Latest news with #GuadalupeRiver
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Crisis Management And Communication Lessons From The Texas Floods
Vehicles sit submerged as a search and rescue worker looks through debris for any survivors or ... More remains of people swept up in the flash flooding on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by) In the aftermath of a deadly natural disaster,, there are often crisis management lessons to learned, underscored, and repeated. The headline-making floods earlier this month in Texas are no exception. The initial lessons include examples and reports about communication failures, delayed responses, reduced staffing levels, and management matters. These and other issues should serve as a reminder for business leaders about the challenges organizations can face when a weather-related disaster strikes. Some government agencies may not be up to the challenges of dealing with crisis situations. For example, alerting people to the sudden threats that are posed by rising waters could be difficult for local authorities. 'These challenges seem to be heightened in rural areas where local governments have limited budgets and staffing. [Their] ability to reach the public can be adversely affected by lack of communications infrastructure, including cell phone signals, as well as radio and TV reception blind spots,' Clifford Oliver, a former FEMA assistant administrator and now the principal at Nanticoke Global Strategies, told me in an email interview. Effective crisis management plans need to be more than generic checklists or templates, and should be flexible enough to meet rapidly changing conditions and circumstances. 'The Texas floods are a reminder [that]It is important to have working relationships with individuals and organizations including emergency planners, local governments, and vendors in order to achieve 'faster response times and quicker recovery outcomes. Crisis management requires organizations to develop proactive networks and systems which will function effectively during disasters,' Daniel Kilburn, a disaster management strategist, and founder of Emergency Action Planning, told me in an email message. Test Plans And Communications Don't assume that your crisis management and crisis communication plans will always work when needed. 'Know and test your tools. Communication systems fail when they're not tested under stress. Businesses must regularly and randomly test internal alerts, call trees, and customer notification systems. You don't want to discover a breakdown in the middle of a crisis, it will cost lives,' Lauren Stralso, director of public relations at LevLane Advertising, told me via email. Have multiple methods of communicating with people during a crisis. 'Do not rely on a single method (text, email, app alerts). Systems can fail, and not all employees or customers will be reachable on one platform. Create a layered alert system (phone call trees, SMS, social media, in-person notifications) to maximize coverage,' Lea Greene, the owner of Top Ten Communication, told me in an email interview. 'Regularly test all communication channels to ensure reliability in a real crisis,' she advised. Implement and review on a regular basis is policies and protocols that help guarantee everyone knows who is responsible for doing what in a crisis. 'Make sure all staff understands who is responsible for alerts and what steps to take in the most likely emergencies. Document and practice protocols regularly—do not assume 'someone will handle it.' Prepare clear, concise message templates for different types of emergencies to prevent confusion and delays,' Greene recommended. Don't expect that everyone will be able to receive the alerts, information, and warnings that are sent about a pending or evolving crisis.'Recognize that some people may miss digital alerts due to device rules, poor coverage, or staff/customers being offline. Implement redundant, low-tech solutions (physical signage, loudspeakers, designated staff messengers),' she concluded. What you don't say is just as important as what you do. 'Texas officials had the ability to send mass alerts and didn't. That silence cost lives. In the aftermath, they failed to offer clear updates or take meaningful accountability, leaving communities in the dark when they needed answers most,' Alexa Rome, director of public relations and communications at Ommus Law recalled in an email message. The city manager in Kerrville, Texas 'admitted on camera that he had turned off emergency alerts, undermining any coordinated response the city may have had. The public message is critical, but if your internal team doesn't know what's happening or how to respond, your external message will fall apart,' she concluded. Coordination Is Key One of the most vital lessons from the recent Texas floods 'is the critical importance of clear, coordinated, and timely communication between agencies, media, and the public. When lives are at stake, what you say, how you say it, and where that message appears can be the difference between safety and tragedy,' Alexandria Hurley, a crisis communication expert, told me via email. 'In this case, despite the National Weather Service issuing flash flood warnings hours before the most severe flooding began, there appears to have been a breakdown in how that information was communicated to both emergency managers and the public. The absence of a designated warning coordination meteorologist—a key liaison between meteorologists and emergency operations—exposed a gap that likely slowed decision-making and public notification,' she pointed out. For business leaders, Hurley said the lesson is this: your crisis plan is only as strong as your communication flow. 