Updated 9:30 p.m. July 31
During the July 31 hearing, Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, said that while “there were a number of factors that were very unique to this [storm] that really exacerbated the damage, the devastation, the destruction,” the overall weather conditions “that can create this kind of destruction” are not unprecedented. He asked a panel of meteorologists and flooding experts what made the July 4 floods in the Hill Country particularly severe.
“This flood was particularly damaging in terms of loss of life because of the time that it occurred and difficulties with people understanding what was going on,” state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon told lawmakers.
Some officials and residents have said they were caught off guard by the July 4-5 flooding, which killed at least 137 people across Central and West Texas.
Extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and intense in Texas, Nielsen-Gammon noted in an April 2024 report. The report found that the intensity of extreme rain could increase by 10% between 2020-2036.
Nielsen-Gammon told Community Impact July 9 that climate change has led to warmer oceans and warmer air. A warmer atmosphere can carry more water, he said, causing intense rainfall.
“With climate change, you've probably doubled the frequency of extreme rain,” he said in the July 9 interview.
Updated 9:05 p.m. July 31
In the aftermath of historic flooding in Central Texas, “it’s clear that we need reliable, real-time flood warning systems,” Rice University professor Phil Bedient told lawmakers July 31.
Bedient leads the university’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster, or SSPEED, Center. He said the July 4 weekend floods are “a sobering reminder of what’s at stake.”
“This is one of the worst floods we’ve ever seen in this area,” Bedient said. “They moved at staggering velocities with a staggering loss of life.”
Nick Fang, who leads the Water Engineering Research Center at the University of Texas-Arlington, said lawmakers need to approve “recurring funding” to support flood warning systems and future research on flood infrastructure. He noted that flood warning systems need to be “tailored” to various regions of the state, because “the terrain’s very different; climate’s very different.”
Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, asked Fang if technology currently exists “to measure the rise in a river... and have it remotely go to a battery-powered siren that goes off when a certain level of river rise occurs within a certain amount of time.” Fang said yes—and those systems exist throughout the state. He did not specify where such systems are located.
Updated 7:15 p.m. July 31
Travis County Judge Andy Brown told the committee that 10 people died due to July 5 flooding in the northwestern part of the county, adding that the region is “still in full recovery mode.”
“Because of the coordinated work across our community, lives were saved; a greater tragedy was prevented,” Brown said during the July 31 legislative hearing in Kerrville. “But, of course, we always can and must do better.”
Going into the holiday weekend, “nothing” was forecasted to happen in the Sandy Creek and Cow Creek areas where residents died, Brown said.
Lawmakers questioned Brown about the county’s preparation for and response to the disaster, invoking earlier testimony from Travis County residents who said their needs have not been met. Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said he had never seen “such a disconnect” between accounts from residents and elected officials.
Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said residents of Sandy Creek and Cow Creek “just didn’t see [resources] at all, and today remain in crisis.” Nearly one month after the flooding, residents are having trouble accessing potable water and getting funding and infrastructure, Campbell told Brown.
Campbell said she wanted to meet with Brown and other local officials to review the county’s response and work on getting resources to residents. At Campbell’s request, Brown said he would also look into residents’ claims that some July 5 9-1-1 calls from the Sandy Creek area went unanswered.
“With the conflict of information, the only way we’re going to do better going forward is to make sure we clean up now and ensure that nothing like this happens again,” Campbell said.
San Antonio Fire Chief Valerie Frausto urged lawmakers to improve disaster preparation measures and invest in flood infrastructure funding, noting that San Antonio is “considered one of the most flash flood [prone] regions in the country.” A large stretch of Central Texas, including San Antonio, is known as “flash flood alley.”
Frausto said the city of San Antonio has invested nearly $490 million in flood mitigation infrastructure in recent years.
“However, much more needs to be done,” she told lawmakers July 31. “When disaster strikes, there is often a gap between instances where local governments can be self-sustainable, when we are able to receive federal relief and the instances when neither are applicable.”
Frausto said it is critical that the state provide funding for communities to repair infrastructure, provide mental health resources and offer temporary housing “to help restore a community in a disaster.”
In terms of flood warning systems, Frausto encouraged “a multi-pronged approach,” which she said could include investments in roadways and low-water crossing infrastructure; improved drainage systems; and “a more robust [warning] system that has better sensors.”
Updated 5:50 p.m. July 31
Williamson County Judge Steven Snell said he felt his Central Texas community was “very fortunate” when it came to the July 4 weekend floods.
“Although we had severe flooding, we did not have the challenges that Kerr County did,” Snell said. “Our geography helped save lives.”
Snell told lawmakers July 31 that three people died in the Williamson County flooding. Two Williamson County residents were swept away when they drove through low-water crossings, he said, and 64-year-old Sherry Richardson died when her Liberty Hill home flooded.
At least 137 people died as a result of the floods across Central and West Texas, state officials said July 23.
Snell said that while some larger Williamson County cities, such as Georgetown and Round Rock, have the resources to handle disasters, “half of the county is still rural” and needs more assistance from the state.
