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Latest Breaking News

mahatmakanejeeves

(66,373 posts) Thu Jul 31, 2025, 06:23 PM Jul 31

Kerr County, Texas, lead emergency management official says he was asleep during deadly flooding

Source: ABC News

Kerr County, Texas, lead emergency management official says he was asleep during deadly flooding

A county judge said it was "too late" to issue a Code Red evacuation alert.

ByBill Hutchinson
July 31, 2025, 4:48 PM ET
* 10 min read

For the first time since catastrophic flooding killed more than 100 people in Kerr County, Texas, the county emergency management director conceded that he was sick and asleep as the water rose to historic levels on the Guadalupe River.

William "Dub" Thomas, the Kerr County emergency management director since 2015, detailed his whereabouts during the crisis to the Texas House and Senate Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding on Thursday in Kerrville, Texas.

Thomas said that after working a full day on July 2, he went home sick. He said at the time, no concerns had been raised about an elevated weather condition, "beyond what is typical for the region during the summer."

Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported.
Eric Vryn/Getty Images

Thomas said he stayed home sick on July 3 and did not participate in two meetings dealing with the Texas emergency management coordination center.

Thomas said his supervisors, including the Kerr County sheriff, were aware he was out sick.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/kerr-county-texas-lead-emergency-management-official-asleep/story?id=124237644

3 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Kerr County, Texas, lead emergency management official says he was asleep during deadly flooding (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Jul 31 OP

Ive seen this in Texas time and time again gay texan Jul 31 #1

Don't you hate it when you get 'sick' the day before the start ToxMarz Jul 31 #2

I think there was more than one! LeftInTX Jul 31 #3

gay texan

(3,058 posts)

1. Ive seen this in Texas time and time again

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Thu Jul 31, 2025, 06:41 PM

Jul 31

They love the title and prestige, but don't have a fucking clue what the job entails.

They get elected because they love fetuses, hate gays, and liberals.

ToxMarz

(2,535 posts)

2. Don't you hate it when you get 'sick' the day before the start

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Thu Jul 31, 2025, 06:50 PM

Jul 31

of a long holiday weekend and have an even longer holiday weekend. I'm sure no drinking and celebrating was involved, just home in bed getting better.

LeftInTX

(33,156 posts)

3. I think there was more than one!

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Thu Jul 31, 2025, 08:21 PM

Jul 31

https://kerrcountylead.com/patrick-takes-a-shot-at-judge-kellys-absence-on-the-first-day-of-flood-disaster/
Kelly, who serves as the county’s emergency management director, said he was at Lake Travis when notified around 5:30-6:00 a.m. He said he returned to town and participated in the emergency operations center after signing a disaster declaration.

Kerrville City officials were all asleep
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-kerrville-hill-country-floods-response-emails/

Meanwhile in the next county:
Kendall vs. Kerr: Stark contrast in response to deadly flooding revealed
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/kendall-vs-kerr-contrasting-emergency-responses-during-deadly-july-4-floods-revealed#
No deaths, in Kendall County, but bodies were swept down from Kerr County.

_______________

There is no excuse for people in RV's and tents next to the river when bad weather is approaching!!!
The sheriff knew about the flooding at 1:30 am at the River Inn Resort, yet didn't tell anyone downstream at the RV camps and places like Jellystone Park that the river was flooding. I believe the sheriff also saw the flash flood warnings. Yet no one at RV camps were notified??? Come on!!!

Sheriff Leitha broke down the response timeline in Kerr County, illustrating that dispatchers saw a drastic increase in calls around 3:30 a.m.. Leitha’s timeline focused on their actions and workload between two periods of time: 1:14 a.m. -3:30 a.m., and 3:30 a.m.- 4:22 a.m.

Leitha said their two dispatchers had received seven calls during the first period of time and that between 3:30 a.m. and 4:22 a.m., that figure shot up to 50 calls for service and rescue.

Leitha said between 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. reports of flooded roadways and rising waters at a River Inn were not considered abnormal.

It may not be "abnormal", but it is certainly dangerous for people downstream who are camping at RV parks. Every RV was swept away. Jellystone Park did OK. A Kerrville city park was evacuated before the flooding hit Kerrville. Those staying at those parks could have easily been evacuated and about 46 lives would have been spared. I don't know if they had the foresight to evacuate homes and cabins, mainly because flash floods are common and structures don't usually flood. But if roads are flooding, then campgrounds will flood. Come on!!!

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