'Having accurate information is not enough; there must be a system to deliver that message consistently, repeatedly, and across all channels—especially when digital infrastructure (like cell service) is compromised. Pre-planned escalation protocols, spokesperson training, and redundancies in communication systems are not optional—they are essential,' she concluded. Don't Let Anything Fall Through the Cracks In small and rural communities, one person may have multiple crisis-related responsibilities, which means that established chains of commands could be broken, and vital tasks could be neglected. 'Unless an alternate person has been granted the authority to step-in and act and they are aware of the need to act, the broken chain can result in delays in decision making and lifesaving actions,' Oliver, the former FEMA assistant administrator, warned. Whether there are potential floods, wildfires, hurricanes or snow storms, being prepared for weather-related events in your part of the country is critical in today's climate-change environment. Organizations that are aware of the crisis management-related shortfalls and weaknesses in their area should take steps now to ensure that those weaknesses are addressed and will not make a bad situation worse when a crisis strikes. Texas lawmakers are scheduled today to begin investigating what went wrong in preparing for and responding to the deadly floods in their state. Based on the findings, don't be surprised if there are more lessons to be learned from the tragedy.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers on Wednesday were set to begin reviewing the July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people, a disaster that put local officials under scrutiny over why residents along the Guadalupe River did not receive more warnings. The catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country and a partisan redrawing of U.S. House maps, aimed at giving Republicans more winnable seats in the 2026 elections, are two major issues in a 30-day special session that is already off to a combative start. Democrats want to address flood relief and new flood warning systems before taking votes on new congressional maps sought by President Donald Trump. They have not ruled out a walkout in a bid to derail the redistricting, which they have slammed as a partisan power grab. State and county emergency response officials are scheduled to testify on Wednesday, but no officials from Kerr County, the area most hard-hit by the floods, are expected to appear. Lawmakers have filed bills to improve early warning systems and emergency communications and to provide relief funding. Kerr County, where 27 campers and counselors, most of them children, were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, does not have a warning system along the river after several missed opportunities by state and local agencies to finance one. Three people remain missing. At one point, county officials said more than 170 people were unaccounted for. Lawmakers are scheduled to visit Kerrville on July 31 to hear from residents. Democrats have left open the possibility of filibusters or walking out in the coming weeks to block the proposed congressional map redraw. On Monday, most of the party's members in the House signed a letter to the speaker stating that they would not engage in any work before addressing flood relief. But Democrats have few paths to resistance as the minority party in both chambers. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the $500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum. ___ Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
10 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Texas officials begin state investigation into July 4 flood disaster
The critical minutes and hours when deadly flash floods hurtled down the Guadalupe River washing away children's camps and RVs will be scrutinized starting Wednesday at a special hearing in Texas. There's already a split emerging about exactly what should be prioritized: the efficiency of those who tried to save lives once the water arrived or whether more should have been done before the storm. 'We need to find out what happened. We need to know for us to go forward and make sure that we prevent the loss of life on the scale,' said José Menéndez, a Democrat state senator, who will be on the joint select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding. His Republican colleague on the committee, Wes Virdell, who is the state representative for Kerr county, the area hardest hit, urged more caution in a separate interview with CNN. 'Government's natural inclination is to overreact, and so I want to make sure that we don't have that happening,' Virdell said. At least 135 people were killed in Texas during the historic July 4 flooding, more than 100 of them in Kerr County where children's camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe. The area lies in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley,' but Kerr County has no network of sirens along the river to alert both residents and visitors when they should get to higher ground. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation for a special legislative session that began Monday to address flood warning systems, emergency communications, and relief funding for victims — as well as other issues that are more political in nature including redistricting. Wednesday's hearing will include testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers throughout Flash Flood Alley, as well as Chief Nim Kidd, head of the state's Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and members of the Department of Public Safety, the state's police force. The agenda indicates lawmakers will seek information on disaster preparedness and response, flood planning and first responder communications. Members of the joint select committee have not received any briefing materials or confidential information in advance of the meeting in Austin, CNN has learned. A rare confluence of events contributed to the disaster — a summer's worth of rain landing on drought-dried soil, the area's geography gathering the water in the river until it could break its banks near the town of Hunt, a community that is often saturated with weather alerts and the worst happening in the middle of the night before the July 4 holiday and many people in the affected zones not having access to phones or cell service. 