To help communities respond better to future floods, Snell suggested that lawmakers consider adopting “some new technology that would incorporate different types of sirens, or maybe a voice command” indicating what kind of disaster was occurring and how residents should respond.
Updated 5 p.m. July 31
Bud Bolton, a contractor from Kerrville, told lawmakers July 31 that state and local officials needed to improve river conservation efforts to minimize the impacts of future floods in the Guadalupe River basin. He said there are too many trees, islands and other debris on the bottom of the Guadalupe River, which he said can hinder flows and increase flooding.
“No matter how big your flood is, how much water you’ve got coming down that river—conservation work helps drastically,” Bolton told Community Impact in an interview before the July 31 hearing. “It’s a huge game changer in the flow of water.”
Bolton said communities along the Guadalupe River are prone to flooding. He said his property near the river in Kerrville also flooded in July 2024, although the impact was less severe.
“Monitoring a river [and] having a warning system and sirens is just part of it,” Bolton said. “[River conservation work] has to be done, especially when you’ve got a river that runs through town after town, right through the center of them. Money has to be spent.”
Bolton told Community Impact that he and his family found several deceased flood victims in the days after the July 4 floods. He knew at least 27 people who were killed in the floods, he said.
“We're the ones that were down there, your local boys with our own equipment, digging money out of our own pockets to fund this thing, doing the state's job out of our own pocket.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, told reporters July 31 that the state will cover debris removal expenses for communities impacted by the July 4 weekend floods. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse up to 75% of those costs, Patrick said, and Texas will cover the rest.
“These small communities can’t afford [25%],” Patrick said at a media briefing during the legislative hearing in Kerrville. “We’ve done it before. This total debris collection will be a big number, but we’ll step up and do it.”
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said lawmakers were also considering legislation that would tackle issues with flood warning systems and communication between first responders. He reiterated that after lawmakers pass “the immediate [policy] solutions” during the ongoing special legislative session, “the job does not stop.”
“At the end of this special session, we will continue to look at this; we will continue to study this,” Burrows said during the media briefing. “We’ll continue to better understand it and make sure that in future sessions, we continue to focus on this so that we’re better prepared the next time this happens.”
Asked if a push to redraw Texas’ congressional maps hindered lawmakers’ ability to focus on flood relief and recovery, Burrows said the Legislature was “absolutely committed to what we’re doing here today.”
“This is the people’s priority, and we’re going to focus on this,” Patrick added.
Patrick said the 18-member joint committee cannot pass legislation. House and Senate lawmakers will hold separate hearings on specific legislation in the coming weeks, he said, noting that “we’ve already decided on which chamber is going to carry each bill on the [special session] call, so this is going to now move pretty rapidly.”
Gov. Greg Abbott asked lawmakers to draft legislation to update flood warning systems, improve emergency communications, help communities prepare for future disasters and provide relief for communities impacted by the July 4 floods during the 30-day special legislative session, which ends Aug. 19. Congressional redistricting, THC regulations and property tax restrictions are also on Abbott’s 18-item special session agenda.
Updated 3:15 p.m. July 31
Alicia Jeffrey Baker, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Tuscany Heights Elementary School in San Antonio’s North East ISD, told the committee that her parents and 11-year-old daughter died in the July 4 floods. Jeffrey Baker said her parents and daughter, Madelyn, were swept away in the early hours of July 4 along with their cabin, which was located along the Guadalupe River in Hunt.
“The river that we love so much killed them,” she told committee members through tears July 31. “When we know better, we do better. So we need to do better for the people in this community that are suffering.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was serving as acting governor when historic flooding hit the Texas Hill Country on July 4, reprimanded Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly for not being in the area when disaster struck. Patrick said he did not speak with Kelly, one of the county’s top emergency managers, on July 4.
“None of us want to be pointing fingers, [but] the mayor was here, the sheriff was here, everyone was here... that day, working their ass off. You were nowhere to be found.”
Patrick told Kelly that it was “your responsibility” to be on the scene July 4. Some audience members applauded after Patrick finished speaking, although Kelly did not immediately respond to his remarks.
Officials from Kerrville, Kerr County, Kendall County and Real County testified for over three hours July 31. The committee called up several public witnesses around 1:15 p.m., with co-chair Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, noting that the hearing would rotate between invited panels and public witnesses.
Updated 12:30 p.m. July 31
Some lawmakers questioned Kerr County leaders about the actions they took as floodwaters rose during the early hours of July 4.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, asked why "no alert was issued by Kerr County on evacuations." Only a mayor or county judge can order evacuations during a disaster, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd told lawmakers July 23.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the committee that by the time emergency management officials realized the severity of the storms, "it was too late—this [storm] was so massive and arrived so quickly."
Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William Thomas told lawmakers he was "off duty" due to an illness on July 3, ahead of the deadly flooding. He noted that he woke up in the early hours of July 4 and joined other officials responding to the disaster. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he woke up after 4 a.m. July 4, while Kelly told the committee that he was at his lakehouse on Lake Travis and woke up around 5:30 or 6 a.m. July 4.
