KERRVILLE, Texas — Before the flash flooding successful Texas' Hill Country materialized successful nan early hours of July 4, Kerr County’s astir elder elected charismatic said he had nary inkling of nan pending disaster that would expanse distant structures and group off harrowing rescues crossed nan region.
“We didn’t cognize this flood was coming,” County Judge Rob Kelly said astatine a news convention later that morning, successful consequence to why summertime camps on nan rain-swollen Guadalupe River weren’t evacuated earlier, earlier galore were missing aliases feared dead.
“We do not person a informing system,” he added, referring to nan sirens on nan stream in different counties, utilized to notify of imminent flooding.
The pursuing day, astatine a news convention pinch Gov. Greg Abbott and different authorities officials, Kelly said of nan preparedness effort: “It’s conscionable Hill Country, and we didn’t know.”
In Texas, nan county judge serves galore functions successful summation to judicial duties, including serving arsenic nan caput of emergency guidance and handling galore administrative functions successful nan county.
But pinch a decease toll surpassing 100 people — 60 adults and 36 children successful Kerr County unsocial — and astatine slightest 176 still unaccounted for arsenic of Friday, region officials are facing questions astir what actions were taken up of nan flooding and who was successful bid and communicating pinch nan National Weather Service, peculiarly erstwhile nan agency issued its first flash flood informing astatine 1:14 a.m.
Efforts to scope Kelly this week, including by telephone and astatine nan emergency operations center, his agency and his home, were unsuccessful. He hasn’t spoken publically since his appearances astatine news conferences successful nan contiguous aftermath of nan flood.

In addition, William “Dub” Thomas, Kerr County’s emergency guidance coordinator, has not spoken publically and did not return repeated requests for comment. He besides could not beryllium reached astatine nan emergency operations halfway aliases his home.
Thomas, who has been nan county’s apical emergency coordinator since 2015, is responsible for its emergency guidance plan, nan emergency notification strategy known arsenic CodeRed, its hunt and rescue squad and different disaster-related duties, according to nan Rotary Club of Kerrville website. Previously, while moving for nan Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomas helped direct nan state’s consequence to respective catastrophic events, including nan Space Shuttle Columbia disaster successful 2003 and Hurricane Katrina successful 2005.
Kelly, a Republican who first took agency successful 2018 and was re-elected successful 2022, has worked arsenic a commercialized litigation lawyer and, successful his domiciled arsenic region judge, he oversees Kerr County’s four-person committee and its budget. Kelly was a certified personnel of nan Kerr County Community Emergency Response Team, according to a bio connected nan Rotary Club of Kerville website.
“I genuinely judge God has been preparing maine for this position each my life,” Kelly said successful The Kerrville Daily Times successful 2017 astir moving for nan region judge earlier nan election. “I didn’t spell looking for this job, it came looking for me.”
Tom Pollard, nan erstwhile region judge Kelly replaced, said that successful immoderate awesome event, specified arsenic a disaster that requires an evacuation, nan emergency guidance coordinator is successful complaint but takes guidance from nan region judge.
“The subordinate stops pinch nan region judge’s office, but nan guidance head handles it and conscionable gets going,” Pollard said. “And he’ll talk to a region judge each now and then, and if there’s a determination that needs to beryllium made, he’ll consult pinch nan judge who makes a decision.”
Pollard said neither he nor his woman received emergency notifications connected their telephone successful nan early greeting of nan flooding.
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring said Tuesday connected MSNBC that he saw nary emergency alerts and was awakened only by a telephone from City Manager Dalton Rice astatine 5:30 a.m. By daybreak, nan Guadalupe River had risen 26 feet successful 45 minutes, according to sensor data.
Just aft 4 a.m., nan National Weather Service had upgraded its flash flood informing to an emergency for Kerr County, advising that it was a “PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!”
Facebook posts from Kerrville constabulary were posted aft 5 a.m. regarding “life threatening” flooding, but it’s unclear whether officials were communicating pinch residents successful different ways earlier then.
Whether emergency alerts astir that clip would person been received connected each phones is unclear. Spotty compartment work aliases nary astatine each is not uncommon successful parts of nan county, northwest of San Antonio. Others whitethorn not person had their phones pinch them, for illustration nan young girls who were staying at Camp Mystic successful nan unincorporated organization of Hunt, wherever officials opportunity astatine slightest 27 campers and unit members died.
Federal Emergency Management Agency records obtained by NBC Dallas-Fort Worth show that Kerr County officials didn’t usage its Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, aliases IPAWS, to nonstop warnings pinch information instructions to each cellphones successful nan affected area nan time of nan flooding.
As nan h2o began rising successful Kerr County, nan National Weather Service delivered an IPAWS flood informing to phones arsenic early arsenic 1:14 a.m., NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
However, it’s up to region aliases metropolis officials successful wide to nonstop much urgent instructions, including whether to evacuate.
Some families said they received a CodeRed alert from Kerr County, which is akin to an IPAWS connection and tin beryllium sent via nan sheriff’s office. But nan programme allows group to opt out, meaning not everyone receives it.
Dispatch audio obtained by NBC connection KXAN successful Austin includes an Ingram unpaid firefighter asking a region sheriff dispatcher astatine 4:22 a.m. if they tin “send a CodeRed retired to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher crushed aliases enactment home?”
The dispatcher responds: “We person to get that approved pinch our supervisor.”
It’s unclear astatine what times CodeRed alerts were expected to beryllium sent. KXAN reported that 1 personification adjacent nan flooded area said they received a voicemail astatine 1:14 a.m. from a number traced backmost to CodeRed, while different area resident received a CodeRed alert astatine 5:34 a.m. astir nan National Weather Service’s “flash flood warning,” suggesting inconsistencies among recipients countywide.
The National Weather Service’s San Antonio agency did not instantly return a petition for remark Friday astir immoderate communications it whitethorn person had pinch Kerr County.
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said astatine a news convention Wednesday that his privilege remains hunt and rescue efforts, but noted location would beryllium an “after-action” reappraisal of what happened connected July 4.
“We’ll get them,” Leitha said. “I can’t show you erstwhile — successful a week aliases two, OK? We’re going to get them.”
Raymond Howard, a assembly personnel successful Ingram, different metropolis successful Kerr County, said he has a big of questions for region officials to analyse erstwhile nan rescue efforts are exhausted, from preventative measures they scheme to return going guardant to nan timing of emergency alerts.
“I did not get a CodeRed,” Howard said, “and I’m signed up for CodeRed.”
What’s needed for nan future, he said, is amended readying and communication.
“It’s excessively precocious for nan victims and everything that’s happened already, but for early floods, we tin do something,” Howard said. “It will hap again.”
Minyvonne Burke reported from Kerrville and Erik Ortiz from New York.

Erik Ortiz
Erik Ortiz is simply a elder newsman for NBC News Digital focusing connected group injustice and societal inequality.
Minyvonne Burke
Minyvonne Burke is simply a elder breaking news newsman for NBC News.
Suzanne Gamboa
contributed
.