County emergency official says he was ill and sleeping as Texas floods hit

On July 4, 2025, Kerr County faced catastrophic flooding, killing 108 people. Emergency management coordinator William B. Thomas IV testified he was "sick and asleep" during the crisis. Thomas, responsible since 2015, missed critical state coordination calls on July 3, citing illness and approved time off to care for his father.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings at 1:14 a.m., but Thomas remained unavailable, sleeping until 5:30 a.m. Kerr County’s emergency operations center was inactive from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., when flooding peaked.

“I stayed in bed throughout July 3,” Thomas admitted, acknowledging he awoke briefly at 2 p.m. with no rainfall reported.

Representative Ann Johnson criticized the absence of key officials: “The three guys in Kerr County who were responsible for sounding the alarm were effectively unavailable.” In contrast, Kendall County’s emergency manager acted by 4 a.m. At Camp Mystic, 27 campers and counselors died. Thomas claimed county alerts would have duplicated National Weather Service warnings.

Kerrville’s mayor demanded a new flood warning system. Sheriff Larry Leitha doubted sirens would have helped: “The water came too fast.”

Thomas’s absence left Kerr County unprepared, amplifying the tragedy’s toll.