Kerr County Officials Asleep, Away During Deadly Texas Floods Killing 188

During the catastrophic July floods in Kerr County, Texas, which killed over 130 people, including many children, the county's top officials were largely absent or unaware as the disaster unfolded. Emergency Management Coordinator William “Dub” Thomas was asleep and off duty due to illness, missing critical coordination meetings, and was only awakened around 5:30 a.m. on July 4 after flooding had already begun. Sheriff Larry Leitha also admitted to being asleep with no prior warning of the impending disaster, while County Judge Rob Kelly was out of town at a lake house and only realized the severity of the situation after receiving urgent messages. Lawmakers and officials criticized them for a lack of timely leadership and failure to issue evacuation orders, which only the county judge can authorize under Texas law. Despite multiple flood watches and warnings from the National Weather Service, the officials claimed no alerts stood out as unusual, with the flood later classified as a rare 1,000-year event. The absence of an updated warning system and delayed emergency response remain central issues as Kerr County faces scrutiny over its disaster preparedness and response.