After years of warnings and failed efforts to install a flood alert system, state and local leaders are now facing renewed pressure to act in Kerr County.
KERR COUNTY, Texas — Deadly flooding ravaged Wimberley in 2015. That’s when former Kerr County Commissioner Tom Moser realized something had to be done.
“I knew that there was that kind of potential and even greater in Kerr County,” Moser said.
The danger in Kerr County isn’t new. Officials have long recognized the threat.
“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States,” Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly said Friday.
In May 2016, Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer put it bluntly during a commissioners court meeting.
“Unfortunately, Guadalupe River is one of the most prone to flooding — flash flooding areas in the nation,” Hierholzer said.
That same year, Kerr County partnered with the City of Kerrville and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. They formed a flood warning steering committee, spent $50,000 on an engineering study, and applied for a $1 million state grant to install sirens and river gauges.
But that grant was denied in 2018.
“We were not successful—bottom line,” Moser said. “I don’t think it would have saved everybody. It would have helped probably a lot of people… but it wouldn’t have been 100% effective.”
For Moser, this isn’t just policy—it’s personal.
“A good friend of mine owns Camp Mystic, and he perished in this thing,” he said.
Camp Director Dick Eastland died trying to save campers.
“It was not surprising that he perished doing what he was doing,” one person said.
Some have also questioned whether the National Weather Service gave enough warning. The agency issued flash flood emergency alerts for Kerr County—one just after 1 a.m., another around 4 a.m. Friday.
“Now, obviously, most people at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. are asleep,” said Sen. Ted Cruz.
Some have blamed staffing cuts at the weather service, but Cruz disagreed.
“That’s contradicted by the facts,” he said.
He said three additional people were on duty that night.
On Fox News Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said there should have been sirens, and the state will cover the cost of paying for them by next summer.
“Had they heard those sirens screaming out loud, maybe that would have made them get out of trailers, tents and climb to safety,” Patrick said. “We don’t know, but we can fix this moving forward.”
Gov. Greg Abbott also said the state will be taking a closer look.
“We have a special session coming up, and the way to respond to what happened in Kerrville is going to be a topic for the special session to address,” Abbott said.
So much was lost in just minutes.
Now, the focus is on what must be done to prevent the next tragedy, including installing a flood warning system.
“If there’s anything good that comes out of this tragic event, it’ll be that — that’ll be the catalyst to do something,” Moser said.