'This came at night': Texas officials say they were caught off guard by deadly rainstorms, flooding

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Sun Jul 6, 2025, 05:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: ABC News

July 5, 2025, 4:30 PM


The deadly floods that struck Texas on the 4th of July caught local officials off guard as the torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to rise to near-historic levels in a matter of minutes, officials said at a press conference Saturday.

At least 32 people died after heavy rain pounded Kerr County, Texas, early Friday, leading to "catastrophic" flooding, according to officials.

A Flood Watch was in effect for parts of New Mexico and western Texas Thursday afternoon as rounds of slow-moving thunderstorms packing heavy rain moved through the area. By Thursday evening, five inches of rain had fallen in parts of western Texas, including Midland and Odessa.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Kerr County, where the river is located, around 1:14 a.m. Friday. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes that morning, Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told reporters Friday.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/night-texas-officials-caught-off-guard-deadly-rainstorms/story?id=123499929

---

The numbers have significantly increased since. This is what "climate change" does and dubbing it a "hoax" while throwing snowballs in in a Congressional chamber to underscore that, won't fix it.

[msongs]

1. one suspects this area has a long history of such flood events. flood warning got it right nt

[BumRushDaShow]

2. When you have that flat land

the water will do that. It's like the flood plains further north in that area of the central part of the country. However having creek rises of that magnitude in that short of a time, is alarming, and although not necessarily unprecedented, things like this are happening more than "normal", as what was once considered "normal", has now been blown up by climate change.

Texas has been a state of "feast or famine" when it comes to rainfall.

[70sEraVet]

11. I lived in East Texas for a short while many years ago.

I remember that even short rainstorms presented problems, because they were almost always preceded by drought conditions and the ground was too hard and compact to absorb the water.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

38. Yeah... these "Once In 100 years", floods are happening in like, once every 3 years or less...

...eom.

[moonshinegnomie]

16. its teh flash flood capital of the country

in the 80's a flood on the same river killed many kids

10 years ago a similar event happened on the blanco river not all that far from there.

rather than spending money on a flood warning sirens like tornade sirens the state decided it was more important to go after lgbtq and womens rights.

[BidenRocks]

19. Texas needs major flood diversion tunnels.

Of course they will let Texans die before they invest in areas of constant flooding.
How do Texans afford homeowners insurance when their property is in a flood plain?
Don't they teach this fact in schools?
NOAA is a back up to smart planning.

[Bengus81]

23. So why the HELL do they have large camp sites there?

[moonshinegnomie]

33. good question

the camps were there before the flood risk was known (100 years) but why they hell are they allowed to operate especially without a flood warning alarm system in place...

of course that might cost money which they would rather spend of taking away lgbtq and womens rights

[DENVERPOPS]

36. Of course Texas will be lying

their asses off........I am just waiting for them to request FEMA money and watch what Trump does for them, considering their state can't get any more red.......

He already has tons of Military and National Guard down there......bet he sends even more of both, rather than using the ones already down there.

[aeromanKC]

3. "it came at night"

That's why you need early warning systems!! Imagine not having tornado sirens when tornado's come at night. Or anytime!! Totally unacceptable and negligent not to have early earning systems in place especially when the technology is there!!

[BumRushDaShow]

5. There ARE "Early Warning Systems" - the NWS has the "Flash Flood Emergency"

and those go out through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and in this case, the FFEs WERE issued. But if you don't have a cell phone or radio (notably a NOAA Weather Radio if your radio isn't on) or TV to get the alert, than you are SOL.

I suppose they could use the tornado sirens - but then people are accustomed to what actions need to happen when that goes off. However what one does if there is a possible tornado, wouldn't be applicable for a flooding situation.

[Farmer-Rick]

9. Here in mountainous East TN

In a very rural area, we have sirens. If not for them, I don't think I would have been aware of the massive flooding from Helene after the storm passed. The Nolichucky dam was about to burst about 9 miles from my house.

My landline was down and my reception from my cell was awful. We haven't ever got a tornado here. Everyone knows the sirens are warnings and you should check for weather problems. We don't consider them tornado sirens.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I know that many of those were originally "air raid sirens"

as a result of WWII and were maintained and upgraded for other uses over the years. E.g., in places like Hawai'i, they have been used for Tsunami Warnings.

There are fire stations near me that have them and I hear them tested monthly.

The key in their use is to have a way to let those remote/unconnected people know what the nature of the emergency is so they know how to respond. So if you live in an area like "Tornado Alley" but are also in an area that can sometimes be subject to flash flooding from nearby main stem rivers, there needs to be a way to distinguish what needs to be done when the siren sounds (i.e, for tornadoes you seek shelter on a lowest floor and in the center of the building, but if there is flooding, people are told to "get to higher ground" ).

