After the July 4 flash flood that turned the Upper Guadalupe River into a disaster area, Texas lawmakers came to Kerrville on Thursday to get answers about what went wrong.
The death toll from the Texas flood has reached at least 138, with 27 of those deaths occurring at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls.
Lawmakers on the Select Disaster Preparedness & Flooding Committee heard stories from the survivors of the flood and their demands for help in the region’s recovery, including that of Nancy Zdunkewicz of Hunt. She told the panel that she and her family fled their property on the Guadalupe River in the early morning of July 4 as the flood waters were rising, but it was too late. Their car was caught in the flood waters and they— including her 66-year-old mother— were forced to climb a tree to survive.
“Had there been early detection of the rising water and sirens, we may have been able to leave in time to get to higher ground safely,” Zdunkewicz said.
“I’ve heard someone else say, they didn’t think that was necessary or would save lives in Hunt, and they are dead wrong,” she said.
Zdunkewicz said she was concerned that Hunt would be overlooked in the recovery as most of the response funding could be dedicated to Kerrville.
At the hearing, there was pointed questioning of the leaders of Kerr County focused on their slow response, and lack of preparedness for the flood.
Texas Lt Governor Dan Patrick was direct in his criticism of Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly for his absence on the first day of the disaster. Kelly is the county’s top elected official and presides over emergency management. He testified he was at his house in Lake Travis as the disaster unfolded in the early hours of July 4.
“Judge Kelly, I never saw you on day one. I came here from Austin. In this room, I talked to the sheriff multiple times,” said Patrick. “I talked to the mayor multiple times. We had a meeting when we got here. Everyone was here, and you were not.”
“I don’t know where you were on July 4, but you should have been here. You should have been here directing that response. That’s your responsibility,” Patrick said.
Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William B. Thomas explained for the first time that he was unable to respond during the early hours of the disaster because he was ill and in bed. Thomas pushed back on the slow activation of the warning system saying National Weather Service alerts were being sent out.
At the hearing, the public learned that the three leading public officials didn’t prepare for the possibility of the flash flood and didn’t trigger a Code Red alert when it was first requested. It was eventually activated nearly 50 minutes after being requested by a Kerr County Sheriff’s deputy, losing valuable time that could have saved lives.
Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report said Texas lawmakers like Patrick are quick to place blame on local officials, but Braddock says state leaders have been reducing local control and their ability to raise revenue to cope with disasters with state mandated caps on property taxes.
Braddock said Patrick and others in state leadership are scapegoating the Kerr County officials who didn’t have the resources to build the infrastructure necessary to adapt to the potential dangers of life in the so-called “Flash Flood Alley.”
Meanwhile, Braddock points out that having a state legislative hearing after a natural disaster is rare if not unique. After hurricanes and wildfires in other parts of Texas, the attitude of state leaders has been to wait and not let emotional responses drive legislation, Braddock said.
He said politics, specifically the mid-decade congressional redistricting, is the impetus for the Kerr County hearing. Both issues are on Governor Greg Abbott’s Call, the list of items to be considered in the special legislative session. Braddock said adding the flood issue to the call makes it also impossible politically for Democrats to bust quorum to prevent the passage of the new congressional map which heavily favors Republicans.
One of the Texas democratic lawmakers who could be busting quorum to block the redistricting effort is State Representative Gina Hinojosa. She said the mid-decade redistricting is anti-American and anti-democracy. She said people need to take to the streets and protest this blatant partisan effort to undermine the will of the American voters with an extremely gerrymandered map that can give the Republican party five additional seats in Congress. And she said she was ready to do whatever is necessary to keep the map from being adopted.
Great Job David Martin Davies & the Team @ Texas Public Radio Source link for sharing this story.
