Kerr County emergency official says he was sick and asleep when deadly flash floods hit Texas

Kerr County’s emergency manager testified at a hearing Thursday that he was sick and asleep when the deadly flash floods hit Central Texas on July 4, killing at least 135 people. 

William B.”Dub” Thomas, who has been serving as Kerr County emergency management coordinator since 2015, said at the start of a hearing held by state lawmakers in Kerrville that he was in bed on July 3, the day before the floods. 

“In my absence, my supervisors and sheriff’s office leadership were aware that I was off duty,” Thomas said. He also testified he missed emergency briefings due to illness. 

Officials have faced questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.

Most deaths during the floods were along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, including at least 27 campers and staff from Camp Mystic. Many of the campers who died were the camp’s youngest attendees. 

The Hill Country region is naturally prone to flash flooding because its dry, dirt-packed soil cannot soak up heavy rain. 

Following testimony from officials, the committee heard from several residents, advocates and counselors about how events unfolded during the flooding, as well as challenges residents are still facing and how counties can better prepare for future disasters. Educators and mental health counselors also spoke about the resources available for Kerr County residents. 

One resident who spoke at the hearing said she lives 5 miles from Camp Mystic. By 4:05 a.m., as the waters rose around their home, she said and her husband evacuated in their pick-up truck, and the “flood was chasing us, it was rising so fast.” She said there was no way to be rescued at a certain point except by helicopter, and many residents huddled at the Hunt Methodist Church for hours, not knowing whether they would live or die. She said their house stayed intact but was flooded by 12 feet of water. 

Another resident testified that when her family tried to escape the rising water at the vacation house the family has owned for a century, access to the highway and roads was blocked off and fenced. Although their home was situated on a bluff at least 40 feet above the normal water level, flooding still rose around their home, leaving them trapped and helpless. Their family climbed onto cars and trees as the waters swirled, staying there for hours. 

She emphasized the need to focus on recovery for residents in the communities of Hunt and Ingram, where they said many friends and neighbors lost their homes or lives in the deadly storm. 

Others testified that residents had found victims’ remains in the river. State Senator José Menéndez said at the hearing that cadaver dogs need to be brought in to help.

Alicia Jeffrey Baker testified that her 11-year-old daughter Emmy and her parents were killed by the deadly floodwaters that swept them away from their vacation cabin at Casa Bonita. Her parents bought the cabin in 2008, and they have summered in the area since the 1990s, Baker said. “The river that we loved so much killed them.”

Baker said her parents were found the following day after she waited more than 12 hours for information on what happened to her loved ones. She said her daughter was not identified until July 10, and her body was so badly decomposed that the only way they were able to confirm it was her daughter was through her charm bracelet. 

“We need to do better for the people in this community,” Baker said.