A Texas sheriff has revealed that the county official responsible for coordinating emergency response during the deadly July 4 floods was likely asleep at home as the disaster unfolded.
Sheriff Larry Leitha told CNN that Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator W.B. ‘Dub’ Thomas was ‘at home asleep at that time,’ citing that Thomas had worked the evening before the floods that killed at least 136 people.
Leitha added that he himself was also asleep.
Among the victims were 27 children and staff at Camp Mystic, who were sleeping when the flash floods swept through in the early morning hours.
The National Weather Service issued its first flash flood warning at 1:14am CT, more than three hours before the Guadalupe River surged over 30 feet, inundating the camp and nearby RV parks.
This previously unreported detail, that the key emergency official was likely not awake to receive the escalating alerts, raises serious questions about the county’s preparedness and response.
Leitha also confirmed that the county’s emergency operations center was not active during the most critical window, between 1am and 3am, when floodwaters reached their peak.
‘We’re in a rural area; we don’t have a 24-hour service, or anything open like that,’ the sheriff added.
This is a developing story… More updates to come
Sheriff Larry Leitha told CNN that Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator W.B. ‘Dub’ Thomas was ‘at home asleep at that time,’ citing that Thomas had worked the evening before the floods that killed at least 136 people
The death toll also included 27 campers and counselors who were fast asleep at Camp Mystic
Leitha told CNN that officials are going to take a ‘hard look’ at how the response was carried out and review Thomas’ job performance leading up to and during the tragedy.
