Texas officials won’t say whether emergency alert officer was awake during deadly flooding
By Anthony Blair
Texas officials refuse to say whether the on-duty emergency officer was awake while devastating flooding swept through the central region of the Lone Star State — as the death toll in the worst-affected county rose to 87 Tuesday.
During a tense press conference, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha was unable to answer direct questions about who was in charge and whether they were asleep early Friday morning when the Guadalupe River burst its banks.
Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County, Texas, standing in front of the Sheriff's Office insignia.
4
Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County was unable to answer direct questions about the floods on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Kerr County Sheriff's Office
Kristi Noem, Greg Abbott, and John Cornyn at a press conference.
4
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to media during a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (left) and US Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) (right) at a press conference on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
AP
The sheriff admitted he was only informed about the flood waters ravaging his county at some time between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. on July 4, by which point the river had already risen 27 feet in some 45 minutes.
New York Post front page; Texas county declined to fund a flash-flood alert system, resulting in the deaths of 13 girls.
4
The front page of the New York Post on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Asked repeatedly about who was in charge during the flash flooding alerts, Sheriff Leitha snapped back and said he wasn’t focused on getting the important question answered.
“As I’ve told you several times, that is not my priority this time,” the sheriff said. “There are three priorities, that’s locating the people out there, identifying, notifying the next of kin — that is what I’m taking as my job as sheriff.”
Explore More
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Two teenage counselors recounting a terrifying flood experience, Image 2 shows People surveying flood damage to a cabin in Hunt, Texas, Image 3 shows Muddy interior of a building after a flood; furniture and debris are scattered throughout
Teen camp counselors describe harrowing moment they wrote girls' names on their bodies in case they were swept away in floodwaters
A college of John and Julia Burgess, and their three children and an RV destroyed by the flood at Blue Oak RV Park.
Texas dad refused to let go of 'his babies' during flood — and all were swept away, witness says
Reverend boyfriend of ex-Houston mayoral appointee disavows her vile Camp Mystic tirade
He also gave a testy response to a question about whether the emergency manager was awake when the flooding started, and “push[ed] the button to issue an emergency alert” to all cellphones in the area.
“It’s not that easy as you just push a button, OK,” he said. “There’s a lot more to that, and we’ve told you several times.”
Search and rescue workers clear debris from a flood-damaged home.
4
Search and rescue workers dig through debris looking for any survivors.
Getty Images
The sheriff and other Texas officials, including Lt. Col. Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens, evaded more questions from reporters about the county’s alert system.
At least 87 bodies —including 30 children — have been recovered in Kerr County, up from the 75 reported dead in the county on Monday.
The number of missing campers at Camp Mystic, a girls’ Christian summer camp devastated by the floods, has gone down from 10 to 5.
It isn’t known if the discovered missing campers are among the increased death toll.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is also expected to hold a press conference in Kerrville, the Kerr County seat, at 5 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings