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On July 4, 2025, as families gathered to celebrate the holiday, flash floods swept through Kerr County and surrounding areas, catching communities off guard in the middle of the night. More than 130 people died in what has become one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern Texas history. In the weeks since, a joint hearing of the Texas House and Senate Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding was held to investigate what went wrong.
Testimony revealed a pattern of missed opportunities, communication breakdowns, and decades of delayed action. Now, with the Legislature in special session, Governor Greg Abbott (R) has placed several related issues on the agenda, including flood preparedness, emergency communications, disaster relief funding, and efforts to streamline disaster response regulations.
A Flood Emergency That Unfolded in Just Hours
State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) outlined the timeline of warnings issued the night of the flood. According to testimony from Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd, the National Weather Service first maintained a flood watch at 1:06 a.m. Just eight minutes later, it was upgraded to a flash flood warning. At 3:08 a.m., forecasters described the flooding as “disastrous,” and by 4:23 a.m., they declared a flash flood emergency. Just 32 minutes later, TDEM was notified that rooftop rescues had already begun.
Bettencourt described this as a zero-to-200-mile-per-hour emergency that unfolded in barely over three hours. The narrow window for action made clear just how unprepared the current alert systems are for high-speed disasters like the one that struck the Hill Country.
Cell Phone Alerts Alone Weren’t Enough
While warnings did go out, however, many people either never received them or failed to act. Starting at 1:14 a.m., cell phone alerts warned residents to seek higher ground. More alerts came in the hours that followed, but for many, they came too late. Some people were asleep and never heard them. Others saw the warnings but didn’t realize the danger was immediate.
Experts said that modern alerts often fail not because people don’t care, but because they’re overwhelmed by too many notifications every day. Kim Klockow McClain, a senior social scientist working with the National Weather Service, explained that people are often left to interpret alerts on their own, which creates confusion. A FEMA study from 2023 found that nearly half of Americans either silenced their phones or missed emergency alerts entirely.
Bettencourt Proposes a New Hybrid Alert System
Senator Bettencourt is pushing for a statewide River Flood Emergency Communications Warning System that combines traditional sirens with modern alert technology. His proposal includes civil defense sirens that can wake people in the middle of the night, non-suppressible emergency alerts on smartphones, Starlink-backed communication redundancy, and real-time flood gauges that automatically trigger warnings.
The idea is to remove the guesswork. Instead of relying on whether someone is awake or has not muted their phone, the system would use multiple channels to reach people and clearly tell them what to do. Bettencourt pointed out that Texans are five times more likely to turn off emergency alerts than residents in states like Vermont. He said the state cannot rely on just one line of communication anymore.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) has pledged that the state will pay for this system, recognizing that rural counties cannot afford to build it alone. Bettencourt said he would file legislation immediately, and his proposal is already shaping up to be a key priority in the current special session. As of the publishing of this article, Senate Bill 2, which Lt. Gov. Patrick has designated as the bill to address flood emergency communications and warning, has not been filed amid the ongoing special session.
Missed Opportunities in Kerr County
During the hearing, lawmakers also criticized the Upper Guadalupe River Authority for abandoning its own plans to build a local flood warning system. The agency had applied for state funding in 2017, 2018, and 2024, but later dropped the project due to low matching funds.
Instead of installing flood gauges or physical warning systems, the authority developed a digital dashboard to track data. Lawmakers found that decision deeply flawed. State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) said bluntly, “We need gauges, not dashboards.” Bettencourt called the decision “pathetic,” especially considering that the authority had millions in reserves and had once raised taxes to pay for a similar system that eventually fell into disrepair.
Communications Breakdown Among First Responders
The problems weren’t limited to alerts for the public. First responders arriving in Kerrville from other cities like San Antonio couldn’t use their radios because they weren’t compatible with local systems. Some ended up using cheap backup radios instead. Texas has considered building a statewide emergency radio system since 2007, but it has never materialized. At the time, the price tag was $800 million. Nearly 20 years later, that number has only gone up.
