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Jilly_in_VA

(14,624 posts)
Thu Jul 31, 2025, 02:53 PM Jul 2025

Kerr County emergency coordinator says he was out sick when floods hit Texas [View all]

Kerr County’s top emergency coordinator said Thursday he had been feeling ill for days leading up to the deadly floods but that he immediately mobilized when he was awakened early on July 4.

In his first public remarks since the disaster that killed more than 130 people in Texas and led to urgent questions about his whereabouts and response, William “Dub” Thomas defended his handling of the emergency. In testimony before state lawmakers, Williams said he immediately reported to the sheriff’s office but decided not to issue an alert to cellphones because the National Weather Service had already done so.

“To those who ask, what would you have done differently? The honest answer is that, based on the data we had at the time, there was no clear indicator that a catastrophic flood was imminent,” Thomas said. “The situation evolved faster than anyone could have predicted.”

His testimony in a joint hearing held by the Texas Senate and House’s select committees on disaster preparedness and flooding comes after weeks of mounting frustration from members of the community and other leaders over a lack of answers from the emergency management coordinator.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kerr-county-emergency-coordinator-defends-flood-response-weeks-silence-rcna222225

Yeah, no. That's almost as good an excuse as I got when the nurse FINALLY called me back afeter 4 1/2 hours when I was in excruciating pain after a tooth extraction and her excuse was, "Well, the doctor is on vacation."

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