This is why many of us vigorously protested the attempts to get rid of AM radio and it's mainly because of the distance that the signal can travel (many hundreds of miles) and its penetration vs FM, that has an effective range of under 50 miles.

[Bengus81]

25. Test them on Mondays at noon--when the weather doesn't look threatening?

That's what they do in Wichita anyway.............

[BumRushDaShow]

28. I remember during the post-wildfire discussions about Maui

and how the emergency managers said some sirens malfunctioned/lost power and others didn't get sounded in time or at all.

Hawaii has a robust emergency siren warning system. It sat silent during the deadly wildfires

[avebury]

30. NWS issued a Flas Flood Watch last

Thursday afternoon predicting 5 to 7 inches of rain according to one website that is posting live updates on the situation.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. The various weather "products" (as they call this) criteria for issuance

may vary from locale to locale for what would trigger the issuance of a Watch, Warning, or Emergency. Was trying to dig around to find if they have their criteria published somewhere but the AI mess on the search engines is thwarting that and since I'm not familiar with how that NWS site is set up (the one for Philly is a bit different), I haven't found it yet.

Right now the NWS Austin/San Antonio NWS office has a FFW up for specified locations -

698
WGUS54 KEWX 062101
FFWEWX
TXC265-070030-
/O.NEW.KEWX.FF.W.0071.250706T2101Z-250707T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX
401 PM CDT Sun Jul 6 2025

The National Weather Service in Austin/San Antonio has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
Central Kerr County in south central Texas...

* Until 730 PM CDT.

* At 401 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the warned area. Up to 1 inch of rain has
fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 2 inches are possible in
the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin
shortly.

HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms
producing flash flooding.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,
urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Ingram, Hunt, Waltonia and Mountain Home.

North fork Guadalupe tributaries may see a quick rise that could
result in a 2 to 3 foot rise in the river around Hunt. A flood
warning for minor flooding around Hunt will be issued shortly.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life.

Stay away or be swept away. River banks and culverts can become
unstable and unsafe.

&&

LAT...LON 2997 9946 3017 9947 3018 9941 3016 9930
3013 9930 3013 9927 3008 9922 3004 9925

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE

$$

MO

The above one notes an "EAS ACTIVATION" so that would go out over the NOAA weather radios, phones, TV, radio, etc.

[Prairie Gates]

4. It was a literal 3 am phonecall

[Mawspam2]

6. Someone needs to tell these Texas dumfucks 'night' happens half of the time.

[Paladin]

13. It's "dumbfucks," not "dumfucks."

If you're going to insult the residents of my state, at least get the Goddamned spelling right...

[poozwah]

22. gee

don’t need a B to be a dumfuck.

[Paladin]

24. Whatever makes you happy. (nt)

[LiberalArkie]

7. Maybe they need something like the "Arkansas Department of Emergency Management" here in Arkansas.

It is fully manned 24 hours a day/365. It used to be headed up by a disaster control specialist James Lee Whitt who then went to FEMA under Bill Clinton.

[bluedigger]

8. They should have had a 24 hour emergency dispatch and at least one deputy on duty.

It took the county four hours to alert after notification. There is no excuse for the lack of action..

[NBachers]

12. Another Texas disaster beyond even Uvalde level.

[moonshinegnomie]

14. texas officials are lying

heres a timeline of the actual NWS weather warnings (from the cajun navy)

By Tuesday–Wednesday: Messaging mentioned Thursday flood risk.Thursday: Flood watches were issued. By late afternoon, a “Slight Risk” of excessive rain (WPC 2/4) was highlighted—which in hindsight may have underplayed the potential.

HRRR: Wednesday night runs showed 7–9" bullseyes; by Thursday morning, projected 10–13" and later up to 20" in key flash-flood zones.

HREF: Also signaled >10? potential early Thursday using probability-matched mean—providing solid foresight for forecasters

flash Flood Warnings kicked off just before midnight Friday as rain rates exceeded 3–4"/hr.Flash Flood Emergencies were declared around 4 AM Friday in Kerrville and near San Angelo as over 10" fell

and this is directly from the NWS
The National Water Center Flood Hazard Outlook issued on Thursday morning indicated an expansion of flash flood potential to include Kerrville and surrounding areas.
A flood watch was issued by the NWS Austin/San Antonio office at 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, in effect through Friday morning.
The Weather Prediction Center issued three Mesoscale Precipitation Discussions for the excessive rainfall event as early as 6:10 p.m. Thursday indicating the potential for flash flooding.
The National Water Center Area Hydrologic Discussion #144 at 6:22 p.m. on Thursday messaged locally considerable flood wording for areas north and west of San Antonio, including Kerrville.
At 1:14 a.m. Friday, a flash flood warning with a considerable tag (which denotes high-damage threats and will automatically trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts on enabled mobile devices and over NOAA Weather Radio) was issued for Kerr County.
The flash flood warning was upgraded to a flash flood emergency for southcentral Kerr County as early as 4:03 a.m. Friday.
The 5:00 a.m. National Water Center Area Hydrologic Discussion #146 on Friday included concern for widespread considerable flooding through the day. The Flood Hazard Outlook was also upgraded to considerable and catastrophic.
A flash flood emergency was issued for the Guadalupe River at 5:34 a.m.


