The Hazard Mitigation Action Plan said flooding was “likely” and multiple county locations were “vulnerable.”
KERR COUNTY, Texas — Kerr County had specific, documented, flood vulnerabilities well head of July 4th.
The Kerr County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan, which KENS 5 found online, accurately predicted what areas would flood well ahead of time. It also said a flood event was “likely” this year.
On Thursday, July 31st, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly sat in front a joint committee of Texas lawmakers in Kerrville and said, among other things, that county infrastructure needed to be improved.
“This was not foreseeable using today’s detection systems. It was not forecasted by the National Weather Service or TDEM. It was not expected by our emergency response team. It is exactly the kind of scenario that reveals the urgent need for stronger tools, better detection, and modernized infrastructure especially in rural communities like ours,” Kelly said.
Meteorologists would disagree with the notion that the event was not forecasted at all. TDEM did hold a call about the possibility of severe weather.
But while no one expected the flooding to be as severe as it was, Kerr County documents show leaders absolutely knew the county was vulnerable to flooding.
A “Kerr County Hazard Mitigation Action Plan” was created jointly by county leaders and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) last year. UGRA General Manager Tara Bushnoe referenced the plan during testimony at the state legislature on July 23rd.
The plan goes over multiple disaster scenarios for the county including flooding. On page 39 the plan states, “The local planning team determined it is likely that Kerr County and the participating jurisdictions will experience a flood event in the next year, meaning an event is probable in the next three years.”
On page 41 and 42 the plan shows possible floodplains for Ingram and Kerrville in Kerr County. Streets near the river such as Rowland Lane, where first responders were working to rescue people, are clearly in the floodplain.
The report also expresses concerns about mobile homes and poorly constructed homes:
“Residents of mobile / manufactured housing are of particular concern. These structures are never considered safe during a flood, and depending on tie-down methods, may threaten surrounding structures.”
Residents of sub-standard structures are also of particular concern. Structures in sub-standard condition ahead of a flood, whether due to structural damage, missing windows or doors, holes in exterior walls or the roof, may be less safe during a flood than structures in standard condition. Existing structural weaknesses may mean increased damage, injuries, or loss of life.”
Center Point Volunteer Fire Department Chief Charles Holt told lawmakers he knows of 10 businesses and 20 RVs that were destroyed in the flooding. He said that 16 people were rescued from the water.
The report also identified 162 “critical facilities” in Kerr County as being part of some kind of flood zone. It includes three pages of facilities that are “vulnerable to flooding.”
This included multiple volunteer fire departments and the Ingram Police Department.
Coincidentally, Chief Holt told lawmakers the “Center Point fire station had seven feet of water that went through it.”
The Hazard Action Plan also included two separate recommendations for installing a warning system with sirens. One recommendation for the City of Ingram read “Install and Expand Warning Systems and/or Sirens”. Another recommendation for the Upper Guadalupe River Authority also stated, “Install and Expand Warning Systems and/or Sirens.”
The report indicated that the Upper Guadalupe River Authority recommendation for sirens had originally been recommended in 2018.
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