KERRVILLE, Texas – In the month since deadly floods demolished portions of Kerr County, killing at least 108 people there, KSAT Investigates has worked to piece together how the county’s emergency response played out.
Kerrville city leaders were caught off guard by the historic weather event and an alert that warned people to head for higher ground was significantly delayed in being sent to the public, records show.
Days after River Inn Resort & Conference Center General Manager Scott Towery was credited with alerting guests to the rising flood waters in Hunt, he told KSAT he did not receive any alerts on his phone until after the water began to recede.
“Five-thirty in the morning is when we got our first alert. Hours into this,” Towery said. “That was upsetting.”
Kerr County dispatch audio obtained by KSAT Investigates confirms a firefighter called for a CodeRED alert at 4:22 a.m. on July 4, as water covered State Highway 39 in Hunt.
“Is there any way we can send a CodeRED to our Hunt residents asking them to find higher ground?” the first responder asked.
“10-4, standby. We have to get that approved with our supervisor,” a county dispatcher replied, before telling the first responder a water rescue team was en route.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said during the July 31 legislative hearing that a supervisor approved the CodeRED to go out one minute after it was requested, but that it was not sent to the public until 5:01 a.m.
KSAT has seen no records showing any alerts being sent out through the system until 5:34 a.m.
Emergency call logs show dispatchers in Kerr County began receiving flood-related calls at approximately 3:30 a.m. on July 4.
What began as victims calling for help turned to welfare checks, missing persons calls and death investigations, records show.
‘basically homeland Barbie’
Internal Kerrville emails, released to KSAT Investigates following a public records request, revealed that the city’s off-duty firefighters were not called to their respective stations until just before 9 a.m. on July 4, hours after it had already become a catastrophic flooding event.
Among the text records was a July 3 message sent from Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice in which he wrote “Big day tomorrow at LHP,” a likely reference to Louise Hays Park, the site of Kerrville’s Fourth on the River celebration.
The park was damaged during the floods and remains temporarily closed to the public.
At 6:37 a.m. on July 4, Herring again texted Rice, but this time asked for the location of the emergency operations center.
Herring and Rice’s messages to one another on July 4 included a text from Rice in which he wrote, “He’s a (expletive) joke.”
It’s not clear from the texts to whom Rice was referring.
Rice, according to the records, later that evening texted Herring, “Where’s the judge...”
After Rice updated city council via text message the morning of July 4 that water rescues were underway, Kerrville City Councilwoman Brenda Hughes responded “Ugh!!! Not what we needed today (frown face emoji).”
A second councilwoman, Place 1’s Delayne Sigerman, responded via text, “Whoever prayed for this should pray for cease fire in Israel,” the records show.
In a separate text message to city council sent July 4, Rice wrote “The county is reacting poorly to this,” but that the city would continue to assist them.
On July 5, Rice took part in an afternoon press conference in Kerrville with federal, state and local leaders to update the public on search and rescue efforts.
Hours after the press conference ended, a city staffer texted Rice, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbi, how is she?!?!?!”
Rice responded via text, “Beahahaha basically homeland Barbie.”
The phrase, along with the words ICE Barbie, has been used to mockingly refer to Kristi Noem since she was confirmed as Department of Homeland Security secretary early this year.
Rice has not responded to emails from KSAT seeking comment on his written communications.
The Kerrville city emails also show the power station in Hunt was left under up to eight feet of water and could take three months to repair.
Camp Mystic inspected by state two days before the floods
At nearby Camp Mystic, Texas Health and Human Services Commission records show the property was inspected just two days before the flooding event.
State officials verified the camp had an emergency plan in place.
Records show there were 64 staff members and 386 campers at the Guadalupe River portion of the campgrounds during that inspection.
Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, which runs independently of the Guadalupe River, had a combined 215 staffers and campers when inspectors visited the properties on July 2.
Camp officials have since confirmed the deaths of 27 campers and camp counselors in the catastrophic floods.
What remains unclear is why some of the camp’s cabins were built so close to the Guadalupe River.
KSAT Investigates is still waiting on the release of records showing what Kerr County leaders discussed in the hours before and after the flooding event.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly confirmed during the July 31 legislative hearing that he was at his summer home on Lake Travis the morning of July 4, preparing for holiday festivities.
Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William B. “Dub” Thomas, who has largely been absent from press availability regarding the floods, told legislative committee members on July 31 that he was sick in the days leading up the floods but went into work after being woken up by his wife around 5:30 a.m. on July 4.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.