As soon as deaths due to the frightening Texas floods overtook 100 on Monday, local authorities in one of the toughest-touched counties have still rarely disclosed whether, if any, if any, if any, they are done to protect residents, tourists and visitors in the area known as “Flash Flood Elle”.
In a series of briefing since the flood on 4 July, Ker County officials have deflected A series of sharp questions about preparations and warnings as forecasts warned of life-threatening situations.
County in the scenic Texas Hill Country is home to many summer camps, including camp mistake, An all-girl Christian Summer Camp On Monday, he announced that he lost at least 27 campers and consultants.
Ker County Sheriff Larry Litha said on Monday during the emergency session of the County Commissioner Court, “Today is not the day and no longer there is time to discuss the warning, which he got, which he did not get. I am only worried about public safety.”
Kerville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Monday that the officials were reluctant to remove the “crying wolf” and the order, to exceed the “quite” estimated zodiac signs. He said that the authorities had very little time to react to the middle of the night, saying that the eligible first respondents were being run by “flowing” through early rainfall.
“It grows very quickly in a very short time,” Rice said.
Strict weather service warning
In the first 48 hours before the flood, the possibility of heavy rains took care in speed as the state activated an emergency response plan and transferred resources to the central Texas region.
The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning for mobile phones and Weather Radio at 1:14 pm on Friday, the warning was updated at Flash-Flad Emergency at 4:03 am at 4:03 am before the first report of floods at low water crossings in Ker County.
The warning was Hunt, the small city which is the home of the camp Mistic. The girls who were rescued from the camp have said that they woke up from strong storms after midnight, who knocked on electricity. The bright glow from electric attacks showed the river growing rapidly.
It was not immediately clear what kind of clearance plans could be held with the Camp Mistic.
‘Flash Flood Elle’
Local authorities have known for decades that floods have posed serious risk to life and property in the region, and last year a county government report warned that the threat was deteriorating.
The dangerous mitigation of Ker County reported at least 106 “flood events” in 1960. Local authorities determined that there was a possibility of another flood in the following year and “the worst future events” could be more serious than the past.
The 500 -year flood threat was “not negligible” and less power lines could damage the trapped residents and buildings, which were “or completely completely washed,” a warning was warned in the report. Climate change can make the river more often by flooding, noted.
The region has known the important tragedy. The 1987 floods after heavy rains inspired the evacuation of a youth camp in the city. A wall of water quickly flows to buses and vans. Ten teenagers died.
Decades later, the upper Guadalupa River Authority, which manages the river watershed, released a video to YouTube, titled “B Flood Aware 2017.”
Over 40,000 views online, the video underlines the history of the Guadalup River, the public can be safe when its history of tragic floods and flood waters.
The video said, “Terrain here is unique to flash flooding.” This referred to the dangers of a significant rainfall near the headwater of the river near Camp Mystic.
In the video, shallow headwatters noted with limestone under the river.
“If you receive 3 or 4 inches of rain at a time, it can be a real serious problem,” the video warned.
The storm that came last Friday exceeded 6 inches (15 cm) in the area in three hours. The river increased 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.
In January 2017, the County Commissioners Court approved an application for a $ 975,00 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a flood warning system.
After less than a year, the commissioners learned that the grant was not approved. Most of that funding were hit by Hurricane Harvey.
Says for an alarm
The River Authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in Ker County, which is the top priority in its previous three annual strategic plans.
The Commissioners of Ker County, many years ago, considered a proposal for flood warnings system similar to siren used for tornades in other parts of the country, including nearby soft counties, including part of the Guadalup River.
Ker County Judge Rob Kelly, who was not in the commission at that time, but joined the meetings, stated that the idea of ​​the warning system was sheltered because the residents “reels the cost.”
Nicole Wilson, a San Antonio mother, who took her daughters out of a neighboring hill country camp in front of the flood amid concerns about their withdrawal plans, need to push county leaders for one.
Wilson introduced an online petition for Ker County, which is to install flood warning sirens to warn in real time. He is planning to submit a signature to Gov Greg Abbott for calling MPs in a special session on 23 July.
He called a siren system a “almost no-grain”.
“I am sure those children hoped at any moment that an adult was going to save them,” he said. “I don’t think it can break much more than this, and so if there is any way to stop it, it needs to be applied quickly.”