"The three guys in Kerr County that were responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable," Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston said, asking leaders what should happen in that case.
Leitha said he thought state and local officials should look "real hard" at a chain of command for natural disasters.
“We have a lot of folks who have titles, but when the time came to act, they did not do so in a timely fashion,” Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, said.
Updated 10:30 a.m. July 31
The first panel to speak to the 18-member legislative committee included Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. and other local officials.
Kelly said the severity of the July 4 flooding "was not foreseeable using today's detection systems."
"It is exactly the kind of scenario that reveals the urgent need for stronger tools, better detection and modernized infrastructure," Kelly told the committee. "We need stronger support for rural emergency management, including staffing swift water rescue equipment and more training for our first responders."
Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William Thomas said he believes the emergency alerts sent by the National Weather Service are the best way reach residents and visitors "in a county with high tourist turnover" and limited emergency management staff.
"There was not a clear indicator that a catastrophic flood was imminent. ... The situation evolved faster than anyone could have anticipated," Thomas said.
Thomas asked lawmakers to invest in training for first responders and fund "real-time river gauges" for the Guadalupe River, which he said the county cannot afford on its own. He said that "concerns have been raised about the effectiveness" of flood warning sirens, noting that visitors "may not understand what the sirens mean or how to respond."
Herring told lawmakers that he was joining Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in calling for state funding for "a flood warning system to be designed and installed in Kerr County before next summer."
"We need solutions in place that protect the public and save lives," Herring said. "Frankly, we will need your help."
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice also asked state lawmakers to expand Texas' broadband infrastructure fund in order to improve cell service and emergency communications in the area. Emergency communications experts told the committee July 23 that there was limited radio coverage in Kerr County.
"Kerrville will rebuild, but we need the tools and the funding to do it right," Rice told the committee.
Updated 9:30 a.m. July 31
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows joined lawmakers for the July 31 marathon hearing in Kerrville. Patrick, who served as acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott was out of state July 4, said "that day will haunt me for the rest of my life."
"Like you, we all feel this pain," Patrick said. "With this hearing, we're hoping to learn how... we move forward so that when an event like this happens again, at any level, that we're better prepared for it, and that we've known that we did all we can. Because when you think you've done all you can, there's always something else."
Patrick and Burrows noted that lawmakers while lawmakers are in the middle of a 30-day special session, which ends Aug. 19, they will work to find solutions for years to come.
"Our commitment is to continue beyond this session in these areas [and] into the next session, the session after that, and continue to improve and do better," Burrows told attendees of the July 31 hearing.
Originally posted 8:30 a.m. July 31
Emergency management officials from Kerr, Travis and Williamson counties are set to testify before Texas House and Senate lawmakers during a July 31 committee hearing at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville.
It will be the 18-member Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Committee’s second meeting to review how state and local leaders prepared for and responded to flooding that killed at least 137 people across Central and West Texas July 4-5.
Twenty-five officials and experts were invited to speak to the bipartisan panel July 31, including:
- Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly
- Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William Thomas
- Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr.
- Travis County Judge Andy Brown
- Williamson County Judge Steven Snell
- San Antonio Fire Chief Valerie Frausto
- Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon
- Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Meteorologist John Honoré
- Surface water hydrologists and civil engineers
The committee was also scheduled to hear from Texans impacted by the floods.
The background
During a July 23 hearing in Austin, lawmakers grilled state agencies and regional river authorities for nearly 12 hours about the events leading up to the deadly floods.
TDEM Chief Nim Kidd said better communication and oversight are needed to improve future disaster response, noting that the state does not have policies to ensure local emergency management teams receive urgent weather warnings or are prepared to evacuate residents.
“There seems to be a disconnect in making sure the person making that call is awake, alert and doing it,” Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, said July 23.
Kidd also testified July 23 that there are “no minimum qualifications” to become a local emergency management coordinator in Texas. Emergency management entities do not have an incentive to work together or coordinate with the state, he said.
Lawmakers criticized Kerr County leaders’ flood response during the July 23 hearing. City and county officials from the flooded regions were not invited to the July 23 hearing because lawmakers did not want to “pull those local officials away from their disaster-related duties to testify,” committee co-chair Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, said.
Committee members also reprimanded the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which is in charge of a roughly 38-mile stretch of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, for neither raising local property taxes nor accepting a zero-interest loan from the state to fund a $1 million flood warning system in 2024.
UGRA general manager Tara Bushnoe told lawmakers July 23 that the river authority’s board members decided a grant offered by the state was not enough to move forward with the project, which lawmakers said they found “extremely disturbing.” The state offered a $50,000 grant and a $950,000 loan with 0% interest for the flood warning project, according to testimony July 23.
The committee is scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. in Kerrville, and a livestream of the hearing is available here.
House and Senate lawmakers are expected to hold separate hearings to consider specific flood-related legislation in the coming days, as the 18-member joint committee cannot vote on bills. Texas’ special legislative session began July 21 and will last for up to 30 days.
