Kerrville Mayor's Emails Reveal No Concerns Before July 4 Storm

A City's Routine Amid a Looming Disaster

In the days leading up to the devastating floods in Kerrville, Texas, city leaders appeared to be focused on routine municipal matters rather than the severe weather that was about to hit. Emails and text messages from the mayor of Kerrville, Joe Herring, revealed a lack of concern about the potential for extreme weather conditions.

Less than an hour after the National Weather Service issued a flood watch on July 3 for parts of the western Hill Country, including Kerrville, Mayor Herring was dealing with everyday issues such as tree planting plans for a new golf course development. In a 1 p.m. email, he communicated with city officials about the planned project. Two hours later, he sent a lengthy message—nearly 500 words long—about shade trees in town.

At 9:49 a.m. on July 3, just 17 minutes after the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) emailed Herring briefing slides and a second reminder about a 10 a.m. “Situational Awareness Call for Severe Weather Affecting the State of Texas,” Herring told Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, “Big day tomorrow” at Louise Hays Park, where a Fourth of July event was set to take place. Rice responded, “And it seems we got some rain too!”

This exchange highlighted the city’s business-as-usual attitude heading into the long Independence Day weekend. However, there were some warnings about what could be coming. On July 2, TDEM first notified Herring of a call regarding the potential for severe weather and possible flooding that could affect the region. The call was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday. The state agency again emailed Herring on July 3, less than 30 minutes before the meeting, with weather pattern slides. These materials were also sent to Jerremy Hughes, the city’s emergency management coordinator.

“This information will focus on life safety or immediate jurisdictional support priorities only,” TDEM’s email read. “This briefing is designed to provide real-time, high-level information in a very short time period.”

Herring previously acknowledged he didn’t catch the messages and didn’t attend the TDEM call. KXAN reached out to Herring about these new emails and text messages, but the Joint Information Center’s Unified Public Information Team for the Kerr County Flood Event said they were not available to respond immediately.

A Tragedy Unfolds

Within 12 hours, the city of Kerrville and surrounding Hill Country region would see flooding, death, and devastation beyond imagination. Torrential storms parked over Kerr County and dropped over 15 inches of rain in a matter of hours. The Guadalupe River rose over 30 feet, wiping homes off their foundations and sweeping away sleeping residents, including young campers, in the early morning.

Kerr County officials described the flood as a 500+ year “tsunami.” At least 108 people have been reported killed in the floods, with two more still missing, according to the latest reports.

The next text between Herring and Rice came at 6:37 a.m. on July 4, shortly after flood waters hit their height. “EOC [Emergency Operations Center] location?” Herring asked. “PD,” replied Rice, referring to the police department.

At 10:43 a.m., the mayor asked for an update on Camp Mystic in Kerr County. “None at this time trying to get access,” Rice said. “Everything is still Unconfirmed.”

As news of the devastation spread, Herring’s email inbox began to fill. City officials across Texas reached out offering help, including mayors from Austin, Fredericksburg, Wichita Falls, and more. Tim Short, the mayor of Wichita Falls, wrote, “I am heartbroken by the tragedy in your community and am offering services of any kind that would help. I understand we have fire fighters deploying to your area. You all are in our prayers.”

Local, national, and international news agencies peppered Herring with requests for interviews and comments. Townspeople and well-wishers sent Herring prayers and condolences.

Meanwhile, Texas’ top officials flocked to the Hill Country disaster zone.

Conflicting Accounts and Questions

KXAN also uncovered new discrepancies surrounding a news conference the day of the flood. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, claimed that TDEM’s Region 6 Assistance Chief Jay Hall had “personally contacted the judges and the mayors in that area and notified them all of potential flooding.” However, a public records request KXAN submitted to TDEM for communication records and call logs came back empty.

Patrick’s office told KXAN that he was assured by TDEM’s staff that their regional leadership had notified local officials of potential flooding. “When Lt. Gov. Patrick arrived at the State Operations Center on July 4th, 2025, TDEM staff informed and assured him that TDEM regional leadership had notified local officials of potential flooding,” said Patrick’s communications director, Steven Aranyi. “Based on that assurance, Lt. Gov. Patrick then shared the information with the public.”

TDEM would only confirm that they invited local officials to a weather call the day before the flood. “TDEM invited local officials to the July 3 statewide situation awareness call and shared slides from that call prior to the call taking place,” said TDEM spokesman Wes Rapaport. “TDEM regional field staff confirmed that the information was distributed.”