🗓️ TIMELINE: What Texans Deserve to Know About the Flood Alerts
Before the floodwaters rose in Hill Country, the National Weather Service issued serious warnings. Here’s what happened—and what didn’t.
📍 What We Know So Far
As of July 6, at least 70 people have died in Kerr County following catastrophic flash floods. Over a dozen girls from Camp Mystic remain missing. Hundreds more were rescued in a massive emergency response.
But while rescue teams worked around the clock, public trust was already beginning to erode.
Were we warned in time?
Did anyone sound the alarm?
And why weren’t people evacuated when lives were clearly at risk?
This timeline brings together verified reporting and public weather alerts to help cut through misinformation.
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The Verified Alert Timeline
🕐 Thursday, July 3 | 1:18 PM CT
🔸 The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Flood Watch for Kerr County and surrounding areas, forecasting 5–7 inches of rain.
🕐 Friday, July 4 | 1:14 AM CT
🔸 Flash Flood Warning issued by NWS with urgent alerts to cell phones via Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). People were told to seek higher ground immediately.
🔗 Source → Yale Climate Connections
🕓 Friday, July 4 | 4:03 AM CT
🔸 Flash Flood Emergency #1 issued—this is NWS’s highest alert level, reserved for “life-threatening flooding.”
“Numerous low water crossings are flooded. Between 4 and 10 inches of rain have fallen.”
🕔 Friday, July 4 | 5:34 AM CT
🔸 Flash Flood Emergency #2 expands warnings along the Guadalupe River from Hunt to Kerrville to Center Point.
“A large and deadly flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River.”
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So What Went Wrong?
Despite clear, urgent warnings from federal forecasters:
No mandatory evacuation orders were issued.
No sirens or widespread public alerts were activated locally.
Camps and homes along the river remained in the flood zone overnight.
Local officials now say:
“Nobody saw this coming.” — Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly
“Too many warnings desensitize people.” — Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice
But experts disagree.
“Warnings were issued. Staffing was in place. The system worked—until it reached the ground.”
— Jason Runyen, NWS meteorologist
🧠 The Bigger Problem: “Last Mile” Failure
Federal alerts can only go so far.
Kerr County considered building a river siren warning system years ago, but the plan was dropped due to cost.
“We looked into it before… The public reeled at the cost.” — Judge Rob Kelly
That decision—and the lack of local evacuation procedures—may have cost lives.
🧾 Why This Matters
This isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a policy failure. Texans deserve:
Functional local response systems, not excuses
Leadership that listens to federal warnings and acts
Public safety investments that reflect the stakes of extreme weather in a changing climate
Because the warnings were there—
so what stopped those in charge from sounding the alarm?
💡 If You’re Looking to Help
✅ Donate to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund
Run by the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
✅ Share verified information
Help cut through the noise by sharing this post and official sources from NWS and rescue organizations.
✅ Push for change
Ask your local leaders: What systems do we have in place to warn the public?
And are they enough?
Texans Defending Democracy
Because lives depend on accountability—and action.