'You talk to the locals, and they don't feel like there was anything more that could have been done at that point,' said Virdell, who arrived in Kerr County the morning of the floods and stayed for 10 days. 'That's not saying every local, but (it) seems to be the general consensus.' Prev Next Virdell first went to check on the coordination of emergency operations. 'TDEM and all the agencies that came in — Texas Parks and Wildlife, DPS, National Guard — all of those guys worked very well together. It was impressive to watch, and the local officials with them.' He said his constituents recognized the unparalleled nature of the event. 'Outside of Kerr you see several people trying to point fingers and what not. You go talk to the people that live there, and they're not blaming people.' But Menéndez is concerned that more could have been done, especially with the children's camps on the river where youngsters slept in cabins with counselors. 'We cannot just say it was a freak of nature. Yes, it was. But can we do a better job? I believe we can,' he said. 'I think they needed to have better preparation, especially when you have children who are being supervised by just a little bit older children, maybe young adults. That's a dangerous situation. You need to have ultimate preparation,' he said, adding he wanted more clarity on the emergency operations process in Kerr and neighboring counties. 'If you have nothing to fear, you should have nothing to hide. If you really did the best you can, then come out and say it. People deserve to have honest answers, no matter how painful they may be.' Controversially, Texas Republicans have signaled they will first use this special legislative session to force a vote on aggressive redistricting maps pushed by the White House that could give the GOP five more seats in the US House of Representatives. The move will likely hamper state Democrats' efforts to block the new maps, because they won't want to disrupt the session before there is a vote to approve the flood relief. Still, there was no talk of making Wednesday's first hearing purely political theater. '(There's) a lot to learn, a lot to study, not a witch hunt,' Menéndez said. 'But I do want, ultimately — if there was someone that could have done a better job — them to answer why they didn't.' 'The truth of what happened in that 24 hours that led up to this destruction and this death and tragic occurrence will come out,' the state senator continued. 'So why not come out and let's talk about it as adults so we can find a solution?' Virdell said he would also be ready to learn. 'Weathermen have been getting the weather wrong for a long time, and I think that's going to continue on,' he said. 'The purpose of the committee is to figure out is there something different we can be doing?' The committee will reconvene the following week in Kerrville, Texas — the epicenter of some of the worst flooding, where both members said they are looking forward to hearing directly from flood victims.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Texas lawmakers begin review of catastrophic floods that killed at least 135
Texas lawmakers on Wednesday were set to begin reviewing the July 4 floods that killed at least 135 people – a disaster that put local officials under scrutiny over why residents along the Guadalupe River did not receive more warnings. The catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country and a partisan redrawing of US House maps aimed at giving Republicans more winnable seats in the 2026 elections are two major issues in a 30-day special session that is already off to a combative start. Democrats want to address flood relief and new flood warning systems before taking votes on new congressional maps sought by President Donald Trump. They have not ruled out a walkout in a bid to derail the redistricting, which they have slammed as a partisan power grab. State and county emergency response officials are scheduled to testify on Wednesday, but no officials from Kerr County, the area most hard-hit by the floods, are expected to appear. Lawmakers have filed bills to improve early warning systems and emergency communications and to provide relief funding. Kerr County, where 27 campers and counselors – most of them children – were killed at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp, does not have a warning system along the river after several missed opportunities by state and local agencies to finance one. Three people remain missing. At one point, county officials said more than 170 people were unaccounted for. Lawmakers are scheduled to visit Kerrville on July 31 to hear from residents. Democrats have left open the possibility of filibusters or walking out in the coming weeks to block the proposed congressional map redraw. On Monday, most of the party's members in the House signed a letter to the speaker stating that they would not engage in any work before addressing flood relief. But Democrats have few paths to resistance as the minority party in both chambers. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the 500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum. ___Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Texas officials begin state investigation into July 4 flood disaster
