In the wake of one of the deadliest natural disasters in Texas history, state lawmakers and top officials gathered in Kerrville to hear firsthand accounts of how residents and emergency crews responded to catastrophic flooding that struck overnight on July 4, killing at least 137 people.
“The monster will be back, in one form or fashion,” said Sen. Pete Flores (R), who represents flood-ravaged Kerr County. “This committee will learn from you and the people who are going to testify as to what you learned from it and how you believe that we should prepare to help you respond to the monster when it comes back again.”
Flores was joined by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R), House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R), and members of the House and Senate Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding. Their goal is to understand what went wrong and how to better protect Texans in the future.
Local officials testified that July 3rd ended quietly, with no warnings from the National Weather Service of the devastating rainfall to come.
“In my view, no alert system would’ve changed the outcome or prevented the tragic loss of life,” said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha. “By the time the true danger became clear, our office was in full mode, rescuing residents and visitors.”
Despite that, legislators are exploring potential warning improvements, including public sirens and enhanced cellphone alerts.
Sen. Charles Perry (R), chairing the Senate’s flood response committee, focused on long-term solutions. “I want my TDEM director not to have to guess which one he should talk to,” he said, advocating for consolidation of city and county emergency coordination in rural areas. He also called for expanded cell coverage and better evacuation planning for people in the 500-year floodplain.
“All the data and monitoring is good, but you know what that’s doing? It’s squeezing it down to the very last second before we disrupt somebody’s world,” Perry said. “That’s an inconvenience I’m willing to go to now.”
The Hill Country, home to some of the most dangerous flash flooding in the U.S., will likely flood again, officials agreed. Future legislation will aim to take lessons learned from the disaster and translate them into policies that save lives.
“We don’t want to disrupt lives—but we will if it means saving them,” Perry said.
