Questions About Flood Prep De 07/08 07:18

   

   (AP) -- As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, 
local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little 
about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and 
visitors in an area known as "flash flood alley."

   At a series of briefings since the flooding on July 4, Kerr County officials 
have deflected a series of pointed questions about preparations and warnings as 
forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions.

   The county in the scenic Texas Hill Country is home to several summer camps, 
including Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp that announced Monday 
it lost at least 27 campers and counselors.

   "Today's not the day and now's not the time to discuss the warnings, who got 
them, who didn't got them. Right now I'm only worried about public safety," 
Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday during an emergency session of the 
county commissioners court.

   Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said Monday that authorities 
were reluctant to "cry wolf" and order evacuations, adding that rainfall 
"significantly" exceeded the projected amounts. He said officials had little 
time to react in the middle of the night, adding that qualified first 
responders were being "swept away" driving through the initial rainfall.

   "This rose very quickly in a very short amount of time," Rice said.

   Dire weather service warnings

   In the 48 hours before the floods, the potential for heavy rains put 
precautions in motion as the state activated an emergency response plan and 
moved resources into the central Texas area.

   The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. 
Friday to mobile phones and weather radios, more than three hours before the 
first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4:35 a.m. 
The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency.

   The warning included Hunt, the small town that's home to Camp Mystic. Girls 
who were rescued from the camp have said they were woken up after midnight by 
strong storms that knocked out power. Bright flashes from lightning strikes 
showed the river rising rapidly.

   It was not immediately clear what kind of evacuation plans Camp Mystic might 
have had.

   'Flash flood alley'

   Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed serious risk to 
life and property in the region, and a county government report last year 
warned the threat was getting worse.

   Kerr County's hazard mitigation action plan reported at least 106 "flood 
occurrences" dating back to 1960. Local officials determined that another flood 
was likely in the next year and that "future worst-case flood events" could be 
more severe than those of the past.

   The risk of a 500-year flood was "not negligible" and could lead to downed 
power lines, stranded residents and buildings that were damaged "or even 
completely washed away," the report warned. Climate change could make the river 
flooding more frequent, it noted.

   The region has known significant tragedy. A 1987 flood after a heavy rain 
prompted the evacuation of a youth camp in the town of Comfort. A wall of water 
quickly swamped buses and vans. Ten teenagers died.

   Decades later, the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, which manages the river 
watershed, released a video to YouTube titled "Be Flood Aware 2017."

   Viewed over 40,000 times online, the video outlines the history of the 
Guadalupe River, its history of tragic flooding and ways the public can remain 
safe when floodwaters rise.

   "Terrain here is unique for flash flooding," the video noted. It mentioned 
the dangers of a significant rainfall near the river's headwaters near Camp 
Mystic.

   The video noted the shallow headwaters with limestone underneath the 
riverbed.

   "If you get 3 or 4 inches of rain at one time, that can be a real serious 
problem," the video warned.

   The storm that hit last Friday dumped more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) on 
the area in three hours. The river rose 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.

   In January 2017, the Kerr County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an 
application for a $975,00 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to 
develop a flood warning system, according to transcripts of the meeting.

   Less than a year later, commissioners learned the grant was not approved. 
Most of that funding went to communities hit by Hurricane Harvey.

   Calls for an alarm

   The river authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in 
Kerr County as a top priority in its last three annual strategic plans.

   Kerr County commissioners considered several years ago a proposal for a 
flood warning system similar to sirens used for tornadoes in other parts of the 
country, including in nearby Comal County, which includes part of the Guadalupe 
River.

   Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who was not on the commission at the time but 
attended meetings, said the warning system idea was shelved because residents 
"reeled at the cost."

   Nicole Wilson, a San Antonio mother who took her daughters out of a 
neighboring hill country camp ahead of the flooding amid concerns about its 
evacuation plans, said county leaders need to push for one.

   Wilson launched an online petition calling for Kerr County to install 
flooding warning sirens to alert in real time. She plans to present the 
signatures to Gov. Greg Abbott when lawmakers convene in a special session July 
23.

   She called a siren system "almost a no-brainer."

   "I'm sure those children expected at any moment that an adult was going to 
rescue them," she said. "I don't think there can be much more heartbreak than 
that, and so if there's a way to prevent it, it needs to be implemented 
quickly."