Kerr County Emergency Coordinator Defends His Flood Response After Weeks Of Silence

Kerr County’s apical emergency coordinator said Thursday he had been emotion sick for days starring up to nan deadly floods but that he instantly mobilized erstwhile he was awakened early connected July 4.

In his first nationalist remarks since nan disaster that killed much than 130 group successful Texas and led to urgent questions astir his whereabouts and response, William “Dub” Thomas defended his handling of nan emergency. In grounds earlier authorities lawmakers, Williams said he instantly reported to nan sheriff’s agency but decided not to rumor an alert to cellphones because nan National Weather Service had already done so.

“To those who ask, what would you person done differently? The honorable reply is that, based connected nan information we had astatine nan time, location was nary clear parameter that a catastrophic flood was imminent,” Thomas said. “The business evolved faster than anyone could person predicted.”

His grounds successful a associated proceeding held by nan Texas Senate and House’s prime committees connected disaster preparedness and flooding comes aft weeks of mounting vexation from members of nan organization and different leaders complete a deficiency of answers from nan emergency guidance coordinator.

Public grounds is expected during nan hearing, which is expected to proceed done Thursday.

State Sen. Charles Perry urged participants not to “throw rocks” aliases delegate blame, emphasizing that nan constituent of nan proceeding was to stitchery accusation to prevention lives successful nan adjacent flood.

Thomas was notably absent past week erstwhile officials successful nan hard-hit mini metropolis of Ingram met to talk nan tragedy, pinch hopes of learning nan answers to cardinal unanswered questions, including wherever Thomas was erstwhile nan National Weather Service sent retired its first flash flood informing astatine 1:14 a.m. and who was coordinating nan consequence during captious hours.

Thomas had canceled his quality past week, citing a scheduling conflict.

On Thursday, he addressed those concerns pinch a astir nine-minute written connection that he publication aloud.

Thomas said he started emotion sick astir July 2. That day, he said he attended a occurrence chiefs’ gathering successful which “no concerns were raised and nary indications of elevated upwind consequence were noted beyond what is emblematic for this region during nan summer.”

His symptoms, which he did not elaborate on, worsened erstwhile he sewage location astir 8:45 p.m., he said. Thomas said he spent July 3, a scheduled time off, resting successful bed.

“In my absence, my supervisors and sheriff’s agency activity were alert that I was disconnected duty,” he said.

On July 4, Thomas said his woman woke him up astir 5:30 a.m. aft receiving a telephone from Kerrville Emergency Management Coordinator Jerremy Hughes, requesting him to mobilize.

“I reported instantly to nan sheriff’s office,” he said. “There was nary visible flooding connected my thrust into nan office, but it quickly became clear that nan business was escalating.”

Within 30 minutes, Thomas said he was “actively coordinating our county’s response” and moving pinch nan sheriff’s emergency operations halfway and Hughes to coordinate first responders, “under quickly changing and difficult conditions.”

The large wind dumped much than 12 inches of rainfall successful little than six hours, sidesplitting much than 130 people, including dozens of children, crossed nan Texas Hill Country complete nan Fourth of July weekend, officials said.

The h2o roseate much than 20 feet per hour, engulfing aggregate younker camps, said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, nan county’s astir elder elected official.

Kelly, who serves arsenic nan caput of emergency guidance and has besides faced questions astir his whereabouts and response, said he was astatine his reservoir location successful nan early hours of July 4, preparing for a family gathering.

“We received nary alerts suggesting an utmost upwind arena was imminent,” he testified Thursday.

Kelly said he woke up to texts and calls from rule enforcement leaders. By that time, he said, Camp Mystic, a Christian summertime campy for young girls, had already flooded. At slightest 27 campers and unit members died.

The flooding was “something I could ne'er person imagined,” Kelly said.

Kelly said he gathered his things and contacted Thomas.

Thomas besides addressed his reasoning for not sending an alert done nan Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, aliases IPAWS, which is akin to an Amber Alert and 1 of 2 ways region officials tin alert their organization to an emergency.

The National Weather Service utilized IPAWS to nonstop a flash flood informing alert to cellphones astatine 1:14 a.m. and past again astatine 4:03 a.m., describing a flash flood emergency. Kerr County did not usage nan strategy to rumor its ain alert, specified arsenic 1 that could person ordered evacuations.

Thomas, who has nan authority to rumor IPAWS alerts manually, said he did not rumor 1 “because nan National Weather Service had already triggered much than a twelve alerts, which each provided a akin forecast.”

The first alert nan region issued done IPAWS was connected July 6, informing of nan “high probability” of renewed stream flooding, according to IPAWS data.

Thomas said he has “spent a batch of clip reflecting” connected what nan region and authorities tin improve. He said a siren alert strategy is needed, though location are concerns astir its effectiveness successful areas pinch precocious canyon walls and agrarian terrain, wherever sirens would beryllium astir needed, arsenic good arsenic limitations successful reaching visitors who whitethorn not understand what nan sirens mean aliases really to respond.

Instead, he said, officials “need amended data,” including real-time monitoring of rainfall and stream gauges, but that nan region unsocial cannot spend nan upgrade.

“We cannot trust solely connected radar aliases accepted forecasting from nan National Weather Service,” he said. “We request systems that observe what’s happening connected nan crushed infinitesimal by minute.”