The critical minutes and hours when deadly flash floods hurtled down the Guadalupe River washing away children's camps and RVs will be scrutinized starting Wednesday at a special hearing in Texas. There's already a split emerging about exactly what should be prioritized: the efficiency of those who tried to save lives once the water arrived or whether more should have been done before the storm. 'We need to find out what happened. We need to know for us to go forward and make sure that we prevent the loss of life on the scale,' said José Menéndez, a Democrat state senator, who will be on the joint select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding. His Republican colleague on the committee, Wes Virdell, who is the state representative for Kerr county, the area hardest hit, urged more caution in a separate interview with CNN. 'Government's natural inclination is to overreact, and so I want to make sure that we don't have that happening,' Virdell said. At least 135 people were killed in Texas during the historic July 4 flooding, more than 100 of them in Kerr County where children's camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe. The area lies in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley,' but Kerr County has no network of sirens along the river to alert both residents and visitors when they should get to higher ground. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation for a special legislative session that began Monday to address flood warning systems, emergency communications, and relief funding for victims — as well as other issues that are more political in nature including redistricting. Wednesday's hearing will include testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers throughout Flash Flood Alley, as well as Chief Nim Kidd, head of the state's Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and members of the Department of Public Safety, the state's police force. The agenda indicates lawmakers will seek information on disaster preparedness and response, flood planning and first responder communications. Members of the joint select committee have not received any briefing materials or confidential information in advance of the meeting in Austin, CNN has learned. A rare confluence of events contributed to the disaster — a summer's worth of rain landing on drought-dried soil, the area's geography gathering the water in the river until it could break its banks near the town of Hunt, a community that is often saturated with weather alerts and the worst happening in the middle of the night before the July 4 holiday and many people in the affected zones not having access to phones or cell service. 'You talk to the locals, and they don't feel like there was anything more that could have been done at that point,' said Virdell, who arrived in Kerr County the morning of the floods and stayed for 10 days. 'That's not saying every local, but (it) seems to be the general consensus.' Prev Next Virdell first went to check on the coordination of emergency operations. 'TDEM and all the agencies that came in — Texas Parks and Wildlife, DPS, National Guard — all of those guys worked very well together. It was impressive to watch, and the local officials with them.' He said his constituents recognized the unparalleled nature of the event. 'Outside of Kerr you see several people trying to point fingers and what not. You go talk to the people that live there, and they're not blaming people.' But Menéndez is concerned that more could have been done, especially with the children's camps on the river where youngsters slept in cabins with counselors. 'We cannot just say it was a freak of nature. Yes, it was. But can we do a better job? I believe we can,' he said. 'I think they needed to have better preparation, especially when you have children who are being supervised by just a little bit older children, maybe young adults. That's a dangerous situation. You need to have ultimate preparation,' he said, adding he wanted more clarity on the emergency operations process in Kerr and neighboring counties. 'If you have nothing to fear, you should have nothing to hide. If you really did the best you can, then come out and say it. People deserve to have honest answers, no matter how painful they may be.' Controversially, Texas Republicans have signaled they will first use this special legislative session to force a vote on aggressive redistricting maps pushed by the White House that could give the GOP five more seats in the US House of Representatives. The move will likely hamper state Democrats' efforts to block the new maps, because they won't want to disrupt the session before there is a vote to approve the flood relief. Still, there was no talk of making Wednesday's first hearing purely political theater. '(There's) a lot to learn, a lot to study, not a witch hunt,' Menéndez said. 'But I do want, ultimately — if there was someone that could have done a better job — them to answer why they didn't.' 'The truth of what happened in that 24 hours that led up to this destruction and this death and tragic occurrence will come out,' the state senator continued. 'So why not come out and let's talk about it as adults so we can find a solution?' Virdell said he would also be ready to learn. 'Weathermen have been getting the weather wrong for a long time, and I think that's going to continue on,' he said. 'The purpose of the committee is to figure out is there something different we can be doing?' The committee will reconvene the following week in Kerrville, Texas — the epicenter of some of the worst flooding, where both members said they are looking forward to hearing directly from flood victims.
