
Emergency Management Coordinator of Ker County, William B. “Dub” Thomas-he has taken over the post since November 2015, but has not been the primary part of any public attendance or press event since last week’s flood-it is responsible for “continuous coordination and monitoring of mitigation scheme” during its 5-year period. At that point, the planning team is considered to revaluate and update the document, which gives members the opportunity to identify recent damage due to natural threats and to consider whether any of those damage could be deferred. ” Thomas has not responded to KXAN’s inquiry.
Under the “Possibility of Future Incidents”, the plan note, the group determined that it is likely that the Ker County and the participating jurisdiction would experience the flood incident in the next year, which means an event is likely to be possible in the next three years. “
Target and purpose
The plan expands at least 106 “flood incidents”, which dating back in 1960, including two recently listed in 2018 – both without injury, deadly or property damage with damage floods. It was also noted that flood waters have declined by 10 inches as a result of recent flood incidents in the entire county and may exceed those depths “the worst situation” in the future “.
A section on “Effect” said that may include:
- Residents temporarily lose electricity due to power lines;
- Motor drivers and residents need to be stuck and rescued;
- The structures are flooding, damaged or even completely washed;
- Roads are being washed;
- Emergency care centers are limited access.
While no possibility, the danger of floods of 500 years-has been described as “not negligible” in the plan-the plan has a 0.2% chance of having any year. It also mentioned that climate change can cause floods of river more often.
The main goals of the scheme had to reduce the loss of life and injury, with specific objectives:
- Improve the delivery and effectiveness of warning messages;
- Reducing obstacles for timely and safe withdrawal of dangerous areas of floods.
Related to the county’s previous mitigation scheme since 2018, the update scheme has identified the work implemented so far – or in progress – but still necessary, including:
- Creating a program to educate the public about specific mitigation tasks for all dangers (In progress; moderate priority; Estimated cost – less than $ 10,000 per danger)
- Proposal of a local flood warning system to reduce the possible impacts of future flood incidents (Decrected of plan updates; moderate priority; Estimated cost – low that $ 1 million)
KXAN is waiting for the reaction from the county about the implementation of the plan and was followed during the last week’s floods.