Emergency communication experts testified that while building a statewide system may still be the goal, the state can act now by improving regional coordination, offering shared training, and providing local grants to upgrade equipment. These are practical steps that would have made a difference in the July 4 response.
Training Gaps for Local Emergency Managers
Lawmakers also learned that many emergency management coordinators in Texas have no required training. Unless a county has more than 500,000 residents, there is no mandate for professional qualifications. TDEM Chief Kidd testified that local judges or mayors can appoint anyone they choose.
In 2020, a state working group recommended setting minimum qualifications and requiring ongoing training, but the Legislature never acted on it. Several lawmakers said it’s time to change that. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) asked why the recommendations were ignored, and Kidd agreed that reforms are needed.
Tourists Caught in the Flood Were Hard to Track
The timing of the flood couldn’t have been worse. It struck in the early morning hours of July 4, when thousands of people were visiting the Guadalupe River for the holiday. Many of the victims had not checked into hotels or campsites. They were in RVs, camping informally, or simply passing through.
That made it nearly impossible to know who was in the flood zone. Sheriff Larry Leitha said recovery efforts could take months. County Judge Rob Kelly admitted that officials still don’t know how many visitors were in the area when the flood hit.
Some experts suggested requiring RV parks and lodging sites to hand out flood safety materials and creating voluntary check-in systems that could help track visitors in future emergencies.
Local Tax Maneuvers Trigger Outrage Amid Ongoing Disaster Recovery
While recovery efforts were still underway, both the Kerr County Commissioners Court and Kerrville City Council moved to authorize property tax rate increases using the state’s disaster loophole. On July 15, Kerr County voted unanimously to allow its tax assessor to calculate a tax rate using the 8 percent disaster exemption. The following week, the Kerrville City Council did the same.
Though officials insisted the moves were only procedural, critics saw them as opportunistic and deeply out of touch. Terri Hall, founder of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, said the decisions were insulting to residents.
“The Kerr County Commissioners are pouring salt in the wounds of residents amidst flood recovery efforts. Trying to max out property taxes and bypass a public vote using a disaster loophole! Disgusting!”
She was even more direct about the city council’s vote. “They did it,” Hall said. “If they get away with this, God help us all. Residents are barely hanging on and struggling to put their lives back together, now this?”
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) responded with a reminder that this will be the last summer local governments can use the 8 percent disaster exemption. Thanks to House Bill 30, passed earlier this year and authored by State Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Lakeway), counties will soon have to document actual FEMA-related costs and cannot invoke the exemption indefinitely. Bettencourt, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, said HB 30 cuts the 8 percent rate out of the Tax Code entirely starting in January 2026.
He also encouraged residents to take advantage of an existing disaster appraisal exemption created by Senate Bill 1427 in 2021. Flood victims have 105 days from the date of the disaster to apply for a property value reduction between 15 and 100 percent, depending on the level of damage. Appraisal districts are required to grant the exemption based on the severity of the loss.
Until HB 30 takes effect, however, cities and counties still have access to the old rules, and residents must continue to hold their elected officials accountable.
What Happens Next?
Governor Abbott’s special session agenda includes four major items that align directly with the testimony from the joint hearing: flood preparedness, emergency communications, disaster relief funding, and reforms to disaster-related regulations.
State Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) said what many were thinking. “We’ve lost a lot in this. And it could have been better both before, during, and after. That’s not a blame game. That’s accountability.”
Bettencourt’s proposed alert system legislation is expected to be a centerpiece of the session. If passed, it could finally give Texans the early warning tools they need. Combined with investments in communication infrastructure, local training, and taxpayer protections, Texas could finally start closing the gaps that this tragedy laid bare.
The people of Kerr County and communities across Texas deserve honest, measured responses. No government can fully prevent the devastation caused by nature, and we should be wary of expensive programs that offer the illusion of safety while failing to meaningfully reduce risk. But what lawmakers can do is ensure that the systems we do control, like emergency alerts, communications infrastructure, and local coordination, are as reliable, responsive, and transparent as possible. That requires restraint as much as reform, and a commitment to do what is effective, not just what is politically convenient.
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