in addition while the flash flood warning was issued at 1:15am it wasnt until after 5 that kerrville police said to evacuate and after 7 before the city of kerville did the same.

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/federal-forecast-concerns-surface-in-texas-deadly-flooding-debate/


once again local MAGA officials fucked up and kids died.just like uvalde. and i can confidently say they are maga since that county is VERY maga friendly. I go thru there a few times a year.


in addition due to doge there are 6 vacancies in the NWS office that handles that area.
*Warning and Coordination Meteorologist position open (yes they coordinate Warnings)
*2 open meteorologists positions (yes they are on call 24/7)
*Hydrologist position open (yes, they project floods)
*Electronic Tech position open
*Manager position open

[TBF]

39. All of this + no serious warning system -

they have some free system to try to notify folks by phone - which is pretty lame in an area that has flooded before - and especially with folks who vacation and all the camps (not only the posh private camps like Mystic, but also other church and scout camps - kids aren't allowed to bring electronics to camp).

As someone who grew up in the Midwest and now lives in Texas, I defer to the locals on things like hurricanes. But I definitely can talk about serious weather warning systems. We had tornadoes where I grew up - when you heard the local siren you got yourself to a basement with a radio as quickly as you could. And, in fact, Kerrville has been trying to get a grant for a more robust warning system since being turned down in 2018.

[BootinUp]

15. Mother Nature is so inconsiderate. nt

[sakabatou]

17. It's almost as though cutting funds for weather tracking

and infrastructure to call out alerts. Actual warning system, not just phone alerts.

[skennis1]

18. It came at night...

so now they'll have to pass a law banning storms at night.

[Jit423]

29. But only in RED states. nt

[AverageOldGuy]

20. And, of course, no one expects you MAGAts to work late

Last edited Sun Jul 6, 2025, 04:16 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm 80, recently stepped down from serving for the past 16 years as an EMT, Training Officer, and Captain for volunteer rescue squad in rural VA.

When severe weather was forecast, we required two of our crews -- four people -- to sleep at the station. Usually six or more people volunteered. Many is the time we were glad we took that precaution . . . and the people we rescued were happy, too. Our local volunteer fire departments followed the same practice.

[Warpy]

21. The guys would would have made the decision to alert people while they were awake weren't there

because the war of attrition has been waged against more highly paid senior officials---exactly the guys who would have made that decision.

Government on the cheap. Tjhey get tax cuts. We die.

[BadgerKid]

26. So the video that's going around is fake or not this flood?

[Jit423]

27. If Trump keeps on cutting FEMA maybe the red states will finally learn what decent government does? nt

[Cha]

31. It's their Fucking job Not to "get caught off guard"..

Shit happens at Night Too!

[Cha]

32. How many more will Die from

Natural Disasters that Could have been Prevented IF they had been Warned?!

[howardmappel]

35. "At night"

Well alrighty then, we should turn everything when the sun goes down, no police or fire services, no paramedics, no emergency room, no air traffic control - after all, pilots can't see when it is dark outside, no radar, no military defense - can't expect any military to train in, or for, night-time operations.

I would ask what kind of dumfucking idiot this is, but that is an easy one. Republican who thinks gubment is all evil and a waste (excepting his salary of course).

[OldBaldy1701E]

37. Wait, their excuse is that it 'came at night'??

I'd laugh uproariously were it not so freaking horrible and something that could have been easily handled.

(Every single agency that agrees with that statement should be immediately assessed for competence in their department.)

[TBF]

41. The "church moms" as I call them here in Houston -

the white republican women I know from school activities, etc., inform me that it is "an act of God" and that "all we can do is pray". They are literally void of brain material. All last weekend it was "too soon" to talk about anything except prayers. Of course, it will be like the mass school shootings - as time passes and we circle back to talk then it's "time to move on".

[Javaman]

40. "It came at night" is the excuse these dumb bastards are using?

how fucking galling and insulting that is to the families who lost kids and love ones.

fucking sociopaths.

[artemisia1]

42. Yes, who would have thought that a rainstorm could "come at night"? No excuse for those concerned and that camp

had no business being on a flood-plain like that.