A Texas firefighter pleaded for an alert amid rising flood waters. It took an hour to go out
Texas floods raise questions about delays in emergency alert notifications
- Leaked audio suggests a significant delay in issuing emergency flood alerts in Texas on July 4, despite an early request from a local firefighter.
- A firefighter reportedly requested a CodeRED alert at 4:22 am as the Guadalupe River rapidly overshot its banks, rising 26 feet in 45 minutes.
- Local officials, including the Kerr County Sheriff and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have defended the alert timeline, citing the complexity of issuing warnings and inadequate federal forecasts.
- The National Weather Service had issued a 'life-threatening flash flooding' warning for Kerrville at 1:14 am, over three hours before initial flood reports, with experts praising their forecasting.
- Questions have also been raised regarding the county's failure to install emergency weather sirens and the potential impact of staffing cuts to the National Weather Service.