KERRVILLE, Texas – As the death toll continues to rise from devastating flooding that struck the Texas Hill Country, questions have been asked about whether there was enough warning ahead of the deadly flooding.
Both the National Weather Service and public officials have faced scrutiny over whether or not there was enough warning ahead of time.
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Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “nobody saw this coming.” Officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.
Warnings and preparation before the flood
KPRC 2’s sister station, KSAT in San Antonio, has compiled a list of the warnings and preparations that was done before the deadly flood.
- Wednesday, June 2: The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) announced the agency was activating state emergency response resources ahead of the possibility of flooding and severe weather across the the state.
- Morning of Thursday, July 3: The National Weather Service issued a Flood Hazard Outlook, identifying the potential for flash flooding for Kerrville and surrounding areas, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
- Approximately 1:45 p.m., Thursday, July 3: A Flood Watch was issued for Kerr County.
- 6:22 p.m. Thursday, July 3: National Water Center warns of considerable flooding risks north and west of San Antonio, including Kerrville, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
- Approximately 8:12 p.m. Thursday, July 3:The Flood Watch was extended.
- 1:14 a.m. Friday, July 4: Flash Flood Warning with “Considerable” tag issued for Bandera and Kerr Counties, triggering Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) and NOAA Weather Radio notifications, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
- Approximately 2:37 a.m. Friday, July 4: The Flash Flood Watch was extended.
- 3:06 a.m. Friday, July 4: NWS posted on X that a “very dangerous flash flooding event is ongoing across south-central Kerr County into northwest Bandera County”.
- Approximately 3:32 a.m. Friday, July 4: A River Flood Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River at Hunt.
- Approximately 3:28 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Downstream River Flood Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River in Kerrville.
- Approximately 3:36 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Warning was issued for south-central Kerr and northwest Bandera Counties.
- Approximately 3:56 a.m. Friday, July 4: A new River Forecast Warning was issued for the Guadalupe River at Hunt.
- Approximately 4:04 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Emergency was issued.
- 4:23 a.m. Friday, July 4: NWS posted on X that “a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION and a Flash Flood EMERGENCY is in effect”.
- Approximately 5:36 a.m. Friday, July 4: A Flash Flood Emergency for the Guadalupe River from Hunt through Kerrville and down to Center Point was issued.
Local officials have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.
“There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,” said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. “There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.”
On Friday, Kelly said, “Rest assured: no one knew this kind of flood was coming.”
“We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what’s happened here, none whatsoever.”
President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration Sunday for Kerr County, activating the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Texas.
The president said he would likely visit on Friday.
KSAT 12 and the Associated Press contributed to this story